《Untouchable Lady》


 Chapter 1 - How The Rose Withered

    Chapter 1 ¨C How The Rose Withered


    ¡°Hilise, please.¡±


    My beloved older brother, Ricardo, whom everyone calls ¡®The Prince of Roses¡¯, said to me, who is locked behind the bars.


    ¡°Die in place of Gabrielle.¡±


    My heart, which had already been stabbed countless times throughout my life, was completely broken at that moment.


    I did not know what to say. I could only hold my breath and stare at the man in front of me.


    It was on Gabrielle¡¯s behalf that I was jailed in the first place.


    I didn¡¯t expect Ricardo to patch things up and get me out of here.


    But I expected him to say that he was worried about me.


    Even if it would¡¯ve been an obvious lie, I didn¡¯t care.


    My brother¡¯s face, which had always been cold whenever he saw me, was dark.


    A faint sense of guilt was visible in his eyes as he avoided my gaze, unable to look at me any longer.


    ¡°You did it before. You¡¯ve already repeated seven lives.¡±


    The moment Ricardo said it with a heavy voice, I shuddered as if I was being stitched with a harpoon.


    ¡°Die¡ªDie¡­¡­then go back to the past.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say it.¡±


    ¡°So Hilise,¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Please die in Gabrielle¡¯s stead.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know that such cruel words could pass through those beautiful lips.


    However, it wasn¡¯t anything new. He had always been cruel to me.


    But still¡­¡­How could he?


    ¡°It¡¯s just for a moment anyway. After that, you will still go back.¡±


    Ricardo spoke again with a desperate voice as if he was trying to persuade me.


    ¡°That¡¯s why¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t believe me.¡±


    Ricardo fell silent when he heard what I said.


    ¡°You despise me for talking nonsense to get other people¡¯s attention.¡±


    He never talked about it.


    ¡°But now you¡¯re bringing it up because you don¡¯t need me anymore?¡±


    Knowing his personality, if we are in a different situation right now, he wouldn¡¯t believe a word that I say.


    Ricardo¡¯s face looked troubled.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    His actions made me feel as if the warmth of my body was being drained out of my fingertips.


    ¡°But please, Hilise. For the first and last time, I ask this of you.¡±


    For the first time, a nobleman knelt before me and begged with his head down.


    For Gabrielle, whose blood he doesn¡¯t share but is clearly the only sister he considers as his.


    He wants me to die for her.


    ¡°Haha¡­¡­¡±


    I couldn¡¯t stand it and burst out laughing. How can I not laugh at this funny sight?


    ¡°This is hilarious.¡±


    Ricardo¡¯s shoulders stiffened a little as if he thought I was mocking him for being on his knees.


    Still, he made a silent appeal to me.


    That¡¯s right, that¡¯s how much he cares for Gabrielle.


    To the extent that I¡¯m nothing to him.


    I¡¯ve always been miserable in all of my seven lives, and there was no exception this time.


    Nevertheless, the fleeting expectation, which had remained as thick as a handful of dust, finally turned into ashes and scattered in the air.


    ¡°Ricardo.¡±


    I didn¡¯t shed any tears.


    I just felt empty.


    Yes.


    Finally, after seven failures.


    ¡°I won¡¯t call you brother anymore. Actually, you¡¯ve never been my brother since the day I was born.¡±


    Ricardo¡¯s hand flinched at my words. He raised his head and looked up at me.


    ¡°Thank you, Ricardo.¡±


    Perhaps my face is as dry as my voice right now.


    As soon as his eyes met mine, his expression cracked.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re a scumbag until the end.¡±


    Looking at his quivering eyes, I felt my lingering vain feelings, which were slowly disappearing like grains of sand, vanish entirely.


    I don¡¯t feel bad looking at him anymore, it¡¯s not even heartbreaking.


    Have I ever felt this positive in all of my lives before?


    Well, I¡¯m finally free now.


    So, it¡¯s my turn to abandon them first.

 Chapter 2 - A Flower That Bloomed A

    Chapter 2 ¨C A Flower That Bloomed Again


    ¡°No, don¡¯t go there¡­¡­!¡±


    Another new beginning after death.


    I took a deep breath for the first time in this life.


    The mixed scent of spring, tea, and the soft scent of grass quickly filled my nose. At the same time, a panicking voice struck my ears.


    Ah, I remember this. It¡¯s time for that to happen again.


    What pierced my ears just now was Ricardo¡¯s cry, which I¡¯ve heard seven times already.


    Once I open my eyes, I will find an ornamental beast coming for us, threatening to devour me and Gabrielle.


    I didn¡¯t need to prepare myself mentally because I¡¯ve been through this situation a few times already.


    I slowly lifted my eyelids.


    The moment I opened my eyes, the sun¡¯s glare greeted my vision.


    ¨C Grrr, grrr¡­¡­!


    What I saw next was a huge white beast, as big as a house, running towards us. It was something that I have been expecting.


    I saw Ricardo running from a place not far away.


    I remember this scene vividly.


    After running with his neat red hair, he reached out his hand.


    But it touched Gabrielle, who was standing beside me.


    Without a second thought, Ricardo embraced Gabrielle as if to protect her and quickly distanced themselves away from me.


    ¨C Roaaarrrr¡­¡­!


    I was left all alone in front of the raging beast.


    It opened its mouth with me as its target.


    Sharp fangs rushed towards me as if it would pierce me right away.


    But I only looked at the scene unfold in front of me without batting an eye.


    I¡¯d rather die at this moment, but that¡¯s not my destiny.


    HWAAA!


    At that seemingly hopeless situation, a gentle energy surrounded my body.


    The scent of flowers, which became much stronger and sweeter than it had already been, reached my nose.


    The roses that grew from beneath my feet spread immediately.


    As the vines grew longer, the roses¡¯ petals scattered in the air pleasingly, as if to cover my field of vision.


    The vines that came from me, which were covered with thorns that stretched forward, entangled with each other.


    The four special-blooded families that pass on their powers from generation to generation symbolize the four seasons.


    The first time I realized that I had this power was when I was trying to save myself from a dangerous situation.


    ¡°What just¡­¡­¡±


    A low, trembling voice flowed into my ears.


    I turned my head in the direction of the voice. There, I found two figures sitting on the green grass.


    Ricardo, who stared at me with a surprised look, and a blonde girl, who trembled pitifully in his arms.


    It was Ricardo and our stepsister, Gabrielle.


    Perhaps very shocked to have come face-to-face with a beast, Gabrielle was grasping Ricardo¡¯s arm with a pale and panic-stricken face.


    I couldn¡¯t help but compare them, who sat together, to me, who sat alone in the middle of the garden.


    It was hard to tell who the real siblings were.


    The vines climbed to the level of my head as more roses bloomed.


    ¡°Hilise, how did you¡­¡­ How are you able to use ¡®blooming¡¯¡­¡­¡±


    Ricardo seems awfully surprised at what he is seeing.


    It was worth it.


    The powers of the four special-blooded families, including the ¡®Inoaden or Spring¡¯ family, are only inherited by the heirs. Thus, they are the only ones who can manifest these abilities.


    So far, everyone was convinced that it would be Ricardo, not me, who would awaken his power soon since he is Father¡¯s successor.


    ¡°You¡¯re really horrible.¡±


    I stared at the astonished Ricardo and opened my mouth.


    ¡°If you have common sense, shouldn¡¯t you say something else first?¡±


    He didn¡¯t seem to quickly understand what I meant.


    The beauty that covered my surroundings and a fallen, white beast that seemed to have surrendered itself to its master.


    And Ricardo, who sat in the midst of all these while looking at me with trembling eyes, finally breathed after a while.


    Soon after that, his face turned white.


    Ricardo¡¯s eyes passed over me and fell on Gabrielle.


    ¡°Brother¡­¡­ sob.¡±


    Gabrielle¡¯s doe eyes were filled with tears.


    A glass-like teardrop fell the moment her eyes met Ricardo¡¯s.


    She looked so pitiful that if someone else saw her, they wouldn¡¯t be able to bear not to comfort her.


    Ricardo would have wiped her tears away at other times, but right now, he was frozen still as if time had stopped for him.


    The fact that he abandoned me and only saved Gabrielle seems to have come as a big shock to him.


    Ricardo¡¯s actions just now were done unknowingly, so it showed what was truly more important to him in his heart.


    Moreover, the creature that appeared just now was a request of the witless Gabrielle from Father.


    The reason being that it was the trend among young people these days to raise ornamental beasts.


    Besides that, Ricardo took the untamed beast out during tea time only because Gabrielle wanted to see it up close.


    I didn¡¯t know that the beast, who was taken out of its cage, would cut its leash off and come at us, but somehow, the blame falls on Gabrielle.


    And with that incident just now, I almost lost my life the first time it happened.


    Ricardo, who raised his head again, made an indescribable expression and wetted his lips several times.


    But Ricardo couldn¡¯t fool me easily.


    I had no intention of waiting for what he had to say.


    In my previous lives, I tried to hide my bitter feelings and forced myself to smile while saying, ¡®It¡¯s okay¡¯.


    There was also a time when I complained about how he¡¯s too hard on me and that I can¡¯t tolerate it anymore.


    But now, I know it was all useless.


    ¡°No thanks. I don¡¯t want to hear your excuses.¡±


    After saying what I had in mind, I got up from my seat.


    ¡°And besides, I¡¯ve known you and your terrible personality for a long time now.¡±


    Ricardo¡¯s face has, once again, become indescribable.


    But that face was somehow different from the one he made a while ago.


    Now, he seemed to have noticed that my attitude towards him has changed.


    Gabrielle, who was sobbing beside him, looked at me with a puzzled expression.


    ¡°Get out of my way.¡±


    Then, I walked past the two human garbage.


    The people, who noticed the commotion, were rushing out of the mansion and running towards us. Even with my back turned, I could feel two pairs of confused eyes following me.


    Softly,


    With every step I take, a light red rose would bloom and spread its fragrance. It was the same color as my current hair color.


    The end of my long hair, on the other hand, was dyed with a clearer scarlet.


    And that was how my eighth starting point came to pass.

 Chapter 3

    Chapter 3


    * * *


    After leaving the garden and entering the mansion, I headed straight into my room.


    I ran into several servants on my way there.


    But they all busily ran past me as if they couldn¡¯t see me.


    There was no way they couldn¡¯t be able to see me. They just chose to ignore me.


    I climbed the stairs, walked a little along the corridor, and opened the door to my room. A familiar view welcomed me.


    I strode inside the room at once and walked towards the window.


    My appearance was reflected in the polished window.


    Unlike Ricardo¡¯s vivid red hair, my long hair, which looked like a light-colored flower, came into view.


    Its ends have turned darker at the awakening of my power in the garden a little while ago, but it wasn¡¯t that dark yet.


    The face reflected in the glass looked a bit brighter.


    My age right now, which is near for one to be considered an adult, is 19.


    My age when I died in my last life was twenty-four, so I returned five years earlier in this life.


    Every starting point was different, but the way my lives went and ended was all the same.


    ¡°Please. Die in Gabrielle¡¯s stead.¡±


    Ricardo¡¯s desperate voice, which wasn¡¯t anything like him, came to mind.


    Thereafter, I remembered the Ricardo who just sat in the garden earlier.


    People always talked about me whenever they saw me outside.


    ¡®The ugly duckling of the Inoaden family.¡¯


    ¡®The worthless member of the family.¡¯


    ¡®The useless weed growing in the rose garden.¡¯


    That is everyone¡¯s impression of me, Hilise Inoaden.


    The first two nicknames were formed because of my relationship with the family members, whereas the last one was because of the unusual nature of those with the Inoaden¡¯s blood.


    No matter how many nicknames I have, none of them are good.


    I heard voices through the half-open window.


    When I came closer and looked out of the window, I saw the garden where I stood earlier.


    Ricardo and Gabrielle were already gone from their place.


    The gathered maids and servants are diligently organizing the surroundings under the butler¡¯s orders.


    Drag the tray, clean the tea table, and collect the dead body of the beast.


    However, they did not know what to do with the roses that bloomed around them.


    The fact that it wasn¡¯t Ricardo who bloomed them was probably a small part of the employees¡¯ confusion.


    None of them doubted that Ricardo, the eldest son, would be the heir.


    Everyone affectionately called him ¡®The Prince of Roses¡¯.


    However, unfortunately, this power is mine, and until I die, his turn would never come.


    I looked at where Ricardo sat earlier, thinking about how cynical I was.


    Now, I just have to continue with this act.


    The servants eventually called the gardeners to clean up the roses I bloomed and turned to go back inside the mansion.


    But as soon as someone touched a rose, it turned to dust, glistening like powdered glass.


    I witnessed its glittering particles scatter in the air as I reached out and closed the window.


    Then, I pulled the curtain next to me, completely blocking the light from my view.


    * * *


    ¡°Please come this way, Mr. Madsen. The young master and young lady are waiting for you.¡±


    The Inoaden¡¯s family doctor, who visited the mansion because of the incident earlier, went to check on Gabrielle first.


    Even though I was the one who was almost eaten by the beast, everyone prioritized Gabrielle, who was protected by Ricardo, so that not even a single strand of her hair would be lost.


    It was so natural that I wasn¡¯t even surprised.


    Gabrielle must be completely fine besides being a little surprised.


    But I know she¡¯s going to fake everything.


    To cut Ricardo and Father¡¯s attention from me because they were distracted by my powers.


    But even if she doesn¡¯t do that, Father and Brother will still run to her because even at the mere sight of a crying Gabrielle, they would always become flustered.


    That¡¯s how much they love Gabrielle.


    And that¡¯s how much they hate me.


    My father, Diego Inoaden, and my mother, Rowena Evelyn, had a marriage out of love, not a political marriage, which was rare for nobles.


    Their love was indeed extraordinary, and I¡¯ve heard that everyone envied and wished for their happiness forever.


    When my brother, Ricardo, was born, the spring at Inoaden was as perfect as ever.


    But the beautiful days came to an end like a lightning strike.


    This was because Mother, who became weak after giving birth to her second child, died after struggling with death for several days.


    My father and brother, who loved my mother more than their own lives, could not forgive me for killing her.


    It was a common and boring story that often happened in popular novels.


    Then, winter came. At that moment, it seemed as though Diego Inoaden would have no other woman for the rest of his life.


    But five years later, he remarried.


    The woman was a widow from the North, whose looks were very similar to our dead mother. She also has a young daughter, who looked a lot like her.


    Maybe it was a fateful encounter when the longing grew deeper.


    Father and Ricardo were immediately captivated by the two.


    Ricardo treated our stepmother, who resembled our biological mother, like his real mother, and her daughter, like his real sister.


    I was the only one outside the fence of their newly built family.


    But for the second time, my father and brother¡¯s spring days were over. It lasted for only ten years.


    It was because our stepmother suddenly died of an unknown disease.


    The people outside gossiped, whispering, ¡®Maybe it was their destiny to die early.¡¯


    In any case, with our stepmother¡¯s death, Father and Ricardo became more affectionate toward Gabrielle, who was left alone.


    Whereas I, on the other hand, became even more neglected in the Inoaden family.


    ¡°Are you comforting me?¡±


    A rose that bloomed from under my bed wrapped itself around my arm and gently rubbed its petals on my cheek.


    It seemed as if it was touching my heart.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    But I¡¯m fine.


    I don¡¯t have any sorrow left in me.


    Still, I leaned my head to the rose as a token of gratitude.


    Whoosh-


    Long hair flowed down to my chest.


    It was a little strange to see my hair in a long length as it was still short enough to show my neck just before I opened my eyes in the garden.


    But I only felt such an emotion for a short time.


    In my past lives, they betrayed me after I exhausted everything I had.


    So now, I won¡¯t give them anything of mine anymore.


    Knock, Knock-


    ¡°Milady, Mr. Madsen is here.¡±


    I heard the maid¡¯s voice calling me outside.


    After examining Gabrielle, the doctor came to visit me.


    It was only natural, but no one really did come to my room until that evening.


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 Chapter 4

    Chapter 4


    * * *


    ¡°Are you sure it was awakening?¡±


    That evening, my father, Diego Inoaden, returned home.


    Like Ricardo, he also has dark red hair and golden eyes.


    Since he arrived before sunset, he seemed to have hurried home as soon as he heard the news.


    ¡°Are you not mistaken?¡±


    Finding it hard to believe, he tried to confirm it again from Ricardo.


    I was standing on a flight of stairs, out of their sight, and listening to their conversation.


    I didn¡¯t mean to eavesdrop, but I found them when I was on my way downstairs.


    ¡°Think carefully and don¡¯t make a hasty judgment. From what I heard, it¡¯s possible that it¡¯s your power, not Hilise¡¯s.¡±


    He doesn¡¯t know when to give up.


    I chuckled at my father¡¯s words.


    Of course, there¡¯s no possibility that Ricardo would have tried to use his power to protect me from that situation.


    Even Father knows that, but he still had meaningless expectations.


    ¡°Every step she took was followed by a rose that had the same color as her hair.¡±


    Ricardo¡¯s voice, which was lower than before, flowed into my ears.


    Father¡¯s voice was also lowered.


    They never thought about this possibility, but now that I awakened with the heir¡¯s power, they must¡¯ve felt like they lost their footing.


    ¡°For now, we must keep this matter to ourselves.¡±


    ¡°But Father.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t think the news had already been spread outside, do you?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡­ I made sure everyone keeps quiet about it.¡±


    Father praised Ricardo for doing a good job.


    Ricardo, however, seems to carefully think about what Father said.


    TTOGACK.


    My steps that stopped for a while, continued.


    Father and Ricardo were both surprised to hear someone walking down the stairs, not far from them.


    Their reactions worsened when they saw my face.


    Their faces were so stiff that I almost thought they were made of ceramics.


    ¡°Don¡¯t come here.¡±


    Father, who looked at me with disapproval, turned his head away.


    Judging from his expression, he seems to think that I¡¯ve come to greet him after his arrival.


    But I only glanced at them inadvertently and brushed them aside.


    Because of that, Father and Ricardo¡¯s faces conveyed embarrassment.


    ¡°Wait.¡±


    My father called me. I ignored him and kept walking.


    ¡°Hilise!¡±


    He raised his voice and called my name this time.


    I halted and looked back at him.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Father¡¯s face showed embarrassment for the second time.


    This is the first time I¡¯ve seen him make such a face.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    He asked dryly when he heard my nonchalant reply.


    ¡°That¡¯s a strange reply. You should not speak to me like that.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Then how should I speak to you, Father?¡±


    His face turned funny.


    Father and Ricardo stared at me as if I ate something wrong.


    ¡®Hilise Inoaden¡¯, a girl who was stupidly obedient just a few hours ago, suddenly changed and is now talking back to her father. It doesn¡¯t make sense at all.


    I¡¯ve been a doll-like girl who never said ¡®no¡¯ to them before.


    Next to my bewildered father, Ricardo¡¯s lips parted.


    But he did not say a word.


    Then suddenly, Ricardo¡¯s expression changed slightly.


    He must¡¯ve remembered my attitude towards him in the garden earlier.


    Ricardo stared at me as if he¡¯s looking at a stranger.


    ¡°Hilise, you¡­¡­ Why the hell are you acting like¡­¡­¡±


    Father mumbled, his words incomprehensible.


    His daughter, who suddenly acted like a different person, seemed to shock him greatly.


    Father, who couldn¡¯t speak properly, soon came to his senses at the sound of footsteps.


    ¡°M¡¯lords, Young Lady Gabrielle is looking for you.¡±


    It was a maid sent by Gabrielle.


    Father reacted as if he just recalled something he forgot temporarily.


    ¡°Right¡­¡­ She must be very surprised by the events today. I have to go see her right now.¡±


    His composure, which he lost for a while because of me, came back after talking to the maid.


    There was a faint worry in Father¡¯s voice.


    Of course, that worry is directed at Gabrielle.


    His eyes that looked at me after he spoke with the maid, looked like he didn¡¯t remember that I too, had gone through the same thing as Gabrielle.


    His eyes showed clear concern for his spoiled daughter.


    I turned to him and spoke.


    ¡°From now on, you should make it clear who you are calling. Don¡¯t waste my time like you did just now.¡±


    ¡°What¡­¡­?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like seeing you either, so stop taking my time.¡±


    Then I walked away, leaving the two of them behind.


    TTOGACK.


    The sound of my heels hitting the floor was exceptionally loud.


    ¡®Hah!¡¯, I heard my father exclaim behind me.


    ¡°What on earth¡­¡­ Did she eat something wrong while I was away?¡±


    His face has surely turned red from anger by now.


    ¡°Stop right there! Hilise¡­¡­!¡±


    ¡°Father, calm down for now. I have something to tell you so let¡¯s just go over there.¡±


    I heard Ricardo¡¯s stiff voice trying to stop him.


    I went to the dining room without a care.


    * * *


    ¡°M¡¯lady, what brings you here¡­¡­?¡±


    ¡°What else could be the reason for me to come to the dining room?¡±


    The servants who were setting the table stared at me in astonishment.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to send you your meal in your room later.¡±


    Father and Ricardo eat in the dining room, while I¡¯ve been accustomed to eating alone since some time ago.


    ¡°No thanks. I¡¯m going to eat here.¡±


    I sat on one of the seats and started eating alone.


    I wonder whose seat I¡¯m sitting on right now?


    It¡¯s been a very long time since I last ate with them in the dining room, so I forgot.


    But it doesn¡¯t matter whose seat this is.


    The servants around me fidgeted while staring at me.


    Seeing that some of the seats are empty, it seems that Father and Ricardo are still in Gabrielle¡¯s room. I expected it would take longer so I reached out for more food and put them on my plate.


    I kept my hands moving regardless of how the servants stared at me.


    How long has it been since I last ate properly?


    Ten days? Fifteen days?


    I¡¯m not sure how much time I spent in prison.


    I was locked up for a while, so I wasn¡¯t able to have proper meals before I died in my last life.


    Until just a few hours ago, the feeling of suffering from hunger was still vivid.


    I didn¡¯t have the desire to eat, yet I still felt hungry. It was a contradiction.


    The servants¡¯ eyes kept darting between me and the table when I reached out for more dishes.


    Some of them even tried to stop me.


    It seems like it would be difficult to fully load my stomach with carefully prepared foods for three Inoadens.


    ¡°Get me dessert.¡±


    A few moments later, the doors to the dining room opened, and the servants moved quickly to welcome them.


    ¡°Gabrielle must¡¯ve been shocked greatly.¡±


    ¡°Tell the chef to prepare her favorite dish¡­¡­¡±


    When I was almost done with my dessert, Father and Ricardo entered the dining room while speaking with serious expressions.


    Given Gabrielle¡¯s absence, it seems like she would be having soup in her room, pretending to be unwell again.


    ¡°Hilise?¡±


    Still wearing serious expressions, they finally entered the dining room and noticed me.


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 Chapter 5

    Chapter 5


    Discord Invites are open again!


    The two had their mouths fall open when they saw the mess on the table, and me sitting alone in front of it.


    ¡°¡­¡­What on earth is going on here?¡±


    Father finally came to his senses. His expression changed into a cold look and spoke.


    Ricardo¡¯s pace increased as he walked to me and grabbed my arm.


    He then whispered in a low voice, low enough so that Father won¡¯t hear.


    ¡°Hilise, what the hell are you trying to do?¡±


    I snatched my arm from him and faced the table again.


    ¡°I know I don¡¯t come here often, but I can¡¯t see why you¡¯re making such a big deal of it.¡±


    Ricardo¡¯s eyes narrowed at my dry response.


    ¡°Who said it¡¯s because you¡¯re here? I¡¯m trying to point out your rude behavior.¡±


    After putting up with everything that happened today, his patience seemed to have finally reached its limit.


    ¡°I just let you off earlier, but now it¡¯s too much. What¡¯s wrong with you? If you¡¯re going to dine here, you should¡¯ve waited until Father and I arrived!¡±


    Before I knew it, Ricardo was already admonishing me.


    It was like a brother scolding his spoiled sister.


    However, no matter how he acted, he would never be a brother to me again.


    ¡°I¡¯ll just lose my appetite if we eat together, so why should I?¡±


    Ricardo had stupid look on his face as if he never imagined that I would say such words to him.


    ¡°Hilise! What¡¯s with that attitude?¡±


    A voice resounded behind Ricardo.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything about it since Ricardo told me to leave you alone because you must¡¯ve been very surprised by the events today, but I can¡¯t let this go now!¡±


    Ah, Ricardo said that?


    Though I don¡¯t think he did that out of concern for me.


    He just wanted to ease the guilt that¡¯s been eating him up since he left me alone in the middle of the garden earlier.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been acting up towards me and your brother since earlier¡­¡­! Is that what I taught you?!¡±


    I tilted my head at the sight of my furious father.


    Is that what he taught me? That¡¯s quite an interesting question.


    ¡°No. That¡¯s not what Father taught me.¡±


    I stared at him and answered with a flat tone.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, but how come your preposterous behavior right now¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°To be precise, my father has taught me nothing in his entire life.¡±


    ¡°What¡ªWhat did you say?¡±


    My father froze right on where he stood. He looked like he couldn¡¯t comprehend what he had just heard.


    Ricardo and the servants held their breath.


    All this drama right now makes me feel like I¡¯m watching a boring play by third-rate actors.


    I continued speaking.


    ¡°You¡¯ve never been a father to me, so I¡¯m sure you know it yourself.¡±


    My father neglected me the moment I was born.


    He ignored me as if I wasn¡¯t his family, and he would look at me with unpleasant eyes as if he was looking at old stains on a wallpaper.


    ¡°Honestly, it¡¯s funny to call our relationship a father and daughter relationship.¡±


    The same thing can be said for Ricardo, but the proportion of a parent¡¯s role is different from a brother¡¯s role.


    So it was absurd for those words to come out of his mouth.


    I¡¯ve always thought that it was natural for them to make a fool out of me, but it¡¯s different this time.


    I placed my spoon on the table and watched as my father¡¯s eyes shook violently.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never been taught anything by my parents nor my brother in my whole life, and now I¡¯m spoiled. What should I do, now that I¡¯ve grown up like this? Isn¡¯t it all because of my father who didn¡¯t educate me? So if it bothers you, why don¡¯t you reflect on it even though it¡¯s too late?¡±


    Father was completely stunned by my unconventional remarks. So was Ricardo.


    DRRRK.


    I got up from my seat, disregarding the remaining spoonful of my raspberry sorbet.


    ¡°You¡¯ve never fulfilled your responsibilities as a parent, so don¡¯t start looking for your rights now.¡±


    I glanced at the servants that stood like rocks.


    ¡°Thanks for the meal.¡±


    The servants stared at me nervously, as if they did not know how to answer my humble gratitude.


    They, too, were astonished to hear everything I said to Father and Ricardo.


    However, the servants were soon startled when I spoke again, their eyes turning wide.


    ¡°But from now on, do not discriminate against me.¡±


    ¡°Wh-What are you talking about¡­¡­?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve known for a long time that you only send food leftovers to my room.¡±


    The napkin that I was holding fell into the sorbet¡¯s glass. Soon, the red liquid spread over the white cloth.


    I walked out of the restaurant, leaving the frozen servants behind, and past my stiffened father and Ricardo.


    ¡°What did Hilise mean by that?¡±


    ¡°We¡ªWe have no idea. The young lady must have misunderstood something¡­¡­¡±


    I heard Ricardo¡¯s voice as he interrogated the servants.


    As I continued walking, the servants¡¯ excuses gradually faded away.


    I went back to my room, laid on the soft mattress, and fell asleep.


    * * *


    ¡°Hello. We will be your mother and sister from now on.¡±


    That happened when I was six years old. Over the course of so many lives, it has become a very old memory of the past.


    But because it was the turning point of my life, it still lingered in my memory as if it was just yesterday.


    ¡°Nice to meet you, children.¡±


    Our father, Diego, brought them here. The beautiful woman and the girl, who looked like she¡¯s a year younger than me, both have honey blonde hair and dreamy doe eyes.


    ¡°Please get along with Gabrielle too.¡±


    They looked strikingly similar to the portrait of our mother in the corridor.


    When I saw Ricardo¡¯s face, I could tell that he was fascinated by the people that Father brought.


    I also liked the two who looked like my mother that only existed in a portrait.


    However, they didn¡¯t usually call me at family gatherings.


    So I had to spend time in my room more often than before.


    ¡°Daddy!¡±


    One day, I opened the window in my room and saw them in the garden.


    Gabrielle was running on the green grass towards Father, her shiny hair fluttering.


    Unconsciously, I almost tried to stop Gabrielle.


    The other day, when I approached Father and held his hand, he harshly shoved my hand and turned away.


    Hot tears streamed down my face. I had no choice but to hold my hand that turned red and gaze at my father¡¯s retreating back.


    I was worried about Gabrielle.


    Don¡¯t. Father will get angry because he doesn¡¯t like being touched¡­¡­


    But he lifted the running Gabrielle with a warm smile that I¡¯ve never seen before.


    KAARR, the sound of glass breaking was heard from my chest.


    Ricardo and our stepmother, who stood right beside him, approached the two.


    It was like a family painting.


    It came as a big shock to me.


    What I have only imagined in my room so far, was finally happening.


    But contrary to my imagination, it was Gabrielle, not me, who was in that beautiful landscape.


    Gabrielle, who resembled her mother, was a pretty child. She was like an angel.


    That¡¯s why I thought it was only natural for my father and brother to like her.


    I really liked Gabrielle and our stepmother too.


    Yet, even though that¡¯s what I thought, I sat back against the window and covered my ears.


    But the laughter outside seemed to penetrate my eardrums as it kept on getting louder.

 Chapter 6

    Chapter 6


    * * *


    ¡®What an unpleasant dream.¡¯


    It was already morning when I opened my eyes. The sunlight leaking through the curtain gaps.


    The clock showed that it was already 6:45 am. I lay still for a moment and stared at the ceiling. Then I sat up.


    Whether it was because I went to bed early last night, or because it had been a habit for a long time, I woke up on my own at this hour.


    I remained seated on my bed and thought about what to do in the future. I need to stay in the Inoaden estate for some time to gain more strength.


    Based on my experiences from my previous lives, staying here will let me achieve the second awakening faster.


    Then it would be okay for me to do things I¡¯ve never done in my past lives.


    How long has it been since I last organized my thoughts like this? Suddenly, the sound of footsteps caught my ears.


    Ah, I was lost in thoughts that I didn¡¯t realize it was already time for the maid to wake me up.


    BOLKL!


    ¡°M¡¯lady, wake up!¡±


    As expected, she opened the door and entered without my permission.


    In addition to the cold morning breeze, the maid would come to wake me up every morning.


    Naturally, for a servant, her actions were impudent.


    As the old saying goes, people stretch their legs when they see a place to lie down.


    I was a pushover who couldn¡¯t say a word to the servants ever since I was a child.


    I stared at the maid who had not shown herself to me yesterday.


    Acting like this even after what happened in the garden yesterday, and despite being a witness to how I acted towards my father last night, it seems that she wasn¡¯t intimidated at all.


    Father did not recognize me as his successor, so the servants dismissed what they saw yesterday as an illusion.


    My strange behavior in the dining room would not be enough to change the servants¡¯ behavior towards me either.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re already awake?¡±


    The maid was surprised at the sight of me sitting on the bed.


    In her eyes, I¡¯m just an immature lady.


    ¡°I spend my time doing nothing each day, so I always wake up early without difficulties.¡±


    I murmured to myself. It was a normal thing for me to talk to myself, whether someone is listening or not.


    CHWRRK.


    She strode across the room, walking in front of me, to the window and roughly pulled the curtains apart.


    Sunlight poured into the room. However, it was impertinent of her to just walk in front of my face without greeting me.


    Yet she did not seem to care at all.


    Grumbling, the maid bounded the curtains and turned around.


    Immediately after that, her body, which turned to face me, faltered momentarily.


    It happened when she caught me staring at her, silently observing her behavior.


    ¡°¡­¡­You.¡±


    The maid¡¯s shoulders jerked up as the word left my mouth.


    ¡°You¡¯re too noisy. Stop grumbling and go get some water to wash my face with.¡±


    I could imagine how my face looked without looking at the mirror.


    I suddenly turned into a cold and indifferent person.


    I¡¯m sure my facial expression looks the same.


    Surely, my expression must be very different from yesterday, before my eighth life.


    ¡°Are you talking to me?¡±


    ¡°Is there anyone else here other than you?¡±


    The maid pursed her lips. I spoke again.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make me say it twice.¡±


    She was surprised to hear the hidden warning in my emotionless voice.


    The maid seemed to think that there¡¯s something wrong with me, but she just walked away slowly.


    It was the first time I ordered her in that manner so I felt a little embarrassed.


    If I had been my old self, I would¡¯ve apologized for bothering her.


    The maid who had left my room returned after a while.


    Irritation was visible on her face.


    She must¡¯ve been taken aback by my unexpected demeanor at first and went to get the washbasin without complaint, but now she seems to be having a late reaction.


    ¡°Now, wash up. Here¡¯s the towel.¡±


    She roughly placed the washbasin in front of me.


    Some water escaped from it and soaked the hem of my nightgown.


    The maid tossed the towel to me. She then folded her arms and stood next to me.


    I stared at her for a moment before lowering my gaze. Ice-cold water touched my fingers when I dipped my hand into the washbasin.


    It wasn¡¯t anything new.


    I¡¯m already used to it. Nothing would change if I don¡¯t wash my face with cold water.


    But I don¡¯t really want to do it right now.


    CHWAK!


    KUDANGDANG!


    ¡°Kya!¡±


    I picked up the washbasin and threw it on the floor.


    The water soaked the carpet while some sprayed on the maid¡¯s feet and skirt.


    ¡°M¡¯lady, what are you doing?!¡±


    ¡°May, you.¡±


    The maid¡¯s name is May.


    She¡¯s a maid who looks down on me.


    It¡¯s amazing how everything is so consistent. She had been my maid who held contempt against me for the past seven lives.


    ¡°How long have you been working in the mansion?¡±


    Her eyes that stared at me seemed to ask, ¡®Are you crazy?¡¯


    But when my face remained calm, her expression turned into embarrassment.


    ¡°It will be a year two¡ªtwo months from now¡­¡­¡±


    My maids are being replaced often.


    There was no maid who wanted to serve me because everyone knew what my position in Inoaden is.


    May started to serve me when she was still new to this job.


    ¡°It¡¯s a serious problem when you can¡¯t even set the water temperature correctly. Is there something wrong with the maid who taught you? Is there something wrong with that maid¡¯s perception that she thought you¡¯re qualified to serve? Or is she not good at teaching her subordinates? Or both?¡±


    May flinched at my words.


    ¡°A mere maid brought all of these with her head raised shamelessly.¡±


    May kept her mouth shut and gave me a confused look as if her instincts are telling her to be wary of my strange words and actions.


    ¡°If I were to flog you and kick you out of this estate right now, who would take your side?¡±


    I asked her a practical question.


    May¡¯s eyes opened wide at my unexpected question.


    The meaning of my words must¡¯ve surprised her.


    ¡°If you¡¯ve been working in this mansion for just less than a year, you cannot receive a letter of recommendation for when you look for another place to work. Moreover, there aren¡¯t many households who would accept a maid who was fired for unpleasant deeds.¡±


    ¡°M-M¡¯lady.¡±


    May called me in an uneasy voice when she heard me hinting her dismissal.


    ¡°But that won¡¯t happen if I let you out nicely and if you¡¯re healthy enough to find another job.¡±


    She shrank back.


    I am in the position to fire anyone anytime with the worst possible method.


    Even if I am being ignored in the Inoaden, it won¡¯t be difficult for me to remove a maid if I want to.


    No one can really stop me if I beat her up right now and kick her out without a single penny with her.


    ¡°You might be thinking I¡¯m bluffing right now.¡±


    Of course, a scolding from Diego or Ricardo may follow after that, but they will not do anything to save a maid.


    ¡°You might think these are just words to threaten you and that in reality, I can¡¯t do it.¡±


    May quivered when I continued to speak quietly as if I knew what she was thinking.


    ¡°So far, I¡¯ve been a ridiculously easy master for you and I deserved it.¡±


    Why not?


    It must¡¯ve been hard to tell which one of us is the real master and maid. It would¡¯ve been difficult for someone to accept it if they were told that May is the maid and I¡¯m the master.


    Staring straight into her eyes, I warned May quietly.


    ¡°But now you have to know that I¡¯m not who I was until yesterday.¡±


    May doesn¡¯t know exactly what I mean.


    There¡¯s no way she¡¯ll know that I changed the past seven times.


    It¡¯s good that I¡¯m a completely different person from the me until yesterday morning.


    ¡°Now, I am your master who can punish you for your rash tongue and hands whenever my heart desires.¡±


    I spoke in a calm tone, but my words contained the truth.


    May¡¯s eyes shook as if someone blew on them.


    In fact, I¡¯ve already warned several arrogant servants in my previous life.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already forgiven you twice today.¡±


    But the biggest reason why I don¡¯t want to focus my heart on such trivial issues is because I don¡¯t want to.


    No matter how poor the servants treated me, they were not a threat to me, nor did they noticeably change my life in a good or bad way.


    However, I know that it wouldn¡¯t hurt to restrain servants who do not know their place.


    ¡°There won¡¯t be a third chance.¡±


    Since she¡¯s not a person that¡¯d be with me for a long time, this much warning is enough.


    ¡°So do it properly this time.¡±


    I ordered, glancing down at the washbasin that laid on the carpet.

 Chapter 7

    Chapter 7


    With what happened earlier, it¡¯s clear that May understood what I meant.


    The moment her eyes met mine again, she trembled as if I just looked into her soul.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­¡­¡±


    She bowed her head right away and apologized.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, m¡¯lady. My inexperience has made you upset.¡±


    No matter what she¡¯s actually thinking inside, she knew it would be better to just act politely.


    Since I¡¯ve been a pushover before, I found out what her strength is through my previous lives. It¡¯s that she¡¯s able to change her attitude at once after quickly grasping the atmosphere.


    The existence of a quick-witted employee who didn¡¯t bother me was quite convenient.


    ¡°I will prepare the water for you to wash your face now.¡±


    May hurriedly straightened herself up.


    The mess on the floor was cleared away in an instant. After that, she gave me moderately heated water.


    Unlike the beginning, May behave obediently this time.


    After I finished washing my face, I headed to my dressing room.


    I opened the door and saw that the dresses were just as I had expected.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like them.¡±


    May, who was next to me, flinched at my words.


    She had a suspicious look on her face that said, ¡®You wouldn¡¯t fling the dresses like you did to the washbasin earlier, would you?¡¯


    Ever since my stepmother came to the Inoaden, I¡¯ve always worn dresses that covered my wrists and neck.


    In addition, the colors were far from bright colors.


    A lady¡¯s beauty comes from her frugality and simplicity. That¡¯s what I¡¯ve always heard since I was young.


    It was my stepmother who said this to me, and I obeyed her like a gentle little lamb.


    However, considering that she only bought Gabrielle cute and bright clothes, my stepmother¡¯s words were very contradictory.


    I didn¡¯t realize it when I was young, but now I¡¯m sure my stepmother despised me.


    I don¡¯t even care about clothes like these anymore.


    My nightmare last night only reminded me of my bad memories.


    I reached my hand into the dressing room.


    HWAAK!


    The plain, achromatic dresses that hung inside started to get covered with petals.


    A sweet scent spread throughout the room.


    This is the realization of my will.


    With my power not yet fully awakened, so the work I can do with it is limited. Nonetheless, I didn¡¯t have any difficulty in performing this task.


    The view of the dingy clothes transformed into bright colored petals. Petals fell all over the place as if they were falling from the sky. It was quite remarkable.


    I didn¡¯t have many clothes in the first place, so it didn¡¯t take long. The room was filled with petals.


    The scented petals that overflowed outside reached my ankles.


    All the outdoor and indoor dresses that I could¡¯ve worn right now are gone, but it doesn¡¯t matter.


    Unlike the roses that bloomed in the garden, the roses this time had completely changed the fabrics¡¯ nature. The clothes were gone the moment they were touched by the roses.


    ¡°M-M¡¯lady, this is¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Clean up.¡±


    I turned my back after giving her a brief order. May stared at the overflowing petals in astonishment.


    I stepped on the carpet of petals and left the dressing room.


    * * *


    Come to think of it, I immediately fell asleep after eating dinner last night without taking a bath.


    It seems that I have become uselessly accustomed to my life in prison in the seventh life.


    I asked May to prepare a bath. She looked at me as if she thought I was fickle when I just asked her for some water to wash my face with.


    But the moment our eyes met, she was startled and avoided my gaze in a split second.


    May¡¯s behavior has become more cautious. Perhaps it¡¯s because she saw me turning the dresses into petals earlier.


    After washing up, I had to wear clothes, however, I had already emptied my dressing room.


    So I just took out another pair of pajamas and put them on.


    May was horrified, but no matter what other people thought of me, it was none of their business.


    I didn¡¯t have an appetite yet because of the full course meal I had last night, so I skipped breakfast.


    ¡°M¡¯lady, the master is calling for you.¡±


    Today is one of the days when my father doesn¡¯t leave the estate.


    I was sitting by the window, enjoying the sun¡¯s heat.


    I answered the maid without turning my head.


    ¡°Tell him to come in person.¡±


    ¡°Pardon?¡±


    ¡°Tell him to come in person if he has something to tell me.¡±


    The maid was startled and opened her eyes wide. May, who watched us by the door, caught her breath.


    The maid stared at me with questioning eyes, but I didn¡¯t repeat myself.


    She eventually stumbled out of my room.


    * * *


    ¡°Have you gone crazy?¡±


    After a while, I faced my Father¡¯s stiff expression.


    ¡°Leave right now. Your master must¡¯ve hit her head yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Ye-Yes, yes, I will!¡±


    May, who received Father¡¯s glaring eyes, hurried out of the room.


    Seeing that she rushed out immediately after Father dismissed her, she must¡¯ve also thought that I¡¯m out of my mind.


    ¡°The reason you¡¯re acting high-and-mighty since yesterday is not because of what happened in the garden, is it?¡±


    His expression looked much colder than ever.


    It seems like he¡¯s thinking that the reason why my behavior suddenly changed is because of the awakening of my power.


    A brat who suddenly turned impudent and arrogant right after gaining abilities by luck.


    His thoughts are clearly written on his face.


    ¡°What happened to you yesterday was not an awakening, so don¡¯t even think of talking about this nonsense outside the estate.¡±


    My father seems to genuinely believe that idea.


    I¡¯m not Ricardo. He can¡¯t believe that I¡¯m the one who awakened to the successor¡¯s power. He obviously thinks that something is wrong.


    Whether Ricardo and Gabrielle were mistaken, or something unusual happened to me temporarily.


    The awakening happened to me in the garden yesterday afternoon.


    Our family¡¯s story is indispensable to explain this power.


    The Inoaden family, to which I belong, is one of the four historic families that existed since the founding of the kingdom.


    These four families were founded during the golden age. There were people who helped the kingdom¡¯s first king, who was a half god, descend to earth and become a ruler. These people had divine powers during the ancient times too.


    Their powers were innate within their bloodline.


    However, as time passed, some families lost all the glory of their ancestral lineage and could no longer use their abilities.


    Fortunately, Inoaden is not one of these families.


    The four households referred to the four seasons.


    Among them, we, who succeeded the blood of Inoaden, are called the ¡®Spring Family¡¯ or ¡®The Clan of Flowers¡¯.


    Fully bloomed flowers appear every time the Inoadens use their powers.


    Among the roses, bright red roses bloom when it is the successor who uses this power.


    Moreover, the thicker the blood of an Inoaden, the redder their hair becomes, just like roses.


    However, as the ability to pass the powers within blood-related members weakened, the only way to inherit this power is if you¡¯re the heir of the Inoaden¡¯s direct lineage.


    Thus, the awakening is called ¡®Flowering¡¯ and the one who awakened is called ¡®The Successor of Roses¡¯.


    Ricardo had vivid red hair since he was very young, which meant he had thick Inoaden blood. In contrast, mine was a very pale and light color.


    It¡¯s probably one of the reasons why Father was never interested in me.


    I let my father¡¯s words slip into one ear and out the other. My arm was resting on the window frame as I leaned on it.


    The sun is very warm right now. I can feel its heat through the open window.


    I think it¡¯s a good day to take a nap.


    Father still kept on saying, ¡®What you did yesterday was just a simple illusion. You will never awaken, so don¡¯t you ever speak of this nonsense to other people.¡¯


    My lips parted. I was starting to feel languid because of the sun¡¯s heat.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Why should I follow such a one-sided order?¡±

 Chapter 8

    Chapter 8


    I felt his glare on me become colder.


    I added.


    ¡°You won¡¯t even tell anyone the truth.¡±


    After I said that, I turned my head and met the eyes of the man standing before me.


    ¡°¡­¡­You¡¯re delusional.¡±


    I could feel my father trying to hold back his anger.


    ¡°You¡¯ve already got something that isn¡¯t supposed to be yours and yet you¡¯re being conceited.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t tell if he¡¯s talking to me or to himself.


    His expression was full of scorn towards me.


    But I also knew that his eyes would become tangled with far more intense hatred towards me than now.


    ¡°If you keep acting like this¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°What will you do?¡±


    He has no choice but to admit the fact that I am this generation¡¯s ¡®successor¡¯.


    He thinks that I¡¯ve taken away his beloved son¡¯s power.


    The corners of my mouth raised, giving my father a smile.


    ¡°Will you keep me in this room until I become docile? Or will you hit me to discipline me? If not.¡±


    The more I talked, the fiercer his face became.


    ¡°¡­¡­Will you kill me and put me out of everyone¡¯s sight forever so that I can no longer oppose you?¡±


    My father may not think that he¡¯s excessive and abusive.


    He¡¯s never done anything like that to me up to this day.


    However, my father is cruel and heartless.


    In my past lives, everything I said just now was done to me by the same person standing in front of me right now.


    Of course, as I went back in time, these events disappeared into the future, but they are still my past.


    So even if nothing happened to me yet in this life, it¡¯s still impossible to treat him as if nothing happened.


    ¡°Father.¡±


    In my past seven lives, three of my deaths were done by this man.


    ¡°If I fall down from here, will I die or not?¡±


    One was when he killed me with his own hands, the other two were done indirectly and in a complex manner, but the fact that he was the one who killed me, whether by his own hands or not, did not change.


    (T/N: How the hell did you not learn your lesson after everything they did? I mean, if it was me, I would¡¯ve already gone gaga and beat them up before I could even finish my first life¡­ ¨C.¨C)


    In my past lives, Father hid my abilities from the outside world. He made me live in Ricardo¡¯s shadow.


    The only times I was allowed to go out were when my powers were needed. Other than that, I was always confined inside my room.


    During those times, I always believed Father whenever he told me that it was all for me, Ricardo, and the whole Inoaden.


    I was really stupid during those times.


    Then, when it became difficult to deceive the people, Father became more eager to transfer my powers to Ricardo.


    I will never forget what I had to do in the process, even if I died and came back to life several times.


    ¡°This is just the third floor, but it¡¯s still quite high. If I¡¯m unlucky, I could hit my head and die.¡±


    I got up from my seat and placed a hand on the window frame.


    Just in time, the wind blew my hair and thin pajamas.


    ¡°¡­¡­What the hell are you talking about?¡±


    Father stared at me as if he doesn¡¯t really have any idea what I¡¯m talking about.


    But I never left the room enough times for him to feel that something was unusual with me.


    I softly told him what I¡¯m doing.


    ¡°I¡¯m trying to get away from this place right now.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­What?¡±


    My long hair kept fluttering, so I swept it behind my ear with one hand.


    I stared at my father¡¯s frozen face.


    His lips parted when I sat on the window frame.


    But not a single word came out of his mouth.


    It seems that my father doesn¡¯t know how to react right now.


    I felt satisfied when I saw his face turning pale.


    ¡°If what happened to me yesterday was an awakening, then I¡¯ll be fine, but if it wasn¡¯t, then I¡¯d either get hurt or die.¡±


    At that moment, May came back into the room.


    She pulled herself in through the open door and hesitated.


    I could see the color of her face drain when she saw me.


    ¡°What are you¡­¡­¡±


    I looked at my father again and gave him another smile.


    ¡°Which one do you want?¡±


    HWIII.


    In an instant, the wind that was just blowing against me earlier, swallowed my body as I fell.


    ¡°Kyaa¡­¡­! M¡¯lady¡­¡­!¡±


    The screams of the surprised May were heard overhead.


    The wide, blue sky spread before me.


    The feeling of falling was vivid.


    It was only for a short moment, but the time felt as if it would never end as I fell.


    But there is bound to be an end to everything.


    SAANG¡­¡­


    Then a soft, cozy sensation covered me instead of pain.


    I slowly lifted my eyelids as I smelled the strong aroma.


    The blue sky still spread widely above me, as if it was going to pour down at once.


    I saw the white curtains swaying by the window in my room.


    As I lay below everything, I looked up at the static landscape above me.


    I could tell what was gently wrapping around my body right now, even without having to check.


    Finally, my father¡¯s head poked out of the open window.


    His face was paler than earlier.


    I closed my eyes, buried in the bed of roses, like a man sleeping in a flower grave.


    The bright, burning sun shone over me. It really is a good day to take a nap.


    Side. Piece of the Past 1


    Hilise remembered both the beginning and the end of her lives.


    It was Ricardo who killed her in her first life.


    The news of Hilise¡¯s awakening was a bolt from the blue for the Inoadens.


    Especially for Diego and Ricardo, it was a disaster that had completely redesigned the future¡¯s blueprint.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, Father.¡±


    Hilise was also confused.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why Brother¡¯s power came to me either. This is what Brother Ricardo should have¡­¡­ There must¡¯ve been some sort of mistake.¡±


    But fear was much stronger than her confusion.


    After learning of Hilise¡¯s awakening, both Ricardo and Diego would look at her more coldly than they did this past few years.


    ¡°So if I can give it back to you right now¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too noisy¡­¡­! If you¡¯re just going to keep talking about stupid things, then just shut up!¡±


    At Diego¡¯s booming voice, Hilise flinched and caught her breath.


    ¡°If there was a way to return that power to Ricardo, then he would¡¯ve had it by now! So stop talking about the obvious because you¡¯re not helping!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sor¡­¡­¡±


    It wasn¡¯t unusual for Diego to coldly vent out his anger at Hilise.


    However, this was the only time that he shouted violently because he couldn¡¯t control his anger.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡­¡±


    Hilise was more frightened.


    Ricardo, who was seated next to their father, remained silent with a frighteningly stiff face.


    He was just as angry at her as their father.


    Diego placed his hand on his forehead, as if to calm his anger, and breathed heavily several times.


    Then he spoke to Hilise with a much calmer voice than before.


    ¡°You know that this is just a mistake. We¡¯ll find a way to fix this soon, so until then, don¡¯t go anywhere else and just stay in your room.¡±


    But Diego¡¯s voice and the glare in his eyes remained cold.


    Just as Hilise stepped out of the room, she heard someone speak behind her.


    ¡°I really hate looking at her.¡±


    TAK¡­¡­


    Hilise closed the door and walked away while holding back her tears.

 Chapter 9

    Chapter 9


    Her power is supposed to be Ricardo¡¯s. It was only natural that she would be hated for taking it away.


    Despite knowing this, it still made her heart sink whenever she received their cold stares.


    After her awakening, Diego would often vent his anger at Hilise, while Ricardo would stare at her as if he¡¯s staring at the crumbs on his fingertips.


    Gabrielle thought that Hilise was taking the attention of her brother and father away from her, so she raised the degree of being mean to Hilise.


    It was impossible to find a way to transfer Hilise¡¯s power to Ricardo.


    As time passed without finding a way to transfer it, Diego and Ricardo became more anxious.


    Moreover, to acquire more information, they had to reveal to the Parvenons that it was Hilise who had the Inoaden¡¯s power.


    It was Diego who ran out of patience first.


    Eventually, he announced to the outside world that Ricardo had an awakening and made Hilise his shadow.


    In rare cases, Hilise would be allowed to go outside to show the Inoaden¡¯s power as one of the four special-blooded families.


    Of course, each time she had to hide herself from the public¡¯s eyes.


    However, Diego¡¯s punishments would follow soon after Hilise makes a mistake in using her powers.


    CHASSAK!


    ¡°Ah¡­¡­!¡±


    As soon as he entered the room, he slapped Hilise, who yelped and fell on the floor.


    ¡°What¡¯s with that act earlier? The execution of your abilities looked like they were losing energy midway, but you knew that already, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    A part of her inner lip must¡¯ve burst from the slap earlier since she could taste the metallic taste of blood.


    Around this time, it was not uncommon for Diego to raise his hand on Hilise.


    The maids are originally ordered to flog her, but when Diego can¡¯t stand it and wants to express his anger, he would hit Hilise.


    ¡°You know that people laughed at Ricardo earlier! Are you saying it¡¯s alright to humiliate Ricardo because of you? You¡¯re useless!¡±


    Hilise crouched and hurriedly apologized in fear of being slapped again by Diego.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m really sorry. I was trying to concentrate, but I suddenly felt dizzy that I couldn¡¯t even stand up¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me that lame excuse!¡±


    Every fall, a harvest festival, which is organized by the four families, is held.


    This time, Inoaden got the majority vote.


    That¡¯s why, after the opening speech, the Inoaden¡¯s power was supposed to be shown to everyone to officially begin the festival. However, Hilise made a mistake because she was not accustomed to using her powers yet, so Ricardo was humiliated.


    ¡°Father, it seems like Hilise is already reflecting on her slip up, so you should stop there.¡±


    Ricardo, who was standing quietly behind Diego, dissuaded him.


    ¡°Ricardo, isn¡¯t she constantly making mistakes because you always let her off the hook so easily?¡±


    Hilise¡¯s eyes that stared at them were welling with tears.


    Ricardo stared at Hilise with his usual cold eyes.


    But Hilise was still grateful to Ricardo for defending her even though she humiliated him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t give her a drink until I allow it.¡±


    In the end, he did as Ricardo asked him to. He did not scold Hilise anymore and left the room.


    Ricardo followed suit without a word. After that, Hilise studied the function of her powers by herself.


    Diego told her that he will not tolerate mistakes, so she had to study alone everyday.


    ¡®I have to work hard so that Brother won¡¯t get humiliated because of me again.¡¯


    After some time, Hilise was able to use her powers skillfully.


    On the contrary, Ricardo¡¯s enmity towards Hilise grew.


    He never did any physical harm towards Hilise like Diego.


    However, Ricardo would sometimes stare at her as if he saw the thief who stole something of his.


    ¡°Haah, seriously. It¡¯s so suffocating whenever I come home these days. What¡¯s with this dreary atmosphere?¡±


    Gabrielle complained that the ambiance in the family had become very strange lately.


    ¡°Hilise, can you please stay in your room for as long as you can? I noticed that whenever Father and Brother see you these days, their temper always goes bad.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡­ okay. I¡¯ll do as you say. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Hilise became increasingly daunted and worn out by her family¡¯s cold treatment.


    Then one day, Ricardo returned home late and drunk for the first time.


    ¡°Brother, where have you been?¡±


    Hilise was anxiously waiting alone until late at night, knowing that Ricardo has not yet returned to the mansion.


    It was the first time that Ricardo, who had always been strict with himself, had returned late at night and smelled like alcohol.


    Ricardo glanced at Hilise with his cold eyes and continued walking without answering.


    Hilise hesitated before chasing after him.


    ¡°Brother¡­¡­ don¡¯t worry too much.¡±


    She knows what was bothering Ricardo these days.


    So she wanted to comfort him, not to make matters worse.


    ¡°Father is working hard to find a way to return this power to you, so it will be fine soon.¡±


    She wanted to explain her mind properly so that he won¡¯t misunderstand her intentions.


    ¡°Brother, I¡­¡­ I never wanted anything like this before. You know that right? This is something that you¡¯re supposed to have.¡±


    Hilise never coveted this power.


    She grew up thinking that Ricardo is the Inoaden¡¯s successor, and until now, her opinion does not change.


    So she doesn¡¯t want Ricardo to misunderstand and hate her.


    At that very moment, Ricardo, who was walking ahead of her, halted.


    Then he turned to face Hilise and pierced her with his frosty eyes.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. You never wanted that power. Yet the power that was supposed to become mine, chose you, not me. Like a dog chasing a chicken.¡±


    Hilise caught her breath and swallowed.


    ¡°Did you wait for me to tell me that?¡±


    ¡°Tha-That¡¯s not it¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you making fun of me? Do you find this funny? Were you actually such a nasty person?¡±


    Hilise was flustered because she did not expect Ricardo to take her words that way.


    Hilise hurriedly opened her mouth to apologize.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I never meant that. I just wanted you to feel at ease, even if just a little bit¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Get lost. I¡¯m not in the mood to see your face right now.¡±


    ¡°Brother¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Move.¡±


    Ricardo shoved the crestfallen Hilise away.


    He was only going to push her lightly, but he couldn¡¯t control his strength because of the alcohol¡¯s influence.


    POK!


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    After being roughly pushed by Ricardo, Hilise lost her balance and stumbled.


    However, the place where they are currently at is the stairway on the second floor.


    Ricardo witnessed Hilise¡¯s body tilting dangerously backwards.


    His hand reached out for Hilise.


    Hilise also reflexively reached out towards Ricardo.


    Fortunately, their hands touched each other.


    But the next moment¡­¡­


    Hilise¡¯s hand that momentarily touched Ricardo¡¯s had slipped out of his loosened grip.


    Her body continued to tilt backwards once again.


    Hilise¡¯s eyes opened wide.


    Her hand that touched Ricardo felt cold.


    Ricardo¡¯s hand, which gripped Hilise¡¯s moments ago, was frozen in the air.


    He was nailed to his spot as he stared at the falling Hilise with stiff eyes.


    ¡®Why¡­¡­?¡¯


    Hilise thought blankly why she¡¯s falling.


    Is it because it happened in an instant?


    Or is it because she didn¡¯t fully understand the situation until now?


    Or¡­¡­


    Is it because she believed Ricardo would help her?


    In that critical moment, Hilise¡¯s power did not protect her.


    POKKK!


    Red blood splashed and covered her field of vision.


    After falling helplessly, she landed on the floor headfirst.


    A terrible pain struck her as if her bones were broken and her limbs twisted.


    Even a small scream could not manage to escape from her mouth.


    At last, Hilise was like a broken doll that laid on the ground floor.


    Around her was a pool of blood that flowed from her head.


    Ricardo, who stood motionless at the top of the stairs as if time had stopped, stared quietly at Hilise¡¯s convulsing body.


    That was the last scene Hilise could remember in her first life.

 Chapter 10 - 2. Watch Out For That Lady

    Chapter 10


    2. Watch Out For That Lady


    ¡°What? Who?¡±


    There was an obvious surprise and disbelief in his voice.


    The silver-haired man, who is seated on the sofa and reading a letter that arrived today, turned his head, his forehead forming a crease.


    ¡°What do you mean Hilise Inoaden? Why would roses bloom from someone else when Ricardo was there?¡±


    Christian Parvenon.


    He is a descendant of the direct lineage of Parvenon, one of the four special-blooded families like the Inoaden.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I heard when I was snooping inside the Inoaden estate.¡±


    Christian¡¯s subordinate, Lenock, who delivered the news, told him again.


    But even after hearing it with his own two ears, he still finds it unbelievable.


    Christian¡¯s doubts are reasonable.


    The Inoaden¡¯s successor is the eldest son, Ricardo.


    Even though the vividly red-haired man had not yet awakened, no one doubted that he is the successor.


    The terms and conditions for the awakening are usually ordinary, so it was rarely delayed.


    That¡¯s why everyone thought that Ricardo¡¯s awakening would only be a matter of time.


    But unexpectedly, it was his younger sister who had the awakening.


    Besides, he knows who Hilise Inoaden is.


    The pathetic lady who is always by the corner while Gabrielle, who¡¯s not even her real sister, receives all the attention¡­¡­


    Christian carelessly tossed the letter he was holding onto the table.


    His visage was very handsome as if he was a carefully sculpted piece that came to life.


    ¡°That¡¯s interesting. Instead of Ricardo, it should be his sister who must be nicknamed ¡®The Princess of Roses¡¯.¡±


    That explains why the Inoadens have been strangely quiet these days.


    Christian felt amused and annoyed at the same time.


    He was interested in the sudden turn of events, but he also thought that all the trouble he went for Gabrielle, who was like the princess of Inoaden, was a waste.


    Christian¡¯s cold gaze landed on Gabrielle¡¯s letter that he was reading just a while ago.


    His fingers slowly swept his jaw and his lips, a habit when he is contemplating something.


    ¡°The other families?¡±


    ¡°They haven¡¯t made any significant moves yet. I think we were the first one to get the information.¡±


    ¡°The Clan of Ashes?¡±


    ¡°Axion Berzette is known to be in a different place right now.¡±


    Then there¡¯s no risk of losing.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go check, then.¡±


    In the end, he was more inclined to his interest rather than his annoyance.


    In addition, if Hilise Inoaden is the true successor, then there¡¯s no need to waste his precious time on Gabrielle.


    Christian, who has made his decision, rose from his seat.


    His dazzling silver hair twinkled and shook elegantly as he moved.


    Lenock, who was still inside the room, dissuaded him.


    ¡°The Inoaden estate is not receiving guests at the moment.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the problem with that?¡±


    Christian, however, smiled with his red eyes and walked past Lenock towards the door.


    ¡°I have a lovely fianc¨¦e who is willing to open the door for me anytime.¡±


    * * *


    ¡°Everyone¡¯s acting weird these days.¡±


    Gabrielle thought and muttered to herself.


    The disgruntled Gabrielle inflated her cheeks, but even with that look, Gabrielle was still as beautiful as an angel.


    Her golden hair flowed like a stream of light, her clear, large, jade-like green eyes, and her slender body and white skin were all beautiful.


    However, these days, Gabrielle¡¯s beautiful face displayed a frown more than a smile.


    It was related to the disorganized atmosphere in the Inoaden.


    First, her brother and father started acting weird.


    They¡¯ve had less time to visit Gabrielle for a while now.


    Even when they visited her, they were often lost in thought or wore dark expressions.


    Gabrielle has never been out of her bed since she was attacked by the beast in the garden.


    In fact, she didn¡¯t have any serious injury because she was protected by her brother, Ricardo.


    If someone were to find an injury in her body, it would be the scratch on her hand and a slight ankle sprain.


    Even the swelling of her ankle quickly subsided.


    But whenever Gabrielle thought that she was still alive because of her good luck, she would pout, thinking that it would¡¯ve been better if Ricardo was more careful that day.


    It was because of her that the beast had broken out to the garden in the first place, but it was long since she forgot that she did something wrong and that someone could¡¯ve died because of it.


    In any case, Gabrielle, who was not seriously injured, was just feigning illness.


    Gabrielle felt that everyone¡¯s attention was focused on Hilise ever since her flower show at the garden.


    Ricardo referred to what happened as the awakening of power.


    Gabrielle also knew about the Inoaden¡¯s power because she lived in the estate since she was a child.


    ¡®But isn¡¯t Brother Ricardo the only one who can do that?¡¯


    Gabrielle simply concluded that everyone was mistaken.


    However, unbeknownst to her, her father and brother kept paying attention to Hilise.


    That¡¯s why Gabrielle couldn¡¯t understand them.


    But the strangest thing is her stepsister, Hilise.


    Gabrielle still couldn¡¯t believe what she heard from her maid a few days ago.


    She said that Hilise jumped out of the window¡­¡­


    That¡¯s ridiculous.


    Without a doubt, Gabrielle knew that Hilise would never be capable of doing something that extreme.


    Gabrielle recalled her stepsister, who always looked at her with envy and resignation.


    Hilise, who has a pure and innocent personality, is always treated coldly by her father and brother, but she never held a grudge against them.


    But she jumped out of the window before her father¡¯s eyes.


    Gabrielle also heard that Hilise even said rude things to her brother and father in the dining room.


    Gabrielle couldn¡¯t believe that either.


    But on the second thought, Hilise was acting strangely in the garden too.


    She never imagined that Hilise can act so cold towards her brother, Ricardo.


    Another strange thing is that the Hilise she knew would have already visited her and checked her condition.


    Yet Hilise never went to her room to see how her sick sister is doing.


    Furthermore, her maid told her that Hilise wandered around the house in her pajamas, even during daytime.


    Gabrielle couldn¡¯t see her because she stayed in her room, but she was so shocked when she heard about it.


    On top of that, there was a preposterous rumor that Hilise destroyed all her clothes, which Gabrielle thought was ridiculous.


    In any case, because of Hilise¡¯s sudden eccentricity, Gabrielle was not given the same amount of attention she used to receive in the Inoaden.


    Even her father and brother seemed to have been distracted since the day Hilise jumped out of the window.


    Gabrielle didn¡¯t like it.


    ¡°Donna.¡±


    ¡°Yes, m¡¯lady.¡±


    ¡°Get my necklace from the first drawer.¡±


    She wanted to be a bit nasty.


    Gabrielle¡¯s angelic face showed her displeasure.


    Now, she was just thinking of going to see her stepsister, who stole the attention of her family.


    ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤

 Chapter 11

    Chapter 11


    At that time, Hilise was in the garden.


    It was the very place where she first awakened her strength.


    It was a turning point that always happens every time her new life begins, so it was a very familiar place for her.


    Softly.


    The light breeze shook the grass on the floor and stroked her cheek.


    Currently, Hilise was lying on the green grass in the garden.


    Her employees were frightened to see her lying on the bare floor. Not only that, but she also came out of the building in her pajamas only.


    But she didn¡¯t even care about other people¡¯s eyes today.


    She felt the warmth from the sun penetrating her body just as she felt when she fell from the window and lay underneath it some time ago.


    They have been quiet since that day, too, Diego and Ricardo.


    As she recalled the faces of the two people who had been contemplating, a faint cynicism arose around her mouth.


    Diego, her father, couldn¡¯t leave the widow even after seeing Hilise was all right.


    His face, looking down at her, stiffened like a man nailed down.


    Maybe it wasn¡¯t Hilise, but the roses that covered her all around her in her sight.


    The rose that Hilise had blossomed climbed up the outer wall of the building as if it could even reach the window on the upper floor.


    On that day, she turned her head to Ricardo, who approached and stood next to her.


    He looked down at her, lying in a pile of flowers with a face as white as his father.


    When he heard the news that Hilise had jumped out of her window, he was in a hurry, as if he had been rushing. He looked distraught.


    Now, when he looked back, he thought Hilise was funny.


    Why do you make such a face?


    Ricardo had already killed her once in the garden.


    He left Hilise behind, facing a beast.


    But now, why am I so surprised that she jumped out of the window herself?


    In any case, the two have not communicated since then, and Hilise enjoyed it.


    Especially her father Diego, he no longer visited or bothered her anymore.


    Instead, he seemed to be tightly cracking down on the people with big mouths inside Inoaden and banned them from outside access.


    So, they wouldn¡¯t let out the fact that Hilise had awakened.


    Rustle.


    ¡°Sister Hilise.¡±


    Then, someone stepped on the grass. She heard of something approaching.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    Soon after, a pure voice, like the song of a lark, rang in her ears. A huge shadow cast over her head.


    Hilise slowly opened her eyes.


    Her bright red eyelashes, the same color as her hair, moved gently.


    The bright gold eyes that looked as if the sun was in them, looked outward.


    Gabrielle was looking down at Hilise with a friendly smile on her beautiful face.


    Gabrielle was quite surprised.


    ¡®¡®Oh my god, are you really wearing pajamas? You don¡¯t seem to be ashamed.¡¯


    However, she did not express that thought out loud.


    She said, ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were here, so I looked for you for a while.¡±


    There was a sweet silliness in her grumbling voice.


    Whenever Gabrielle acted that way, everyone would soothe her with empathy. And so did Hilise.


    Though now, she only looked up at Gabrielle with an indifferent expression.


    ¡°Sister Hilise¡­?¡±


    Gabriella stopped when she noticed Hilise behaving that way.


    It was because the face of the person she is seeing felt terribly unfamiliar for some reason.


    ¡®Uh, that¡¯s weird? At this point, you have to apologize first, saying you¡¯re sorry for making me walk in vain.¡¯


    In addition to that, she deserved to be kindly asked what she brought her here.


    However, Hilise was just staring at Gabrielle silently with her cloudy eyes.


    Incomprehensibly, her¡¯ bright golden eyes felt breathtakingly deep, cloudy abyss.


    ¡°Well, the reason I came to find my sister is because Chris is coming soon.¡±


    Somehow, a reluctant feeling crept up to her back.


    Unbeknownst to her, Gabrielle was overwhelmed by Hilise¡¯s atmosphere and opened her mouth as if she had been forced by something.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I dressed up nicely, so please take a look at me now.¡±


    Still, the more she continued, the more her mind began to straighten out.


    Yes, Gabrielle came to Hilise to show off her beauty.


    ¡°How do you like this necklace? I tried wearing it for the first time today.¡±


    Gabrielle¡¯s hand sank down the nape of her neck.


    As Hilise¡¯s gaze quietly slipped and she touched her necklace, the smile drawn on Gabrielle¡¯s face became even brighter.


    ¡°Chris gave me a present on my birthday a while ago. Sister remembers that too right? When I first opened the box, you said it was pretty.¡±


    Christian Parvenon.


    He was Gabrielle¡¯s fiance.


    Christian was the successor to Parvenon, and together with the Inoaden on equal shoulders, he was also known for his remarkably handsome appearance.


    He was kind and affectionate to everyone, but he was a particularly charming lover to Gabrielle.


    Gabrielle was very proud of her exceptional fianc¨¦.


    So, even to her older sister, Hilise, she immediately showed off her pride with a sense of superiority.


    Today, she sent a letter to Christian, asking him to come to see her.


    She loves faking sickness, but she also hadn¡¯t met him for a while.


    Satisfying Gabrielle¡¯s wish, Christian sent a reply saying he would visit Inoaden immediately.


    So, she dressed up nicely and prepared to greet him.


    It was time for Christian to arrive.


    Gabrielle told her employee in advance to send him to this garden, where Hilise is.


    ¡°Would you like to try this necklace, sister?¡±


    Gabrielle laughed innocently and encouraged Hilise.


    ¡°I think this will suit you well. You said you liked it, too.¡±


    She did not wait for Hilise¡¯s answer and unwrapped her trinket from her neck.


    She knew Hilise would not reject her request.


    And when Christian comes, she will burst out crying, saying that her sister had stolen her necklace. Then, everyone would give her pity. ?


    It wouldn¡¯t be mean, since it was just a little joke.


    Gabrielle liked her good-looking step-sister, who soon shed tears at her mischief, but did not scold her.


    ¡°Come on, sister. Let¡¯s get up for a minute. I¡¯ll put it on you myself.¡±


    Of course, this joke will make Hilise in trouble again¡­


    But it was not enough to deprive her father and brother¡¯s interest.


    Meanwhile, Hilise thought as she saw Gabrielle chattering with her sassy voice.


    ¡®It¡¯s annoying and noisy.¡¯


    Finally, Hilise¡¯s lips opened for the first time since meeting Gabrielle.


    ¡°Gabrielle.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sister. May I help you up?¡±


    ¡°Get out of the way, don¡¯t block the sun.¡±


    ¡°¡­What?¡±


    Gabrielle did not immediately understand what she said.


    Hilise didn¡¯t wait for long. The next moment, a rose vine grew between Hilise and Gabrielle.


    Whack!


    ¡°Ahhhh!¡±


    A green stalk wrapped around Gabrielle¡¯s body grabbed her and pulled her away from Hilise.


    A shrill scream erupted from Gabrielle¡¯s mouth, as she was tied to the rose vine and floated in the air.


    She took the time to dress up beautifully, but now it quickly became a mess.


    Her finely combed hair was curled up and bunched in the air, and her well-ironed dress was crumpled by the vines.


    Hilise looked at Gabrielle with her cold eyes.


    She wasn¡¯t so stupid that she didn¡¯t realize why Gabrielle came here. Gabrielle¡¯s thoughts were usually unidirectional and flat.


    She was simple in a good way, and, in a bad way, stupid.


    This time, she must have been planning to put that necklace on Hilise and cry, claiming that she stole it.


    Having been hit with such a technique several times, she knew Gabrielle¡¯s thoughts clearly.


    She may be able to pass as not being very mature in the eyes of others, but from her point of view, who was damaged by agelessness, she couldn¡¯t consider her actions as cute.


    ¡°Kyaa, Miss Gabrielle!¡±


    After hearing the screams from Gabrielle, her employees, who had come running, saw her floating in her air and yelled.


    The only one who was calm was Hilise, lying in a pile of roses.


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    It was at that moment when the voice of the man, who had been particularly provocative, pierced the eardrum through the loud noise.


    ¡°This is such an interesting sight that I was not expecting this.¡±

 Chapter 12

    Chapter 12


    The voice was sweet and dense. It sounded like a whisper the first time hearing it.


    It wasn¡¯t too soft for Hilise either. Cold golden eyes slid along with the voice.


    A silver-haired man standing in the background of green vegetation in the shattering sunlight was staring at Hilise with his red eyes, like roses with a strange look.


    He was Gabrielle¡¯s fiance, Christian Parbenon, whom she had been waiting for.


    The moment their gaze met, Hilises¡¯ eyes sank.


    The employee who took Christian into the mansion and guided him all the way here was unsure of what to do, due to his embarrassment.


    She brought him here according to Gabrielle¡¯s will, but she wouldn¡¯t have dreamed that she would see such a sight.


    Gabrielle is currently very frustrated, and most of all, there¡¯s also Diego¡¯s command to keep Hilse¡¯s power a secret to outsiders.


    ¡°Ch- Chris¡­!¡±


    A pathetic cry erupted from Gabrielle, wrapped around a rose vine and dangling in the air.


    Even in the midst of the distraction, she found Christian at once.


    She didn¡¯t know if it was due to her good eyesight or if she had an excellent anti-crisis instinct to find someone to help her in any crisis.


    ¡°Hey, help!¡±


    Gabrielle quickly returned to her usual self and asked for help.


    It was hard to believe that she was the same person who was struggling to make sure her skirt didn¡¯t get overturned and screamed loud enough to rupture eardrums a little while ago.


    Her hair was also messy and sporadic. Her bare feet were revealed because she lost her shoes whilst she was struggling, her unscrupulous attire sprinkled ashes on Gabrielle¡¯s perfect beauty.


    Still, her sad expression and voice had extraordinary power.


    But Christian¡¯s eyes, staring at Gabrielle, did not contain any worries about his fianc¨¦.


    Instead, he was sending a chilling gaze to Gabrielle.


    However, no one else other than Hilise noticed Christian¡¯s cold look.


    At the next moment, Christiane took a step from where he was and approached Hilise.


    ¡°I never thought I would see ¡®The Flower of Inoaden¡¯ in someone else other than Ricardo.¡±


    His consecutive steps were extremely elegant, as if he was walking on the red carpet in the banquet hall rather than on the garden¡¯s lawn. His voice, as if singing, was very soft as well.


    It was as if he had completely forgotten Gabrielle, who was still hanging in the air because of Hilise.


    Hilise was in the middle of the roses blooming in the earth.


    The closer his distance was from her, the stronger the scent that was brushing the tip of his nose.


    Cristian finally stopped, looking down at Hilise, buried in rose. She could see him smiling at the tail of her eyes.


    ¡°Looking at you like this, it seems that no one in Inoaden would look as good with roses as much as you.¡±


    Soon he put his one knee on the floor and lowered his body in front of Hilise.


    The series of movements flowed like water.


    ¡°It is an honor to meet the owner of the new rose, Miss Hilise.¡±


    A sweet whisper was entangled in the scent of roses.


    As if worshiping a very noble man, Christian wrapped his hand around Hilise¡¯s hair hanging between the roses and gently kissed the red tips, as if he was worshiping them.


    He looked at Hilse, as if his red eyes had all of the loveliness in the world.


    ¡°Ch-Chris?!¡±


    Gabrielle, who was watching the image from above, naturally doubted her eyes.


    The employees who were around were also equally stunned.


    They couldn¡¯t figure out what was going on at the moment.


    In particular, Gabrielle was in a dumbfounded state, as if she had been struck by a large rock.


    However, even in the midst of all the confusion, it seemed that she noticed that something went wrong.


    Why does Christian, who would always save her in a hurry, go up to Hilise while making such a sweet face and speak with such a soft voice. ?


    He definitely belongs to Gabrielle, not Hilise.


    ¡°Chris, what the hell are you doing¡­!¡±


    Gabrielle, unable to stand it anymore, shouted and trembled.


    ¡°Get away from sister Hilise right now¡­ Aak!¡±


    It was then, the forces that held her body loosened.


    It was Hilise who was distressed by the current situation and released it.


    As the rose vines suddenly disappeared, Gabrielle fell straight down.


    Gabrielle, who was only exaggerating in the first place since it wasn¡¯t even high, settled on the lawn without any injury.


    ¡°Aak!¡±


    Though, she couldn¡¯t balance her body unexpectedly, so she rolled over on the floor in an indecent way.


    ¡°Lady Gabrielle!¡±


    Wanting to leave, Hilise lifted her body from the grass.


    As she lifted her torso, after lying on the pile of roses, her long hair curled down over her back and fell over her shoulder.


    Christian only then realized that Hilise was wearing her pajamas.


    It was because he had been more interested in the power she possessed than who she was when he first discovered Hilise when he entered Inoaden.


    In addition, Hilise¡¯s attitude towards Christian was so gentle that he didn¡¯t notice that she wasn¡¯t dressed decently enough to be seen by others, especially men.


    What¡¯s more, since Hilise raised her torso a little while ago, her pajamas had slipped down.


    His gaze spontaneously flew to her round shoulders, and her delicate neck that was revealed through the gap.


    Although she was half-covered by her roses, her bare white thighs also felt somewhat sensational as her thin pajamas skirt was blown up by the wind.


    Most of all, it was the opaque eyes of hers that caught Christian¡¯s eyes.


    ..Since when did Hilise Inoaden have such a strange atmosphere?


    ¡°Miss Hilise, please give me your hand.¡±


    Once the question left his mouth, Christain reached his hand out to help the woman in front of him.


    His attitude was polite, but it felt somehow unacceptable to refuse.


    When Hilise¡¯s eyes found Christain¡¯s hand in front of her, she struck it with the back of her hand and pushed it away.


    She rose from her seat alone, without Christian¡¯s help, and brushed past him.


    Hilise didn¡¯t even say a word to Christian, showing she had no interest in him.


    Christian looked down at his hand, blatantly rejected by Hilise, his thin, smiling face slightly hardened.


    Her white hem and her red-tipped hair danced among the green leaves.


    Christian, who got up from his knees, followed Hilise.


    ¡°Miss Hilise, wait a second.¡±


    Then, the moment he called her name, a rose wall appeared in front of him.


    Implying for him not to bother her anymore, Hilise built a wall of rose bushes behind her.


    Christian¡¯s steps stopped as she wanted.


    Soon, a strange smile appeared on his face, instead of displeasure.


    ¡°Lenoch, did her personality change when she awakened?¡±


    ¡°If you ask me that¡­¡±


    Lenoch, who had been keeping a certain distance from the time he entered Inoaden, looked at the situation for a while and then approached Christian.


    When Christian asked, Lenoch expressed disapproval and was forced to blur the end of his words.


    ¡°That¡¯s weird. I¡¯m sure Hilise Inoaden should like me.¡±


    ¡°Are you not mistaken?¡±


    Lenoch refuted it in a questionable tone.


    However, Christian remembered that only half a day ago, Hilise, who accidentally bumped into him in the hallway of Inoaden, shook her eyes at his greeting and escaped.


    Then, Hilse¡¯s face and eyes turned red after she bumped into him.


    However, he did not have to explain such a story to Lenoch.


    Christian stared at the bright red rose blocking his sight, then slowly moved his hand to break it apart.


    The rose, made with delicacy, turned into brilliant light powder and scattered right in his hand.


    A deeper smile appeared on Christian¡¯s lips.


    ¡°I¡¯m in trouble¡­¡±


    ¡®I¡¯m in trouble because I like Hilise Inoaden more than I thought.¡¯


    It was unthinkable until only ten minutes ago.


    ¡°Uh¡­huh¡­hu¡­¡­ heuk.¡±


    ¡°Lady Gabrielle, are you okay?¡±


    Just then, the forgotten presence of Gabrielle rose to the surface.


    When he turned his head, he saw Gabrielle crying while sitting in the grass and buried her hair.


    ¡°Chris¡­¡±


    ¡®What could be so sad,¡¯ Christian turned around, and she sobbed even more pitifully.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better to go to Lady Gabrielle?¡±


    For now, Gabrielle was still Christian¡¯s fianc¨¦e, so Lenoch suggested it to him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need her anymore.¡±


    Christian turned around without hesitation, coldly twisting his mouth.


    ¡°Because I found the real treasure.¡±


    Now that he identified who the successor of the new rose was, Gabrielle was no longer needed.


    Christian walked away, leaving Gabrielle behind.


    Quazzik!


    The necklace that Gabrielle had dropped on the floor before the commotion shattered at Christian¡¯s feet.

 Chapter 13

    Chapter 13


    The employees who were working in the mansion trembled at the sight of Hilise entering the building.


    Those who treated Hilse as if she was Invisible a week ago were now busy observing her.


    She had never deliberately shown off her power, but she didn¡¯t hesitate to do it when it was needed. Now, everyone in Inoaden knows that her power has awakened.


    In addition, the mood surrounding Hilise has changed dramatically since then, as well as her actions, her tone of speech, and eyes as if she was not the person she was.


    Now, Hilise wasn¡¯t someone who they could ignore like before.


    And whether or not they cared, Hilise just turned to her room without any concern for them.


    White sunlight poured in from the windows in the hallway.


    [ ¡°It certainly doesn¡¯t seem like there¡¯s anyone in Inoaden that goes well with roses like you.¡± ]


    Suddenly, the man¡¯s face she saw in the garden a while ago passed by like an afterimage. That sweet voice seemed to linger in her ears.


    [ ¡°It is an honor to meet the owner of the new rose, Miss Hilise.¡± ]


    In her repetitive life, Christian Parvenon has always been the first to learn about Hilise¡¯s awakening.


    There wasn¡¯t a single exception to it in her last seven lives.


    Because he was in a very advantageous position as Gabrielle¡¯s fiance.


    Even without doing anything, he always easily won people¡¯s favor with his unique charm.


    Christian was a man who seemed to have sweet honey or fragrant flower charm.


    His sculptural appearance was outstanding and beautiful, and his actions always exude a sense of elegance and refinement.


    However, no matter how it seems, you shouldn¡¯t be fooled by his harmless appearance.


    In the first place, Christian¡¯s engagement with Gabrielle was a thoroughly rational decision.


    There was no such thing as love.


    He made an extremely rational choice as the successor to the Parvenon.


    In fact, it was the eldest son, Ricardo, who was confirmed to be the successor to the next rose in Inoaden.


    Hilise had soft red hair, making it unbelievable that she inherited Inoaden¡¯s blood more than anyone else. In addition, she brought on the hatred of Diego and Ricardo, the de facto power in Inoaden.


    So Christian chose Gabrielle, whom they terribly cherish, even if there was no Inoaden blood within her.


    Ricardo would be the successor of the next rose anyway, so it was calculated that having a relationship with Gabrielle rather than Hilise would be more beneficial to the two families¡¯ close ties. Initially, the four generations that inherited the ancient blood had organic solidarity with each other. Inoaden, Calicia, Verjet, and Parbenon. Among those families, ¡®Parbenon¡¯ was called ¡®Clan of Winter¡¯ or ¡®Clan of Frost.¡¯


    Just as the people of Inoaden bloom flowers every time they use their ability, the people with the blood of the Parvenon freeze the surroundings white.


    However, the ability of the Parvenons has weakened, and now it is in a state of being handed down only to the direct lineage.


    It was only after her powers had blossomed that Christian suddenly became interested in her previous lives.


    So it was obvious to realize what he wanted with Hilise.


    Hilise moved her dry eyes towards the window.


    The leaves stained with yellow sunlight looked like jewels hanging from branches. Every time the cool breeze blew, the scenery in front of her glared brightly.


    A long time ago, her heartbeats every time she sees his smile towards her¡­


    She doesn¡¯t feel anything now.


    Hilise continued walking after stopping in front of her window for a while.


    She walked toward her room in a grim mood.


    Hilise still never looked back.


    ***


    Diego, who heard of what happened in Inoaden during the day, was stunned and upset with Gabrielle.


    It was after that he realized who brought Christian into the mansion.


    The news of Hilise¡¯s awakening was supposed to be top secret.


    If the information spreads around, how would the other families, especially the ancient blood, react.


    If they ever recognize Hilise as the successor instead of Diego, this would be a headache.


    Gabrielle tried to fool Diego as usual, but after betraying his expectations, she cried after being forced to stay in her room.


    She was already shocked by Christian¡¯s actions.


    So, she thought if she told her father, he would side with her and comfort her.


    Gabrielle sobbed so badly that Diego soon consoled her.


    But Diego was undoubtedly at a loss for what to do in his room.


    These days, he was unable to sleep well at night while searching the literature.


    He was trying to find ways to transfer the abilities to others if the successor¡¯s power already began to bloom.


    After soothing Gabrielle, Diego entered his office and touched his stiff forehead.


    When he learned of Hilise¡¯s awakening, he had no idea what kind of attitude he would have.


    The change that Christain made today was stark, but that alone was not enough to fully grasp the inside of the Parvenons.


    For now, Diego was unconditionally thinking about keeping Hilise¡¯s awakening until he figured out how to transfer power to Ricardo.


    When his headache was throbbing, the scene he had seen a few days ago suddenly came to mind again.


    [ ¡°If what happened to me yesterday was an awakening, I would be fine. Otherwise, I would die or get hurt.¡± ]


    The white hem silently shook from the window.


    A distant smile spread between the long hair fluttering in the wind.


    [ ¡°Which way would you want it to be?¡± ]


    Shortly after, the slender figure disappeared from sight in an instant, as if immersed in the light.


    The thin curtains fluttering around the empty window made him feel like a storm was raging in front of him at that moment.


    ¡°Ha¡­¡±


    Diego closed his eyes. The headache got more intense than earlier.


    On that day, Diego¡¯s body hardened like a stone, just standing there for a while. However, his heavy leg moved as if he had been pushed by something.


    The walk toward the window was terribly heavy, as he seemed to be putting weight on his ankle.


    What he was thinking then, Diego did not even know himself.


    What kind of emotion he felt when he saw Hilise lying on a bed of roses that bloomed everywhere.


    Diego has never visited Hilise since.


    All of a sudden, the image of her eyes staring at him came to mind.


    Those innocent golden eyes that had dried up in desolation without showing any warmth.


    And the words she said, looking straight in his eyes.


    [ ¡°My father has never played the role of a father to me my whole life. You probably know it yourself.¡± ]


    Diego shook his head, struggling to shake off the lingering image in his head.


    For now¡­


    He needed to find a way to transfer the power to Ricardo at all costs.


    That was the only thing he should be caring about right now.


    ***


    ¡°I heard you attacked Gabrielle.¡±


    That evening, Ricardo visited Hilise.


    At that time, Hilise was staring at the twilight that had spread out of her window.


    Ricardo looked at her sitting by her window and clenched his teeth.


    But soon afterward, his cold eyes were frozen to Hilise.


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember that.¡±


    Hilise responded briefly in a monotonous tone.


    ¡°Are you denying even though there are more than two witnesses?¡±


    As soon as Ricardo returned home, Gabrielle cried again and expressed her resentment and regret to him.


    Fortunately, what he heard was the shock that Gabrielle had received from the daytime events, rather than her leaking the news of Hilise¡¯s awakening.


    After being shocked by her fianc¨¦e¡¯s sudden change of attitude and her father scolding her, Ricardo was even more surprised that she was attacked by Hilise and fell from high ground.


    Moreover, Gabrielle¡¯s trembling body, due to the aftereffects, had directed Ricardo to Hilise¡¯s room.


    Hilise¡¯s unshakable eyes gazed silently into Ricardo¡¯s chilled face.¡¯


    Still, he could not tolerate all the factors that caused tears in Gabrielle¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°I guess our standards are very different.¡±


    Before long, an emotionless voice emanated from Hilise¡¯s small lips.


    ¡°This is what I think an attack is.¡±


    At that very moment, sharp energy rushed towards Ricardo, as if trying to swallow him.

 Chapter 14

    Chapter 14


    Quaang¡­!


    As soon as Ricardo instinctively evaded, a tremendous roar broke through the air and struck his ear.


    The tip of his red hair, scattered in the air, was cut off helplessly.


    It was dazzling, as the bright red petals mixed with the red blood drops scattered across the field of view.


    Ricardo, who had evaded, looked back and saw a sharp thorny vine that had pierced where he had been standing a while ago, biting behind him like a green snake.


    At the same time, fragments of the broken wall fell over.


    Dried blood spilled along the long scar on Ricardo¡¯s cheek.


    It might have been really dangerous if too slow to avoid it.


    This was the first time facing Hilise¡¯s power upfront, which was stronger than expected.


    But what was most shocking was the fact that Hilise attacked him.


    ¡°Hilise, you¡­¡±


    Ricardo turned his stiff face to Hilise, still sitting quietly by the window.


    Hilise still had an indifferent face as if he had done something a while ago.


    It roughly scraped Ricardo¡¯s Feelings.


    ¡°What is this? Are you crazy?¡±


    Hilise said to Ricardo, who was frozen in his seat.


    ¡°I just had to show it myself because I don¡¯t think you can understand it in words.¡±


    Ricardo opened his lips, trying to oppose what she said.


    However, the moment he felt the intense energy lurking around Hilise, the words that struck his throat were swallowed up.


    ¡°If I really attacked her, there¡¯s no way there wouldn¡¯t be a single scratch.¡±


    Is this really the power of a person who has just awakened?


    Surprisingly, Hilise already seemed to be able to use her power freely.


    Seeing that she had not been awakened for a long time, she indeed had amazing potential.


    At that very moment, Ricardo felt a strange feeling inside his heart that he had never thought he would ever experience in his life.


    The fact that the power that Ricardo had never doubted would be his for as long as he was living.


    However, now it was inherited by his sister, Hilise, not him, and the evidence was shown in front of him.


    In an instant, Ricardo¡¯s face was filled with a complicated feeling of faint anger and loss.


    Hilise also saw it.


    Probably if it were in the past, she would¡¯ve been considerate of Ricardo.


    But now, no matter what Ricardo was thinking, it didn¡¯t matter to Hilise anymore.


    Though, unexpectedly, the deepest engraving in Ricardo¡¯s mind at this moment seemed to be something else.


    Subsequently, a heavy voice echoed in the room full of silence.


    ¡°¡­If I hadn¡¯t avoided it, I could have been really seriously injured.¡±


    Still, Ricardo said as if it didn¡¯t matter.


    Hilise saw it and laughed without unconsciously.


    Even Ricardo saw that thin laugh came from her small lips.


    Hilise also answered him with her eyes.


    ¡®I don¡¯t care if you get hurt¡¯.


    Ricardo¡¯s mouth, who understood it, became harder.


    ¡°You, why the hell are you doing this?¡±


    Ricardo unwittingly spoke out the words that were inside his head.


    Hilise has apparently been weird these days.


    He felt as if she had become someone else one morning.


    Above all, her attitude toward him and their father have changed significantly.


    Not only that.


    Last time, there was even a case of jumping through the window in front of their father¡¯s eyes.


    When did Hilise change like this?


    He didn¡¯t have to think for a long time since the answer came to his mind right away.


    It was said that it was after Hilise manifested her powers.


    More precisely¡­


    From the time Ricardo saved Gabrielle by leaving her in front of the rushing monster.


    ¡°It¡¯s ridiculous to think that.¡±


    Then, Hilise said as if she had read inside him.


    ¡°How come everything coming out of your mouth is so stupid? Was your brain always this bad?¡±


    The words coming out of her mouth were incredibly venomous.


    But it was surprisingly devoid of any emotion.


    For some reason, at this moment, Hilise, with neither blame nor resentment, felt more grimly than ever.


    Hilse¡¯s words weren¡¯t hurtful nor repulsive.


    Still, he swallowed it down.


    Ricardo clenched his fist with the feeling of being accused.


    ¡°¡­That time in the garden was a mistake.¡±


    But he does not know that this is an excuse.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t deliberately leave you behind.¡±


    After saying that, Ricardo became more ashamed than before.


    ¡°I was just in a hurry then¡­¡±


    ¡°Ricardo.¡±


    It was then that Hilise¡¯s dry voice cut off Ricardo¡¯s words that were about to continue.


    ¡°As I said last time, I¡¯m not interested in your excuses. Why don¡¯t you find someone else if you need to confess?¡±


    Hilise stood up from her seat as she had no desire to listen to him anymore.


    ¡°There are a lot of people around you, who will be willing to listen.¡±


    Hilise, who got up from the window and walked away. She gradually got closer to Ricardo, who was standing in the middle of the room.


    As the distance narrowed, Ricardo¡¯s body got stiffer and stiffer, but Hilise passed by him.


    ¡°No matter how absurd it sounds, there¡¯s someone who will always nod and agree with what you¡¯re saying, saying it¡¯s all right.¡±


    The last words Hilise left behind cut through Ricardo.


    Leaving Ricardo behind, Hilise walked toward the door.


    ¡°May, I¡¯m moving my room.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes! I will prepare the best room!¡±


    May, who had been standing against the wall and couldn¡¯t take a breath, quickly moved and opened the door to Hilise.


    May was acting fast with both her feet, as if in the past she hadn¡¯t been neglecting Hilise, suddenly becoming her loyal maid.


    As Hilise stepped out of the door, the employees who had been stumbling to sneak a look at the situation were startled and screamed at her.


    May quickly told them something.


    ¡°My Lady, I prepared a room on the fourth floor with the best view.¡±


    May followed Hilise, who walked ahead of her, guided her to the steps.


    ¡°It turns out I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    Hilse shouted as she felt hungry.


    Strangely, in this life, no matter how much she ate, she kept feeling empty.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go to the kitchen so I can find you something to eat right away!¡±


    May didn¡¯t know that her master¡¯s nerves weren¡¯t thick, so she replied quickly while putting the words inside.


    Hot dishes were quickly prepared in her newly appointed room.


    A while ago, it was rumored that Hilise used her abilities to destroy her room, so they prepared the food on the most luxurious dining table, trying to please her.


    May looked at Hilise with nervous eyes.


    Perhaps Hilise might not like her menu, so May was worried that she would use the vines and break the table as before.


    There was only a little bit of damage to her room, but it was hilarious that May had already treated her as a dangerous beast without reins.


    Hilise spoke while eating the food served on the table with an expressionless face.


    ¡°May.¡±


    ¡°Yes!


    A quick answer followed.


    However, the words that subsequently came from Hilise was not something May expected.


    ¡°How many days left until the ball in Kalykia that Gabrielle decided to attend?¡±


    ¡°There are only three days left.¡±


    May respond politely, feeling her doubts.


    Since then, Hilise hasn¡¯t asked any other questions.


    So, in the beginning, May, who thought, ¡®Does Lady Hilise ever think about attending there?¡¯, quickly erased the thought.


    Since there are only three days left till the ball, it is clear that there will not be enough time to prepare now, so she thought it could be a mistake because Hilise didn¡¯t say anything about it.


    But just as May suspected, Hilise was going to go to Kalykia.


    Even though she wasn¡¯t going to attend the ball, of course.


    Though she wasn¡¯t planning to attend the ball, of course.


    Three days from now.


    Hilise pushed her faint memories from her old days away and ordered May to clear the table after the meal.

 Chapter 15

    Chapter 15


    ¡°What?! Sister Hilise came up to the fourth floor?¡±


    Someone¡¯s tranquility had just broken.


    Gabrielle jumped from her seat, flustered by the news her maid had come and told her.


    A cold towel that she had placed over her eyelids to alleviate the swelling fell onto her lap.


    Her eyes were swollen as she had been crying in front of Christian, Diego, and Ricardo since the afternoon, one after another.


    So, she couldn¡¯t go out even though she heard a commotion outside.


    But the story the maid told after finding out what caused the uproar was surprising.


    ¡°Why is she suddenly moving to a good room?¡±


    The fourth floor of the mansion was also where Gabrielle¡¯s current room was located.


    If it weren¡¯t too long ago, it would be no big deal but she would still have been a little surprised. However, since what happened in the garden, she can¡¯t be considered this insignificant.


    The maid replied to Gabrielle, who was moaning from frustration.


    ¡°Well¡­ Miss Hilise broke her room so she couldn¡¯t stay there anymore.¡±


    ¡°She broke her room?¡±


    Her voice got higher, doubting her ears.


    The maid, too, had difficulty believing what she had heard from outside.


    Suddenly, the wicked vine that had previously wrapped her body in the garden came to Gabrielle¡¯s mind.


    ¡°That means she grew something so her room couldn¡¯t be used¡­?¡±


    Even though it might not be the reason, Gabrielle asked with a small voice filled with caution. Her maid¡¯s voice also lowered as if whispering a secret.


    ¡°No. I heard that the room was damaged while she was attacking Ricardo with her spell.¡±


    Gabrielle¡¯s jaw fell.


    She couldn¡¯t figure out which part of that sentence was most surprising.


    It turned out that Ricardo, who heard Gabrielle¡¯s complaint earlier, left the room to say something to Hilise.


    Ricardo did not scold her like her father, and as always, her kind caring older brother showed his usual reaction to make her happy. Though she was agitated and exaggerated about what has happened during the day.


    Given the circumstances, that¡¯s why Ricardo went to Hilise¡¯s room¡­


    ¡®Sister Hilise attacked brother Ricardo? Enough to destroy the room?¡¯


    ¡°You, did you hear correctly?¡±


    ¡°I went outside, they were all talking about it. I saw Miss Hilise¡¯s room, and the walls were really broken.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Besides, the Master was bleeding on his face.¡±


    The color went out of Gabrielle¡¯s face.


    It was even more serious than she thought because there was even bleeding on his face.


    Though what she¡¯s worried about right now is not the injured Ricardo, who went to see Hilise because of her.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think Sister Hilise¡¯ intentionally moved her room to a place near mine, right?¡±


    If all that she heard was true, then Hilise¡¯s attack on Ricardo would be unpleasant¡­


    She wasn¡¯t sure exactly what Ricardo said to Hilise, but he must have scolded her about today. Perhaps so, since she doubted Hilise would move to the fourth floor with the intention of hurting Gabrielle after Ricardo.


    She didn¡¯t know why she felt this way towards Hilise, but she was now a little scary. It could probably be since she had experienced her power firsthand today.


    ¡°You, go out and find out what Hilise is doing right now.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lady!¡±


    Gabrielle was also angry with her for what happened today.


    How can Hilise use such grotesque powers on her, her little sister!


    Besides, she was seen flirting with Christian right in front of her eyes.


    [ T/N: Girl, you blind? ¡­¡­.. ]


    Of course, her feelings weren¡¯t just directed at Hilise. Christian played the bigger part.


    How can he ignore her when she shouts for help?


    Besides, Christian left Inoaden without saying a word to her until the end. How could he, her fiance, act this way? Gabrielle was really upset with him.


    When she thinks about the incident, her blood boils up even now.


    However, the moment she heard her maid¡¯s words from a while ago, the anger that was buried under an instinctive sense of crisis came back up again.


    ¡°I think she¡¯s going to rest early.¡±


    When she heard the news from her maid, who returned shortly after, Gabrielle was relieved and patted her chest.


    Still, she wasn¡¯t entirely relieved. She was still distracted in her heart, so she ordered the maid again.


    ¡°But, just in case, go back to Sister Hilise¡¯s room and watch the situation a little more¡­¡±


    Kugung!


    Just then, another strange noise came from nearby.


    Two pairs of eyes widen as they both turn to each other.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Gabrielle asked the maid to leave and find out more about the situation again.


    The maid who heard her command ran out of the door.


    ***


    Diego, who had an appointment and went out for a while, returned home. The anger went through his head when he heard about Hilise¡¯s atrocities that happened while he was away.


    Late at night, while Hilise was asleep, Diego headed to her room.


    Unlike Hilise¡¯s power that was still incomplete, Diego¡¯s power, the Master of Inoaden, was perfect. He used his powers to block some part of the hall on the fourth floor.


    Of course, the blockade included Hilise¡¯ room.


    Kugung!


    A thick wall was created in the corridor from the stairs to the right side of the mansion. As if to prove that Diego was in fact, using Inoaden¡¯s power, red roses began to bloom and wrap around the wall.


    After learning about the incident in Hilise¡¯s room, Diego decided that he could not let this slide.


    Of course, he has yet to acknowledge Hilise¡¯s power.


    For him, it was assumed that her awakening was a temporary phenomenon, a massive error.


    However, when he learned afterward that Hilise attacked Gabrielle and eventually wounded Ricardo, he could no longer look away from her behavior, as it was beyond his limits.


    It was the greatest mercy from Diego that she could still use the amenities such as bathrooms by blocking the room, from the stairs to the passageway leading there.


    Before arriving here, the exterior walls of the building were also sealed to prevent Hilise from getting out from the window.


    Diego was not willing to let Hilise behave this way any longer.


    ¡°If you feel strange movements inside, let me know immediately.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I understand.¡±


    And just in case, elite knights were selected to guard the rose wall. Though he didn¡¯t think she would be able to break the wall and get out.


    Diego turned around, leaving behind the knights, who seemed somewhat embarrassed by this extreme treatment.


    Some employees were alarmed.


    Diego wasn¡¯t comfortable with Hilise living this way, so he talked to the employee in a calmer tone than usual.


    ¡°There is a gap under the wall, so if you have meals and other necessary things, put it there.¡±


    ¡°I, I will.¡±


    On the other side of the wall, a maid was also trapped with Hilise while serving her. Though, because the atmosphere wasn¡¯t the best, other employees couldn¡¯t even talk about it in front of Diego.


    ¡°Father¡­!¡±


    Just then, Gabrielle ran from the corridor to the left of the stairs.


    ¡°Oh my God, what are you doing right now?¡±


    After hearing the news from the maid, she saw the wall that had erupted behind Diego¡¯s back and closed her mouth with her hand, as if she couldn¡¯t believe it.


    For an instant, Diego faltered.


    He didn¡¯t want to be considered a bad father, especially to Gabrielle, no matter how heartless Diego was.


    He opened his mouth and tried to explain, ¡°It was inevitable for your safety.¡±


    However, Gabriel¡¯s desperate cries blocked Diego¡¯s words.


    ¡°There¡¯s a room over there where I stored new dresses and accessories¡­!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°What should I do if sister Hilise gets angry and breaks all my things!¡±


    Gabrielle did not believe the rumors about Hilise that had spread among employees until yesterday, but things were different now.


    It was now considered plausible enough that Hilise would tear up all the clothes in the dressing room. So, if she was the current Hilise, Gabrielle felt it would be possible for Hilise to vent her anger on her.


    ¡°There are some things that were difficult to find that I will be wearing for this Kalykia ball! I can¡¯t even buy a new one because there was only one in the world!¡±

 Chapter 16

    Chapter 16


    Gabrielle expressed intense resentment towards Diego, who created a useless wall between her and her dress.


    It seemed like she had completely forgotten the fact that the person who purchased her dress a while ago was the one in front of her right now.


    Diego, who forgot his regrets after raging at Gabrielle earlier, began to get angry again at his step-daughter, who in such a serious situation only spoke of such nonsense.


    However, Gabrielle, whose nerves were already over her wall, did not notice Diego¡¯s anger.


    ¡°If you¡¯re going to punish sister Hilise, isn¡¯t there a way other than locking her up? It¡¯s so savage! It¡¯s such an old-fashioned way to lock her up!¡±


    Gabrielle, who appealed with her tears, said that the atrocities of Hilise in the gardens a little while ago were barbaric and violent, was accusing Diego more fiercely this time.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t for Diego, but for the safety of her dress in isolation with Hilise. Diego struggled to swallow his anger and spit out a repressed voice from under his teeth.


    ¡°Just a room? Gabrielle, you even got Ricardo injured because of Hilise, but right now because of that dress¡­¡±


    ¡°What dress! Don¡¯t disparage my things that way! And father, too, sometimes you can argue with brothers. What are you so sensitive about?¡±


    Gabrielle¡¯s contradictory remarks left Diego speechless.


    In such a way of thinking, it was right to think that what happened between Hilise and Gabrielle in the garden was a trivial quarrel between sisters.


    ¡°I heard that he wasn¡¯t badly hurt either. It was just a slight scratch on his face!¡±


    However, she did not seem to have such awareness.


    ¡°To such a degree of locking her up like this, father is too much!¡±


    While being heavily criticized by Gabrielle, he became increasingly impatient and uncomfortable.


    For the first time, he hated hearing Gabrielle¡¯s voice, which was always pleasing to his ears like the song of a lark.


    ¡°So father, get rid of these ridiculous walls right now¡­.¡±


    ¡°No! I will not be changing my decision.¡±


    Diego cut off her words in a cold tone that he had never used against Gabrielle before.


    ¡°Gabrielle, no matter how much you say, nothing will change. If you say one more word about this, I won¡¯t stay still. Just so you know!¡±


    It was a resolute attitude as he would not be having any more conversations with Gabrielle on this matter.


    It wasn¡¯t enough to hear Diego¡¯s yelling, and now Gabrielle, who encountered his true heartfelt coldness for the first time, was stunned.


    Diego¡¯s words widened Gabrielle¡¯s eyes in shock.


    ¡°And I wasn¡¯t going to allow you to attend Kalykia¡¯s ball anyway.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡±


    ¡°Did I not tell you to ban access to the outside for a while? So, it doesn¡¯t matter if you wear a rag as a dress since there wouldn¡¯t be a place to wear it to anyway.¡±


    Diego then went down the stairs, walking past Gabrielle.


    She was in great shock and stiffened her lips, unable to find things to say.


    Her stunned eyes followed Diego again.


    ¡°Oh my God, is father angry with me again now?¡±


    Gabrielle looked back at the employees who had been listening to the conversation between the two since earlier.


    They couldn¡¯t figure out what to answer, so they just sweated without saying anything.


    Though Gabrielle didn¡¯t actually want an answer, she didn¡¯t know why Diego was upset with her. She was embarrassed as she couldn¡¯t understand the current situation, and suddenly resentment began to rise on her face.


    ¡°What did I do so wrong, only to me¡­!¡±


    Her feelings changed, and the tip of her nose turned red. In her green eyes, a large drop of tears dangled like before.


    ¡°It¡¯s really too much¡­! I really hate father!¡±


    Gabrielle felt sincerely unfair and ran into her room, crying.


    ¡°Miss!¡±


    Her exclusive maid, Donna, could not hide her tired countenance, and she slowly pursued her.


    The knights and employees who were left there felt exhausted and began to return to their respective positions one by one. As they were confused about what this was all about as well.


    Inoaden, which was calm in its way, has not been calm for a while.


    Of course, it was because of Hilise, who was now trapped behind the wall.


    The complicated gazes of the employees flew to the wall where the roses were entangled.


    Unlike the hectic situation here, beyond it was tranquil, without any noise.


    ***


    ¡°Suddenly, what is this?!¡±


    It was May who was forcibly imprisoned behind the wall with Hilise.


    May was in the middle of preparing Hilise¡¯s clothes for tomorrow morning for her to change into, along with organizing her new pajamas in the room next to Hilise¡¯s bedroom.


    Kugung!


    When she came out, sensing the strange sounds she heard from outside, she noticed that a wall that hadn¡¯t been there a while ago was suddenly rising in the hallway.


    Of course, she was surprised and hurried to the wall.


    Diego¡¯s voice could be heard from across the wall to May¡¯s ears.


    She was frustrated when she realized that Hilise and her were trapped alone.


    She wanted to go to Hilise right now, let her know and find a way to deal with the situation, but she didn¡¯t have the courage to wake her up.


    When May was rolling her feet in front of the door of Hilise¡¯s room, Hilise was already awake to hear the fuss outside.


    It wasn¡¯t that difficult to guess what Diego was doing.


    Still lying comfortably on the bed, she moved her gaze. The window had been blocked, so no sunlight came into her sight.


    The room where moonlight gently permeated it when she closed her eyes had now become visibly dark. While she was sleeping, it was clear that he had created a wall outside the window.


    ¡®He¡¯s still doing useless things.¡¯


    Hilise closed her eyes again without moving her body and dug deeper into the bed.


    She didn¡¯t have anything else to do for three days anyway, so she didn¡¯t have to go outside right now and get rid of that wall.


    Even so, this time, it was a little earlier than at other times. That may mean that Diego was stimulated by Hilise¡¯s change of words and actions.


    The disturbance outside had also subsided, and the room was darker than before, so I felt like I could sleep better as well.


    As expected, not long after, Hilise closed her eyes and immediately fell asleep again.


    It was the opposite of May, who was frustrated alone outside and ended up staying up all night.


    That night was a peaceful night only for Hilise in Inoaden.


    ***


    Contrary to everyone¡¯s expectations, Hilise lived a comfortable life for the past three days.


    It was possible because she didn¡¯t have a wide range of desires in the first place, so she usually lived a life without greed. The only thing she didn¡¯t like was that she couldn¡¯t get sunlight freely because of the wall that appeared outside her window.


    In reality, contrary to Diego¡¯s belief, Hilise could remove the wall right away if she only puts her heart into doing so.


    But if Hilise breaks the wall right now, Diego will undoubtedly use a stronger method, and it would be difficult to confront Diego with her powers right now.


    ¡°¡­Three days.¡±


    Still, if she waits for three more days, she will have a second chance to bloom. Therefore, she decided to just stay quiet until then.


    Besides, when she was trapped, the stillness of the moment wasn¡¯t much worse than she thought.


    May, too, was having a more comfortable time than she initially worried.


    Of course, in the beginning, the thought of Hilise and her being locked up on the fourth floor was leaving her with anxiety and worries.


    The Young Lady, attended by May, suddenly became completely different one morning and made her nervous. So, on the first day that she was trapped across the wall. She was restless and stayed up all night. She didn¡¯t even know when Diego would release Hilise since it was already dark.


    However, to the shame of May¡¯s worries, she was having a relaxing time.


    In fact, she initially lamented her circumstances, forcibly imprisoned with Hilise, who was now the most dangerous being in Inoarden.


    She felt like she had become a fragile prey that was thrown into the cage of a wild animal.


    She was afraid that Hilise would get angry with Diego¡¯s treatment and use her ability to commit another violent act.


    However, Hilise did not show any reaction to the extent that it was surprising.


    It was because the external stimuli that touched Hilise disappeared, so she no longer had to react to them.


    While she did something that would surprise the people in the mansion every day for a while, after being isolated, Hilise was continuing her days without anything to the point May felt somewhat bored.


    ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤

 Chapter 17

    Chapter 17


    When she thought about it, Hilise wasn¡¯t a difficult Master for May.


    In fact, May could say that her personality has been irrelevant from the past, and even after she suddenly changed to a different person, she has never been picky about things or harassing her with trivial matters.


    However, these days, Hilise had an atmosphere that was difficult to reach, so she was never easy to deal with.


    But with that said, when asked if May was ever threatened or scared since her first day, she didn¡¯t feel that way. As a result, May also did not feel as much discomfort as she thought from living alone with Hilise.


    So, what¡¯s the big deal?


    She was rather comfortable without having to do other chores in the mansion during isolation.


    Though that doesn¡¯t mean that Hilise was attended by her maids for all her personal affairs like Gabrielle.


    In the first place, Hilise was May¡¯s master, and she wouldn¡¯t call her until it was absolutely necessary. So, she was only doing a minimal part of her essential job. She spends free time without doing enough so the day seems long.


    In addition, while she was stuck inside the wall and stayed on the fourth floor, she was allowed to use the rooms and bathrooms that were significantly more luxurious than the accommodations usually provided to employees.


    Hilise was not particularly interested in May¡¯s life.


    So, she picked one of the empty rooms and was able to sleep in a soft, warm bed that would melt her whole body every day.


    She also took a bubble-filled bath that she couldn¡¯t normally dream of, filled with water in a large bathtub furnished in a gorgeous bathroom, and she also used expensive perfumes and oils.


    During her free time, she entered a room that kept Gabrielle¡¯s new dresses and trinkets, and while she looked around, she had secretly worn them.


    She was obviously careful not to leave any mark as Gabrielle would later fire her if she knew about it.


    She had three meals a day, and the food that was brought in every meal was better than what she would have normally.


    Though, there was a difference between the dishes prepared for Hilise and for May.


    She was able to eat a better quality meal than before because the kitchen employees felt poorly for May and took care of her. In addition, the high-quality dishes and desserts that Hilise occasionally left out became May¡¯s share.


    As a result, May¡¯s skin began to glow.


    For some reason, this doesn¡¯t feel like detainment. She felt like she was on vacation.


    ¡®¡­Detainment life, is it worth it?¡¯


    She had lived a life that would be considered heaven for three days.


    May, who was lying on top of her pillows stuffed feathers and enjoying the luxury, stood up. Her gaze turned to the clock on the side table.


    Soon, it was time for dinner to be served.


    May procrastinated a little more, but she woke up. As she opened the door and stepped out of her room, the quiet corridor greeted her.


    Hilise was still quiet today.


    Every time May observed, she was having a quiet day without any incidents.


    Whenever May sees Hilise now, she is still very surprised.


    Hilise, who used to be so timid and weak that she would always get out of Diego and Ricardo¡¯s sight and tremble from everything, has now changed this much. Perhaps because the power that was not of this world was embedded in her body, it might be natural for her personality to change a little.


    May turned around after being served dinner through a crack in the wall made by Diego, as she did in the last three days.


    Knock, knock.


    ¡°Lady, here¡¯s your meal.¡±


    She arrived at Hilise¡¯s room and knocked on the door, but she did not hear an answer.


    Knock, knock.


    ¡°Lady.¡±


    Again, silence.


    ¡°Shall I leave it at the door?¡±


    May stood at the quiet door and tilted her head. ¡®Is she sleeping?¡¯


    Still, it was impossible for her to open the door at will without her Master¡¯s command.


    Technically, she could. Though she may not know if she had received permission in advance, she had never received such instructions from Hilise until now.


    She went through a series of events in a short period of time, and now May was very careful not to cross the line when dealing with Hilise.


    Even now, she did not want to be condemned for making Hilise uncomfortable because she was doing something useless.


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave it at the door, Lady Hilise.¡±


    May eventually left the tray in front of the door and stepped back. She can reheat it if it gets cold.


    May, holding her tray with the food prepared for her, humming a small hum. The delicious smell oozing aroused her appetite.


    May wouldn¡¯t realize, of course, that there was no one in the room that she just turned around from.


    ***


    Rewinding back around thirty minutes before May knocked on Hilise¡¯s door.


    Tick. Tick.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Even in the dark, the eyes shining brightly stared at the watch.


    Soon, it would be time for Kalykia¡¯s banquet to begin.


    Just as Gabrielle grew up receiving the treatment of a Princess in Inoaden, there was also a princess in Kalykia, the family¡¯s forbidden jade leaf.


    Today¡¯s banquet was her birthday party.


    It was Gabrielle who originally decided to attend, but Diego couldn¡¯t allow her to go out at this time. That said, he wouldn¡¯t want to send Ricardo with a scar on his face to stimulate people¡¯s useless curiosity.


    So, Diego was the only one who attended today¡¯s Kalykia¡¯s banquet in the name of Inoaden.


    The summer clan, Kalykia, was the first of the four families.


    It was said that when men and women who inherited the ancient blood from ancient times were joined together, there would be a higher probability that a child with a strong ability would be born. For that reason, among the four major families, there was a place that preferred inbred marriage at all costs for the purity of strength.


    That was Kalykia.


    Thus, it was true that a person with a surprisingly powerful ability appeared in the lineage of Kalykia, which had been passed down for many years.


    However, they were all short-lived, not a single person was able to live long enough. In addition, the worst side effects of inbreeding were also revealed.


    In Kalykia, they were no longer able to produce a child with abilities.


    For that reason, Kalykia, which has been in decline for several generations, now has the smallest position of the four families.


    Though, no matter how severely the power has depleted, the fact that they were descendants of ancient blood did not disappear.


    So, even as Inoaden, he couldn¡¯t help but offer their faces.


    For that reason, it would have been just enough to send Gabrielle, but it was obvious that Diego would be anxious to put her out of there with her light mouth. It will also be necessary to look directly at the reactions of the Parvenons, who learned about Hilise¡¯s awakening.


    In the end, Hilise was convinced that Diego would have attended Kalykia¡¯s banquet himself.


    That has always been the case in her past lives, so there would be no changes this time, unless there was anything special.


    And she was right.


    Diego was on his way to Kalykia to prevent the Parvenons from spreading unacceptable rumors at the banquet.


    Hilise also finally woke up from her bed and walked to the window.


    Kiiiik!


    Without hesitation, her hand pulled open her window. Instead of the outside landscape, a wall made by Diego was reflected in the view.


    Hilise reached her hand out.


    Pazzak!


    Before long, the wall began to crumble from the area where her hand reached. The fragments quickly turned into petals and piled up on the window sill. A fragrant rose bloomed from the ground she stood on.


    The wall that was blocking her sight shattered, and the light leaked through the gap dazzling. Hilise frowned involuntarily.


    Hwaah!


    The sunset was in full swing outside.


    The wind that swam through the scarlet from the landscape rushed into the room.


    Petals that were swept and piled up on the window sill flew away. Some of them went outside and fluttered into the sunset sky.


    In the distant sight, Hilise climbed onto the window sill.


    Her long hair, with her petals, shook with the hem of her white pajamas. Her movement was so quiet that no one noticed after she broke the wall.


    No one was spying outside the window.


    It may have been because she had been so quiet for the last three days, that no one seemed to have imagined that Hilise would break the wall and get out of her room.


    She could say that in terms of her sheer power, she still lacked compared to Diego. However, she was still able to use her abilities like someone who mastered them, beyond belief that she had just awakened.


    It was, of course, because of her experiences in her past lives.


    Taah!


    Hilise jumped out of the window while Diego and other people in the house were vigilant.


    She was living on the fourth floor of the building, but with her power, she was able to land safely on the floor without any difficulty.


    Hilise stepped over, and roses were laid soft on the ground.


    Her final destination today was Kalykia, but before that, she had a place to stop by.


    Today is the birthday of Violetta, Princess of Kalykia.


    So, she must prepare a gift.

 Chapter 18

    Chapter 18


    After one more awakening, it would be possible to move between spaces freely, but for now, this isn¡¯t too much.


    After leaving Inoaden, she had to use a public carriage.


    At first, the coachman looked at Hilise in her pajamas as if she were a psychopath.


    She had to pay her carriage fare, but she didn¡¯t have the money, so Hilise gave him a button from her pajamas.


    Inoaden¡¯s pattern was engraved there.


    The coachman looked at the button and Hilise alternately with eyes wide open.


    There was no doubt about Hilise¡¯s appearance, as she has the characteristics of an Inoaden. So, when he was told to charge Inoaden for the carriage¡¯s fare, he immediately climbed onto the coachman¡¯s seat.


    The place Hilise was heading to was a place that could be called a hotbed of crime.


    ¡°Are you really okay? It¡¯s not a place where a precious one should come alone¡­.¡±


    A back alley where people gather like bugs, hiding in the darkness in a colorful city, and doing all sorts of illegal things.


    People called this place ¡®the ¡®underground.¡¯


    As it was originally, it was natural for a person who grew up finely in a house like Hilise to have never even heard of its existence.


    Moreover, there was no occasion for her to come to a place like this.


    However, Hilise hesitantly left behind the coachman and stepped into the dark alley without hesitation.


    The way she moved around as if she found it familiar.


    The narrow alley was filled with unknown odor and unpleasant moisture.


    Mice would often pop out and go across her feet.


    ¡°Come on¡­ Jacques, that man will be making ten more golds.¡±


    Then, after a while, the voices of men came from the front.


    ¡°He has to fix his dog-like temper.¡±


    ¡°Even if you ask me a hundred times to give you the right amount of product, you always get upset at me when you feel wronged.¡±


    ¡°I asked you to pay the credit price this time. Tch!¡±


    She deliberately chose a path that people wouldn¡¯t be able to get around easily, but it seemed impossible to avoid encountering someone completely.


    Hilise took advantage of her ability to step on the floor and leap upward.


    As soon as she climbed onto the roof, a group of men appeared.


    ¡°I¡¯m in a good mood. Let¡¯s go get some drinks.¡±


    ¡°Before that, I need to stop by the house first.¡±


    If a woman were walking around these alleys alone in a Hilise-like outfit, it would cause a hundred quarrels. She had no intention of wasting time in a place like this and confronting other humans.


    Hilise¡¯s steps moved again without delay. She moved along the roof like a street cat.


    ¡°Huh? Is it just me? Do you smell flowers¡­¡±


    It was a place where she had been before, so she remembered the path to her destination because each time she went there, it was an intense experience.


    When she looked around from the roof, she could see more clearly where she was heading.


    The tallest building in this dirty back alley.


    When she finally arrived, Hilise jumped off the roof. Initially, there was no one behind the building where the guard was supposed to stand.


    Kiiikkk¡­


    As she pushed the iron bars in front of her, the door opened, making a rough crackle.


    There was a loud noise from the inside, but it was unlikely that anyone would come this way right now.


    Hilise stepped into the building without hesitation.


    There were several more doors inside, though all of them were damaged.


    In addition, as she walked through the dark hallway, she saw people bleeding on the floor in several places. It was a sign that someone broke in before her.


    In fact, she knew that this would be the case, and she deliberately came to this place in time.


    If an intruder goes inside through the open road, you won¡¯t have to waste time.


    Of course, Hilise knew who just broke in, though.


    He and Hilise had the same reason for visiting here.


    To rescue a child trapped somewhere in this building.


    ¡°There! The intruder¡­!¡±


    As she went a little deeper into the building to find the stairs leading to the basement, people appeared in front of her.


    They saw Hilise and became flustered and panicked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a woman¡­! Didn¡¯t you say it was a man?¡±


    ¡°You¡­.! Are you with him?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why her outfit is weird¡­ Isn¡¯t that someone who snuck out of prison?¡±


    ¡°I think so?¡±


    But they didn¡¯t get to think for long.


    Chaak!


    The next moment, vines stretched out from Hilise, instantly piercing the men in front of her.


    ¡°Ouch!¡±


    ¡°Keugh¡­!¡±


    Hilise kept looking and walking ahead as if she could not hear their screams.


    She didn¡¯t have much room to deal with them one by one. If she takes too long, she would lose the person.


    Besides, the ones here are beasts in human masks, so they don¡¯t deserve respect.


    That¡¯s why she didn¡¯t hesitate to attack.


    After killing the people in the same way several more times, Hilise finally reached the stairs leading to the basement.


    Still, hearing a loud noise coming from behind her, it was evident that the man who came before her had taken the other direction.


    She could imagine that by now, the boredom on his face would be stained with faint irritation.


    Anyway, that means Hilise could move comfortably while he was buying time.


    As she went down the stairs a little more, two doors appeared in front of her eyes.


    Hilise, without hesitation, chose the left door.


    Quazzik¡­!


    Using her abilities, she could easily break the lock on the iron bars.


    As an afterimage left by the intangible power, petals scattered in the air and fell. Leaving it behind, Hilise went deeper underground.


    At the end, there was a small room.


    Again, without any difficulty, Hilise broke the lock on the door and went inside.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Someone was lying on the bed in the corner of the room. It was a little child who was about ten years old.


    Hilise took her steps again and paused at the door for a while.


    The child she saw up close had fallen asleep with their body crouched pitifully.


    She wondered if the child had passed out, but it didn¡¯t seem that way.


    Hilise¡¯s hand lifted the gag from the child¡¯s mouth. She cut the ropes tied to their wrists and ankles because she was worried that their arms and legs would hurt.


    At that moment, green eyes that were the same color as the deep forest appeared in front of Hilise.


    The out of focus eyes flickered slowly a few times.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    The child who looked at Hilise somehow vaguely opened its small lips with a still sleepy face.


    ¡°Are you a reaper?¡±


    Hilise¡¯s head tilted slightly.


    A reaper.


    In her previous life, they asked if she was an angel.


    Well, come to think of it, they had blood on their body unlike before.


    In fact, what changed more than anything else from her previous lives was the mood, not the blood soaked body¡­


    ¡°Am I¡­ finally dead?¡±


    Hilise thought and replied, wiping the blood splattered on the cheeks without any explanation.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ Are you going to kill me now?¡±


    Hilise didn¡¯t answer this time.


    However, it has been accepted by the child, and suddenly, a sparkle like a firecracker could be seen in the child¡¯s hazy eyes.


    Rattle!


    Then, the child raised its body, bouncing out of its bed.


    With the strong grip on Hilise¡¯s arm, she couldn¡¯t believe that it was a child who had been lying down a little while ago.


    The child, approaching Hilise, held her desperately as if she was its lifeline, raised its hollow eyes, and looked into her gaze.


    Then the child begged, shivering its dry, cracked lips.


    ¡°Please kill me¡­¡±


    ¡°I want to die. So, please kill me. Kill me¡­ please.¡±


    As if there would not be any chance to do it again if it¡¯s not right now.


    ¡°Please, please kill me¡­¡±


    The child sobbed the same words so many times till their face was messed up with cries.

 Chapter 19

    Chapter 19


    Hilise looked down at what could be said as a disastrous sight.


    Blood and dust were entangled and filthy, but the child¡¯s hair was as white as an old man¡¯s.


    The skin that was exposed outside the clothes was full of scars that looked like cuts.


    The wounds were red.


    His body had a long-pressing bloody smell.


    In particular, blood was oozing out of his most recent long scars.


    His dry and thin arms were just like branches, and the drops of blood on them were like the sap of a tree. And, as if it turned into a jewel, the blood that rolled off the child¡¯s slender arms turned into a glossy red solid.


    Even on the bed where he was lying, things that looked like beads were scattered in several places.


    It also looked like a brilliant ruby.


    If anyone saw this scene, they could easily infer the reason why he was now imprisoned with such scars.


    It was a child whose blood turns into gems.


    How is that different from a goose that lays golden eggs?


    As long as he was alive, blood would continue to be generated. So, it was intended to be kept to continue drawing a certain amount of blood while keeping him in a room without killing him.


    It was clear that the gagged in his mouth prevented the child from biting his tongue and killing himself. Or maybe he had already actually tried it.


    However, the child that Hilise knew wasn¡¯t strong enough to end his life on his own.


    In a way, it was just a matter of time, because now he is only eleven years old.


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll kill you.¡±


    At last, a small voice leaked out of Hilise¡¯s lips, opening a small gap.


    ¡°If that¡¯s what you want.¡±


    Then, the child stopped begging and looked up at her.


    Tears were still in his eyes, and his bloodless, dry face was soaked up.


    The child¡¯s pupils narrowed for an instant. A strange light shimmered over his eyes.


    Hilise, despite witnessing the strange sight, was not wary of the child.


    Soon, the face reflected in her vision was covered with a different feeling from what he had been having so far.


    ¡°Th¡­¡±


    Tears began to well again in the child¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Thank¡­¡±


    The voice, whispering overwhelmingly to Hilise, there was a joy that seemed to be seen by the person who first saw the light in the dark.


    ¡°Tha¡­ Thank you.¡±


    At that moment, tears flowing down the tail of the child¡¯s eyes became a pearl-like solid unlike ever before and fell to the floor.


    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t thank me in advance.¡± Hilise bowed her back and picked it up.


    ¡°After leaving this place and returning to where you should be¡­¡±


    Then, she said, looking straight into the dark green eyes. ¡°If you still want to die, then I will kill you.¡±


    The child did not seem to understand Hilise.


    Or, perhaps he was so happy that at last, he could die, so he didn¡¯t have the time to listen to the following words.


    ¡°And I am not a reaper.¡±


    Kuung.


    At that time, she heard the sound of something breaking in a place that was clearly closer than before.


    ¡®It¡¯s time.¡¯


    Hilise immediately embraced the child.


    ¡°My name is Hilise Inoaden. Remember that.¡±


    She put what she picked up a while ago and swallowed it in her mouth.


    Kwaaang¡­!


    At the same time, the sound of the flying door rang from behind her back.


    The candlesticks hung on the wall were pushed from outside by a gust of wind and extinguished all at once.


    Her vision quickly became dark.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know there were passengers.¡±


    A low, slow voice of a predator that seemed to grab her back was heard from behind.


    Hilise followed the voice and turned back.


    ¡°I¡¯m in trouble.¡±


    Blue eyes, shining vividly even in the dark, were stuck in the field of vision like cold moonlight.


    ¡°Because there are many people who are willing to steal the baby bird that went out of its nest, so it was getting annoying.¡±


    Since the room was dark, the man she met was barely visible to the naked eye. Though Hilise was able to picture him even in the dark vividly.


    Because she already knew who the man who just appeared is.


    Among the ancient blood clans, the Berzete clan had the greatest authority on this day.


    And among them, the one who has reached the peak.


    He was the head of the Ash Clan, Axion Berzete.


    4. The King of Bergett and the Princess of Calicia


    Anyone living in this era had no choice but to know the name of Axion Berzete.


    This was especially true if they belonged to the same four generations. Of the four ancient blooded families, Bergett was the most powerful in modern times.


    Unlike other families where their power is dying, the power of Berzete was still strong. And among them, the head, Axion, surpassed everyone else.


    Though it had been a long time for Hilise now, she still clearly remembered the first time she saw Axion.


    That day when a grand banquet of the four generations was held, welcoming Axion, who had become the new head of the Berzete.


    At that time, Axion Berzete was fifteen years old, so Hilise would have been twelve.


    Axion Berzete, seen from a distance, was already a boy who had a face full of complacency since then.


    Certainly, after messing the tidy hair that the employees must have been arranged for a while with his hands, he quietly gazed at the golden veil swaying between the columns of the banquet hall, moving his deep blue eyes silently like the deep sea.


    Hilise had thought that the expressionless Axion Berzete was a little scary, and at that time, she was hiding behind the veil.


    She was so startled that for an instant, they made eye contact.


    That¡¯s why the work on that day was so clearly imprinted in her mind.


    However, from then on until the age of nineteen, there was no such contact between Axion Bergett and her. Since Hilise rarely did outside activities, she rarely saw him from a distance.


    So, in this life, now was her first official meeting with Axion.


    Step, step.


    She heard the sound of footsteps approaching in the dark.


    ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, this is definitely an Inoaden.¡±


    A low-pitch voice stuck in Hilise¡¯s ear.


    The man approaching from the opposite side took a couple of steps and stopped again.


    ¡°Has there already been a generational change in Inoaden?¡±


    Apparently, on the way to the basement, he saw the people Hilise had handled.


    Roses and petals that bloomed from its use would still remain everywhere, so there was no way he would not have noticed that Hilise belonged to Inoaden.


    ¡°But it¡¯s not Ricardo.¡±


    On the other hand, the person in front of her now did not have a clear trace.


    In particular, there was nothing more to say about places like these abandoned buildings. So, he thought that Hilise might not know his own identity, and he revealed his name.


    ¡°I am Axion Bergett.¡±


    She felt an agile gaze sweeping Hilise in the dark.


    ¡°Did you know who the child is?¡±


    Axion was watching Hilise¡¯s movement. In some ways, he seemed to be on the lookout for her.


    The reason was not unthinkable.


    The tip of Hilise¡¯s lip was pulled silently.


    Of course, she knew who the kid was. That is why she came here on purpose today.


    Hilise saw the blue glow in front of her eyes and lifted her closed lips.


    ¡°So, what?¡±


    ¡°I came to pick up the child at the request of Kalykia. So, I want you to stop and give the child to me.¡±


    ¡°Why should I believe you?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    For an instant, a bleak silence lingered around.


    He didn¡¯t think he¡¯d hear that from Hilise¡¯s mouth as doubt grew in his heart.


    However, Hilise did not ask such a question because she didn¡¯t really believe in Axion.


    She already knew that what he was saying was true.


    Axion Berzete had been vacating the family for some time at the request of Kalykia.


    It was because of the child in Hilise¡¯s arms right now.


    In the first place, the strange phenomenon of a normal child to make blood and tears solid could never happen.


    In Calicia, they noticed the child¡¯s presence by seeing the red jewels on the black market, and afterward, secretly asked Berzete for help.


    ¡®Please find the descendant who inherited the blood of Kalykia.¡¯


    The only descendant who inherited the power of Kalykia is completely gone at the moment.


    The most important thing was this part.


    The child¡¯s name is Margo Kalykia.


    This child will soon become a member of Kalykia and would later become their King.

 Chapter 20

    Chapter 20


    In previous lives, the time when the child¡¯s identity first rose to the surface was different.


    At one point, about a month after Violetta Kalykia¡¯s birthday ball, the presence of the child was first revealed to the public, and at other times, the child¡¯s name began to appear in people¡¯s mouths for the first time several years from today¡­


    However, the day when the child escaped from confinement and returned to Kalykia¡¯s arms was the same in any life.


    Violetta Calichia¡¯s 20th birthday.


    It was true that Violetta was told to express her gratitude in front of everyone again when she had received the truly precious gift from Axion, that day after, she was later informed of the existence of the child.


    As evidence of that, Axion Verzete was standing in front of Hilise like this. And now, Hilise was trying to rob him of the birthday gift that the King of Berzette had planned for the Princess of Kalykia.


    Tuk¡­.Took.


    Something small and light fell onto the floor, bounced several times, and a rolling sound rang in the quiet room.


    A red jewel fell in the arms of Hilise, who was holding the child.


    The new child seemed to have lost his consciousness.


    Her arms were sore, but Hilise hugged the child again without passing him to the man in front of her.


    It was almost time.


    She could feel the beads she had swallowed a while ago were melting and gradually spreading all over her body.


    ¡°¡­Right. Obviously, looking like this now, the situation is ambiguous.¡±


    Soon, a slow voice flowed from the opposite side.


    There was no discomfort in the voice. Rather, Axion seemed to find this situation a little interesting.


    ¡°But there is no way to prove it right now. So, I think we can take the child and accompany him to Kalykia. Do you agree?¡±


    Indeed, it was the most convincing method at this point.


    Hilise was somewhat not unfamiliar with the current situation, so she laughed quietly without knowing.


    In fact, even in her last life, Hilise met Axion here today.


    She had taken the child with him to Kalykia after rescuing him.


    ¡°Axion Bergett.¡±


    But in this life, facing him once again, Hilise made the opposite choice.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for making you work in vain, but I don¡¯t want to go with you.¡±


    As she said so, Hilise stretched her arms to her side.


    Kuaang¡­!


    The next moment, the wall that Hilise¡¯s hand touched shattered.


    Obviously, this place was underground, but the open night sky appeared over the collapsed wall.


    The ground where this building was built was uneven, so when viewed from the front of the building, this place was underground at the back of the building.


    Hwii¡­.


    The wall that was pierced caused a storm-like wind to strike through the gap.


    The pale petals that don¡¯t fit into the space began to flutter aimlessly in view.


    The two people in the dark were revealed through the pouring moonlight.


    Light red rose petals fly and stick to the man¡¯s long, shaking black coat. His hair, fluttering among the petals, was black, resembling the darkness around him.


    The man¡¯s face lit by the white moonlight looked cold and stern, as if it had been carved out of an iceberg.


    Underneath the frowned, thick eyebrows, there were deep blue eyes, shining like fragments of the moon. The image of Hilise standing against the night sky was captured in it.


    At the moment, a strange light that was quite difficult to describe emerged on Axion¡¯s face.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Axion Bergett didn¡¯t seem to know Hilise would choose this radical method. Besides, now she was making a scene that didn¡¯t fit this place.


    Hilise, who came out as if she was in her room, was wearing pajamas, and most of all, barefoot without even shoes.


    Her white sleeves and the hem of her skirt undulated in the air, following with the wind and petals.


    The atmosphere around Hilise was too noble to fit the situation, giving off a sense of strangeness.


    In the midst of it, Hilise finally moved her lips again and said goodbye to Axion.


    ¡°Then¡­¡±


    At that moment, Axion, who had foreseen something, moved his body.


    ¡°Let¡¯s properly greet each other next time.¡±


    The black-gloved hand reached straight to Hilise.


    Hwaahak!


    But the next moment, it was not a human body that touched his fingertips but a stormy flower.


    The shattering white moonlight and the petals of light red color entangled and swirled in view. In the distant sight, their eyes met for a moment.


    In front of his still eyes, Axion narrowed his forehead and opened his lips as if to say something.


    Though at the same time, Hilise instantly reconciled the petals and disappeared from the spot.


    After that, the only thing left in Axion¡¯s hand was the moonlight, the petals fluttering in the air, and the reverberation of the delicate flowers hovering around the tip of his nose.


    ¡°Ha¡­¡±


    Eventually, a shallow sound of either groaning or laughter spits out from Axion¡¯s mouth.


    The feeling of the moment when the person in front of him was caught in his hand for a while and soon disappeared in vain still lingered.


    Certainly, it was a loss that had never existed in Axion Verzete¡¯s life.


    During his lifetime, he had never been so eager for something, but so far, he hasn¡¯t had anything he wanted to get.


    However, he didn¡¯t know he would miss it right in front of his eyes.


    A moment ago, the blue eyes repainted the afterimage of a person who had reached the end of his gaze, a momentary light passed by.


    Kuuuu¡­


    Axion brought back the power he had put to sleep.


    The petals that had been grasped tightly in his hand melted without a trace in the dark shadows gathered around him.


    After a while, Axion disappeared under the moonlight.


    His destination was Kalykia, which was supposed to have been where the woman in front of him was headed.


    ***


    The ball of Kalykia was held magnificently as if to claim their existence.


    All fifty-two families belonging to the ruling class attended the ball without exception. There, of course, were the top four other families at the top of the food chain.


    In Parvenon, as usual, Christian attended and received attention.


    And now.


    He walked away from the crowd, bored at those wandering around like ants before his eyes.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you take care of your face?¡±


    ¡°The only person I see is you, so why should I?¡±


    Christian was looking down the hall from the second-floor resting area.


    The resting area was subdivided into individual spaces like a terrace, so there was nobody besides him and Lenoch.


    Even with the posture of sitting on the sofa with his chin in his hand, and his eyes loosely down, boredom seemed to fall.


    It was an unbelievable sincere attitude that he couldn¡¯t believe this person was smiling gracefully without a single point of incongruity among people who were inflating their egos just a little while ago.


    Seeing so, Lenoch quietly advised, but Christian passed it over.


    Besides, this time won¡¯t last long anyway. Soon, the protagonist of the ball will appear.


    Knock, knock.


    Then, he heard a knock behind him.


    Lenoch, who was standing next to Christian, walked and opened the door slightly.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°The head of Inoaden asks for a meeting with the Lord of Parvenon.¡± Christian, who was sitting with his back from the door, had an oblique smile on his lips.


    Lenoch, who had been instructed in advance, nodded and opened the door wider.


    Diego, with a stiff expression, entered. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Christian.¡±


    Christian stood up to greet him.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve been in high spirits.¡±


    As they sat down, the two had a brief conversation.


    ¡°I wanted to greet you when you stopped by Inoaden the other day, but as you know, it wasn¡¯t possible.¡±


    When he heard Christian¡¯s words naturally on the topic, Diego¡¯s eyes became a little sharp.


    Christian apparently visited the mansion while Diego was away.


    However, he wondered if what happened at Inoaden¡¯s a while ago was a joke and naturally talked about it.


    At the moment, he felt displeased, but Diego leaned on the sofa without expressing it.


    ¡°By the way, what brings you here to see me?¡± Christian also asked, leaning on his back leisurely.


    ¡°Since then, you refused all requests for visits that I sent, and there was no response to the letters.¡±


    Christian¡¯s expression was still unchanged, but the words were filled with ridicule.


    As he said, for a while, Diego did not respond to requests and correspondence from the outside.


    The reason was, of course, Hilise.


    ¡°¡­Last time, my daughters showed shame.¡± Though, he couldn¡¯t express it in front of Christian now.


    Diego picked his words, watching the reaction of the person sitting across from him.


    ¡°It seems that the children were so excited about their brother¡¯s good news that they wanted to play a cute prank in front of you.¡±


    At the moment, a thin smile appeared on Christian¡¯s lips.


    ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤

 Chapter 21

    Chapter 21


    ¡°The good news is from Ricardo?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You would know from that day because you saw it with your own eyes. I haven¡¯t officially announced it yet, but Ricardo has finally awakened.¡±


    Diego was lying, not telling Christian the truth.


    Though his face and expression were boldly calm, even when lying.


    Christian stared at Diego with an invisible smile.


    ¡°In particular, Hilise was curious about Ricardo¡¯s power, so she asked him to act as if it were hers in front of others.¡±


    Oh, such a story.


    A knowing light passed through Christian¡¯s face.


    ¡°I think Gabrielle was too young, so she wanted to call her fianc¨¦ and surprise him.¡±


    This way, it would seem as if the person who used the power was Ricardo, not Hilise.


    ¡°So, Ricardo listened to his younger siblings¡¯ stupidity, but he said he made a mistake while using his power from a distance. So, that¡¯s why Gabrielle was so mean in front of you.¡±


    Christian listened to Diego¡¯s situational drama with both interest and humor.


    ¡°After you left, she was so heartbroken that she cried.¡±


    ¡°Is that so.¡±


    Christian simply replied with an inscrutable face.


    Diego looked at him and narrowed his eyes a little.


    Even though his fianc¨¦e cried out of heartache, Christian didn¡¯t show any reaction.


    ¡°You know, Gabrielle is a little delicate. Though, it must have been terrible to be in such a hideous situation in front of her fiance so her heart would have been hurting.¡±


    However, that isn¡¯t what mattered now. Diego quickly erased the sharpness from his face and opened his mouth again.


    ¡°Gabrielle is so determined that she doesn¡¯t want to see your face until the embarrassment goes away. Since then, she has become so sensitive that no outsiders are allowed to enter the mansion. A child who always wanted to show only pretty things in front of her fianc¨¦. I think she felt very awful, so even if you are disappointed, please understand.¡±


    In doing so, the reason why other people were banned from entering Inoaden until now was transformed into Gabrielle¡¯s sensitivity.


    Christian raised his hand and slowly swept his chin, drawing a strange smile on his face.


    Then, he said, looking directly at Diego sitting across from him.


    ¡°Is that Inoaden¡¯s answer to my request for breaking off the engagement?¡±


    In an instant, Diego¡¯s face hardened.


    Christian made a request for a visit to Inoaden, but when it was not accepted, he notified in writing of breaking off his engagement with Gabrielle.


    As soon as Diego saw it, he tore it to pieces.


    And he didn¡¯t even talk about it to Gabrielle at all.


    It was because, in the first place, they did not want to accept the request to break off with Parvenon.


    ¡°I guess you misunderstood what you¡¯re talking about. The reason I asked for a breakup was not because I was disappointed with Gabrielle¡¯s appearance that I saw that day.¡±


    Christian looked at Diego as if he was sorry.


    Diego felt the heat from inside and bit his teeth.


    ¡°Do you think this is like a kid¡¯s joke?¡±


    The next moment, the ferocious energy from Diego¡¯s body pressed heavily around him.


    ¡°In any case, breaking off an engagement can¡¯t be established. It¡¯s a big mistake if you thought you could change family affairs so easily, like flipping the palm of your hand.¡±


    Then, Christian¡¯s head tilted to the side.


    ¡°I think Parvenon was considerate enough to Inoaden.¡±


    The silver hair in the light sparkled along his head. His red eyes stuck under it conveyed a different emotion than before.


    ¡°As I said in writing, if we keep the engagement of the two families, but proceed with changing the story to each other, it seems that there is no real relationship between each other. Am I wrong?¡±


    He was staring at Diego as if he were seeing a stupid man who couldn¡¯t understand words.


    In Diego¡¯s eyes, a wave of thicker anger rose.


    Sururuk.


    As if representing Diego¡¯s feelings, a vine of roses that had gradually stretched out from him crawled threateningly to Christian¡¯s feet.


    However, it was eaten by the white frost that sprouted on the floor as soon as a cool smile on Christian¡¯s face hit and froze.


    ¡°Besides, Inoaden¡¯s claim is strange. What I saw at that time was definitely Miss Hilise¡¯s power.¡± Christian added.


    Diego then replied without delay, twisting his face as if stung by a bee.


    ¡°You are still misunderstanding because of the children¡¯s pranks. That¡¯s not Hilise, it¡¯s Ricardo¡¯s power.¡±


    Lenoch, who had stepped back and listened to the conversation between the two, made a subtle expression.


    He, too, witnessed Hilise¡¯s abilities with his own eyes at Inoaden that day.


    Christian reacted as if he had heard a funny joke without refuting it.


    ¡°Is that so? Then, soon there¡¯s going to be an announcement of regeneration in Inoaden soon.¡±


    Diego replied with a still stiff voice.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it should be, but¡­ I¡¯m about to postpone because Ricardo doesn¡¯t want to publicize it until he can fully handle the power freely.¡±


    Christian raised the tip of his lips and smiled as if he knew it.


    He was very elaborate and tried to hide the facts about Hilise¡¯s awakening.


    ¡®You are doing something meaningless. I don¡¯t know if there is any way to transfer her abilities to Ricardo¡­¡¯


    ¡°I see. I see.¡±


    Though Christian also decided to stop here today.


    If Inoaden delayed the announcement of Hilise¡¯s awakening as it is, it might have been advantageous for him who knew the fact in advance.


    So, he didn¡¯t come to the forefront right now, ignoring Diego¡¯s excuses.


    But as expected¡­


    ¡°Even so, you cannot cover the sky with your palm¡­¡±


    Diego¡¯s useless struggling was ridiculous.


    ¡°No matter how long you postpone it, the day that the news of Inoaden will spread throughout the country will not be long enough.¡±


    Christian¡¯s words with ambiguous meaning made deep wrinkles in Diego¡¯s brow.


    Soon, he recited as a warning.


    ¡°You don¡¯t¡­ You¡¯re not going to take those groundless words from your mouth elsewhere, right?¡±


    ¡°Well. Wouldn¡¯t it be tiring?¡±


    Christian laughed harmlessly, lowering his eyes slightly.


    ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to the upcoming celebratory days.¡±


    Christian then got up first.


    ¡°I would be happy if I could be the first one to congratulate you on the announcement of the regeneration of Inoaden.¡±


    Of course, the congratulations would be for Hilise, not Ricardo.


    However, Christian said goodbye to Diego, leaving his backstabbing in an old-fashioned way.


    ¡°Also, the intentions of Parvenon will not change in the future, so I look forward to receiving a positive answer from Inoaden as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Inoaden¡¯s decision is also unchanged.¡±


    ¡°It will change, soon.¡±


    Diego growled and said, but Christian moved his steps as usual with a smooth smile on his face.


    The frozen rose around his shoes became transparent and shattered.


    Christian walked out of the door with his back against Diego, who had a frozen face.


    ***


    ¡°You think the news is true, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I think so.¡±


    On the way out of the resting area and walking down the hall, Christian asked Lenoch, which he affirmed.


    They were told that Hilise had been imprisoned in Inoaden¡¯s home a few days ago.


    Of course, the source was the employee of Inoaden, who had been planted in advance. Though looking at Diego¡¯s attitude right now, the news seemed to be true.


    Besides, he seemed unwilling to release his daughter¡¯s detention for a while.


    ¡®Then, how can I save the poor princess trapped in the tower?¡¯


    Christian laughed like a fox with a greedy prey in a trap.


    When he went down the stairs and reached the hall on the first floor, he noticed that people were gathering in one place.


    ¡°Happy birthday, Lady Kalykia.¡±


    In the middle of it was Violetta Kalykia, the protagonist of today¡¯s ball.


    The Princess of Calicia is now twenty two.


    Originally, the one that was called ¡®The Princesses of Kalykia¡¯ was with her older sister, but she was dismissed from her family a long time ago, and now Violetta alone, continues the nickname.

 Chapter 22

    Chapter 22


    Violetta was a woman with blonde, almost silver-colored hair, and dark green eyes, a symbol of Kalykia.


    She even looked like Gabrielle at first glance, simply because she had blonde hair and green eyes.


    However, Violetta is not as bright and brilliant as Gabrielle, her skin is slightly undertone, so she felt more calm and refined.


    Gabrielle and Violetta are so loved by the family that they were called the princesses of each family, and they are around the same age group.


    They also had the same hair colors and eyes, so many people were comparing the two together.


    For Gabrielle, she enjoyed comparing herself with Violetta and feeling a sense of superiority.


    As people said, Gabrielle was like the star of the bright sun on a clear midsummer day, without any clouds. In comparison, Violetta was like the dew of a sunny early summer day.


    Of course, the comparison between the fake princess, Gabrielle, who did not bear Inoaden¡¯s blood originally, and Violetta, who inherited noble blood as a member of the four families, was an unfounded theory.


    However, it was possible now that Kalykia¡¯s abilities had died out and entered a period of decline.


    Though Christian initially thought that those who put the two on the same line were stupid.


    ¡°Miss Violetta.¡±


    Christian approached the main character of the ball.


    As he called her name, Violetta, standing upright like a flower stalk, turned her head. The moment she found Christian in her sight, the green eyes reminded him of something.


    Seeing it, Christian laughed.


    Those who didn¡¯t know Violetta might think of her as an orchid in a greenhouse. However, she was more of a carnivorous plant than an orchid that had been grown so well.


    Say, if Gabrielle did not know the world, and was a single lark who flutters and chirps here and there, Violetta was a was bird¡¯s prey that would snatch such a lark and eat it in an instant.


    Even now, she stood out to such a degree even among so many people.


    Perhaps she wasn¡¯t a woman who would have been treated as equivalent to Gabrielle, if only Kalykia¡¯s abilities were still in existence, Christian thought somewhat cynically. That¡¯s perhaps why she¡¯s keeping a unique relationship with that Axion Berzete.


    An oblique smile emerged from Christian¡¯s mouth for an instant and then disappeared.


    Of course, in the end, it¡¯s chaff without a grain. Flowers without scent. She was a woman who he didn¡¯t need to get close to, with Kalykia¡¯s ability getting dry.


    Christian greeted her with a light kiss on the back of Violetta¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Happy birthday, Miss Violetta. It is an honor to be invited to the ball today.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Christian. I¡¯m delighted that you attended the ball.¡±


    Violetta looked at the people around her and accepted Christian¡¯s greeting. The misty tranquil forest eyes stared into his face.


    When looked at from a distance, she was obviously like a watercolor dipped in water, but when looked at up close, she was a woman who felt like a vivid oil painting.


    Violetta, who was wearing a picturesque smile like Christian, asked.


    ¡°But today, for some reason, you didn¡¯t accompany your fiance?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the case.¡±


    Christian didn¡¯t have to explain anything but just smiled once.


    If he sooner or later broke up with Gabrielle, she would not accompany him in that position, not only today but in the future as well.


    However, there was no need to draw attention by bringing up such a story.


    ¡°It¡¯s surprising. I thought that if anyone were going to miss my birthday ball, it wouldn¡¯t be Miss Gabrielle.¡± Violetta smiled and gave her words.


    ¡°If she came today, I would have had more fun, too.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t have not known that Gabrielle had a burning sense of rivalry with Violetta. Christian knew that Violetta was very interested and petty about Gabrielle.


    ¡°Maybe Gabrielle is regretting not being able to directly congratulate Miss Violetta today.¡±


    Nevertheless, he didn¡¯t express anything and replied with just a smile. Violetta¡¯s eyes, looking at Christian, deepened.


    Soon after, Christian asked, pretending to glance around Violetta.


    ¡°By the way, is the head of Berzete absent today? Since he has a close relationship with Miss Violetta, I thought I would be able to see him at the celebration today.¡±


    It was a fact that everyone who attended this ball knew that the head of Berzete and the Princess of Kalykia were close.


    The two were very close friends who had been together since they were very young.


    So, of course, they thought he was going to attend the ball today, but there was no sign of Axion among the people of Berzete.


    Not only that, but Axion, the head of Berzete, has never appeared publicly in recent years. The only thing that was known outside was that he was away from Berzete for personal reasons.


    Axion¡¯s destination was completely unknown, so he released a large number of people into the Parvenon, but Christian could not figure it out.


    ¡°Because I asked for a very rare gift.¡±


    Violetta, facing Christian, still spoke in a calm voice.


    ¡°He was a person who was faithful to his friendship, and thankfully, did not refuse the request I was overly demanding.¡±


    ¡°I see. I wonder how precious of a gift it is.¡±


    When Christian responded so, this time, Violetta simply showed a refined smile without answering.


    Christian, who was watching her closely, drew a line on his lips.


    ¡°I hope you will have what you desire in your arms. In addition, if you like the gift I prepared yesterday, I would have nothing more to wish for.¡±


    ¡°Of course, any gift of Parvenon would be sweet to me.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, the first dance will be with your partner, so can I ask for the next?¡±


    At the end of the conversation, Christian asked for a dance of courtesy. However, someone else gave the answer.


    ¡°Sorry, but Violetta¡¯s dance partner is already on schedule until the thirteenth.¡±


    The two turned their heads together at the voice from the side.


    Appearing in front of Christian and Violetta, was a good-looking young man with dark brown hair neatly passed over to the side of his ear.


    His green eyes with a light smile were very similar to Violetta¡¯s.


    ¡°Oops, it¡¯s already full until the thirteenth. I¡¯m too late.¡± Christian raised his mouth and greeted him with a gesture of a nod.


    The man also greeted Christian the same way. Then, he approached Violetta and kissed the back of her hand.


    ¡°You are dazzlingly beautiful today, Violetta.¡±


    Violetta¡¯s green eyes captured him silently.


    ¡°I wanted to be your escort today, but it¡¯s a shame.¡±


    The man looked up again and smiled at Violetta. Violetta also laughed gently when her eyes met his.


    ¡°As you know, the escort proposal overflows every time.¡±


    ¡°Well, you are our one and only princess.¡±


    He was Violetta¡¯s cousin, Terzo Kalykia.


    Terzo responded to Violetta with a smile on his face.


    ¡°But the second dance is for me, so I¡¯ll have to settle with it this time.¡±


    In response, Violetta put a deeper smile on her lips.


    ¡°Make sure you fully enjoy this moment. Next time, even that second position may not be yours.¡±


    Obviously, their conversation now was about a dance partner, and oddly enough, it felt like a different meaning was embedded in it.


    ¡°I have to work harder, so it didn¡¯t happen.¡± Terzo smoothly took Violetta¡¯s words.


    ¡°I have to work hard to be the first one sooner or later.¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to work, but you can try.¡±


    Violetta laughed shallowly out of her lips and, conversely, stared at Terzo. Christian enjoyed watching the two people smile with similar faces.


    ¡°Then, Christian, excuse me. I hope you have a good time today.¡±


    At that time, Violetta¡¯s partner came to pick her up. She stepped over and approached Christian without greeting Terzo.


    ¡°Have a good time, Miss Violetta. We will see you again at the gift presentation ceremony in a moment.¡±


    Christian greeted Violetta, thinking that Kalykia¡¯s internal affairs were also a mess.


    For the ball to begin in earnest, today¡¯s main character, Violetta, took the hand of her partner, her cousin¡¯s younger brother, and headed to the middle of the hall.


    The music flowing in the ballroom has changed.


    Hearing the sound, people scattered in the ballroom began to empty the center of the dance hall. Violetta and her partner walked to the middle.


    Hoooo¡­!


    It was then when a sudden, unexpected, strong wind began to rush in the middle of the ballroom.


    The chandelier shook wildly, and the colorful silk fabrics hung on the walls and ceiling fluttered. Not only that, but the petals from the center of the incident were spreading all over the area and began to sprinkle scent.


    Everyone who was present was confused and stopped moving.


    ¡°Suddenly, some wind¡­!¡±


    ¡°What the hell is this about?¡±


    Everyone was surprised by the unexpected situation. Kalykia, the organizer of the ball, also expressed embarrassment at the sudden event.


    Just then, someone appeared in the storm of flowers.

 Chapter 23

    The new successor of rose.


    These words implied that he now recognized Hillis as Inoaden¡¯s successor.


    The astonishment spreading around him shook Diego¡¯s goal, making him dizzy.


    Everyone was talking about whether Inoaden¡¯s next successor was Ricardo, the eldest son.


    But what Diego said in front of Cristian earlier, is now a plausible lie.


    He couldn¡¯t say a word out of his mouth.


    All of the people who were already at the ballroom witnessed Hillis appearing with the rose, the symbol of Inoaden.


    But what on earth can they do here and deny it?


    It was, however, a good thing for Diego, and Axion¡¯s corresponding words that changed the course of the people¡¯s surprise.


    ¡°Not only that but even the descendants of Calicia, who kept the precious stones, returned to find the nest today.¡±


    His voice was cold enough to feel monotonous, but those who listened to it didn¡¯t feel anything.


    ¡°As a member of the 4th generation of the ancient blood and as the head of Bergett, how can we not express our joy on such a meaningful day?¡±


    An explosive noise swept through the ballroom.


    It was natural.


    However having the symbol of Inoaden isn¡¯t meaningful.


    What¡¯s more, it¡¯s none other than the Khalykia family !


    Does that mean that the power that had been extinguished some time ago has been revived?


    Nonsense!


    Because it is, moreover, none other than Axion Bergett.


    Wait, then there is no way that the woman who was called the new successor of Inoaden was real¡­!


    Axion moved between the gap of astonishment and the avalanche of doubtful voices.


    Crispy!


    Meanwhile, black fragments that quietly spread out of his shadow broke the red jewels on the floor without a trace.


    No one in the room knew what Axion had done because it was done so quietly.


    He has a face with no realism whatsoever.


    He said to Violetta, who was sitting on the floor holding her child.


    ¡°Happy birthday, Violetta.¡±


    Only then Violetta¡¯s eyes turned to Axion.


    ¡°So you asked for the best treasure in Calicia, Inno Arden¡¯s new rose.¡±


    The moment she heard that her wet eyes shook as if she was in a storm.


    Her grasp on the child trembles.


    It began.


    The feelings that were gradually elevating made her unbearable.


    Violetta couldn¡¯t hide her overwhelmed heart and hugged the wounded child tightly in her arms.


    As Axion said, it was indeed the best birthday for her.


    Meanwhile, a faintly twisted smile blossomed on Christian¡¯s beautiful face as he was watching the scene unfolding in front of him.


    He called Lenoch and instructed him what to do.


    He then exited the ballroom after going down.


    Diego, who couldn¡¯t be better than this, also turned back after a while with his hardened legs.


    His fists clenched so hard that he bleeds from the bottom of his nail-crushed hand.


    Princess of Calicia, Violetta¡¯s birthday party, ended with such a new wave.


    But in fact, it was a new beginning.


    5. Second flowering


    At that time, Inoaden was held back.


    It was because an employee working outside the house found that the wall surrounding the window of Hillis¡¯s room was damaged. Moreover, the windows were even wide open.


    She hurried up to the fourth floor.


    The wall that Diego made in the hallway was intact.


    So, there was no way for others to go inside and directly confirm Hillis¡¯ absence.


    She tried to call May inside to find out if Hillis had escaped, but she didn¡¯t respond to the calls of people across the wall to see what the hell was going on.


    In fact, after eating a full dinner, she was lying in bed and sleeping deeply.


    Now that Diego was away, everything in the mansion was, of course, to be reported to Ricardo first.


    ¡°Is that true ?¡±


    ¡°Yes, as soon as I checked that the window was open, I told master about it.¡±


    When Ricardo heard the news from the rushing servant, he stood upright, leaning against the bookshelf.


    On his face, the scar from the last encounter with Hillis remains.


    Even if it wasn¡¯t like Gabriel who had been ordered by his father, Diego was still refraining from going out for a while.


    Ricardo ordered the attendant with a firm face.


    ¡°For now, send a servant to Calicia to deliver the news to my father.¡±


    ¡°Yes sir!¡±


    ¡°And pick up some knights and hurry to search around the mansion.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will master.¡±


    Ricardo then walked out of Diego¡¯s study, placing the family literature he was reading back on the desk.


    Ricardo¡¯s face was frozen as he walked through the hallway with his long legs.


    In the first place, Ricardo opposed the imprisonment of Hillis.


    However, Diego was so strong that his opinion was rejected.


    Because Ricardo is the only one who can¡¯t inherit the power of Inoaden, it was impossible to destroy the wall that Diego had made with his will.


    Ricardo left the building with his employees greeting him.


    He stopped at the place where Hillis¡¯ window was, it was placed right above his head.


    As he lifted his head, a wide-open window, as the attendant said, came into his view.


    It was late in the evening when the sunset and the interior of the room were dark enough that he couldn¡¯t see anything.


    However, it was noticeable at first glance that the thin curtains gently clad their arms.


    If that room was on the second floor, it would have been possible to climb up the wall, but this was the fourth floor.


    ¡°¡­..¡±


    Ricardo looked down from the open window and lowered his head. He lowered his body and opened his feet.


    A rose that had bloomed in the growing field of grass shone into his eyes.


    As soon as Ricardo¡¯s hand touched it, it shattered and disappeared without a trace.


    Where did she go?


    He wondered if she was escaping after her father was away. Was she deliberately waiting for the time and aiming for an opportunity?


    Rather, is it common sense that Hillis, who has just awakened, destroys father¡¯s power in this way?


    ¡°Ri¡­, Master Ricardo!¡±


    When Ricardo fell into thoughts with a serious face, someone urgently came to him.


    Ricardo got out from his thoughts as the servant shouted through his ears.


    ¡°Lady Hillis is back!¡±


    * * *


    Wow!


    Hillis arrived in Inoaden¡¯s garden.


    A building with lights all over the windows could be seen.


    As the sun went down, all the employees who worked outside were withdrawn, so there was only one person in the garden remaining.


    The shadows of the chestnut leaves, the grass wavering, and the wind mixed with the fragrance of flowers, turned around, and then it was quiet.


    Inoaden¡¯s mansion was somewhat cluttered.


    But for Hillis, who had just escaped from the noisy Calicia ballroom, it felt very quiet.


    Hillis found Diego, who was there just before moving to Inoaden.


    He was staring at her as if he wanted to kill her because she disappeared. As soon as she came to the mansion, he was going to find Hillis.


    However, he couldn¡¯t move.


    So it would probably take some time to get to the mansion.


    Then should she eat until then?


    Hillis was bored looking at the water from a distance.


    In a way, it was a ridiculous idea, but Hillis took a step to a restaurant.


    She was much more hungry today than she had been usually because she had skipped lunch.


    Surely after Diego comes, she won¡¯t be able to fill her stomach.


    So Hillis moved toward a restaurant that was relatively quiet compared to the other distracting places in the mansion.

 Chapter 24

    The new successor of rose.


    These words implied that he now recognized Hillis as Inoaden¡¯s successor.


    The astonishment spreading around him shook Diego¡¯s goal, making him dizzy.


    Everyone was talking about whether Inoaden¡¯s next successor was Ricardo, the eldest son.


    But what Diego said in front of Cristian earlier, is now a plausible lie.


    He couldn¡¯t say a word out of his mouth.


    All of the people who were already at the ballroom witnessed Hillis appearing with the rose, the symbol of Inoaden.


    But what on earth can they do here and deny it?


    It was, however, a good thing for Diego, and Axion¡¯s corresponding words that changed the course of the people¡¯s surprise.


    ¡°Not only that but even the descendants of Calicia, who kept the precious stones, returned to find the nest today.¡±


    His voice was cold enough to feel monotonous, but those who listened to it didn¡¯t feel anything.


    ¡°As a member of the 4th generation of the ancient blood and as the head of Bergett, how can we not express our joy on such a meaningful day?¡±


    An explosive noise swept through the ballroom.


    It was natural.


    However having the symbol of Inoaden isn¡¯t meaningful.


    What¡¯s more, it¡¯s none other than the Khalykia family !


    Does that mean that the power that had been extinguished some time ago has been revived?


    Nonsense!


    Because it is, moreover, none other than Axion Bergett.


    Wait, then there is no way that the woman who was called the new successor of Inoaden was real¡­!


    Axion moved between the gap of astonishment and the avalanche of doubtful voices.


    Crispy!


    Meanwhile, black fragments that quietly spread out of his shadow broke the red jewels on the floor without a trace.


    No one in the room knew what Axion had done because it was done so quietly.


    He has a face with no realism whatsoever.


    He said to Violetta, who was sitting on the floor holding her child.


    ¡°Happy birthday, Violetta.¡±


    Only then Violetta¡¯s eyes turned to Axion.


    ¡°So you asked for the best treasure in Calicia, Inno Arden¡¯s new rose.¡±


    The moment she heard that her wet eyes shook as if she was in a storm.


    Her grasp on the child trembles.


    It began.


    The feelings that were gradually elevating made her unbearable.


    Violetta couldn¡¯t hide her overwhelmed heart and hugged the wounded child tightly in her arms.


    As Axion said, it was indeed the best birthday for her.


    Meanwhile, a faintly twisted smile blossomed on Christian¡¯s beautiful face as he was watching the scene unfolding in front of him.


    He called Lenoch and instructed him what to do.


    He then exited the ballroom after going down.


    Diego, who couldn¡¯t be better than this, also turned back after a while with his hardened legs.


    His fists clenched so hard that he bleeds from the bottom of his nail-crushed hand.


    Princess of Calicia, Violetta¡¯s birthday party, ended with such a new wave.


    But in fact, it was a new beginning.


    5. Second flowering


    At that time, Inoaden was held back.


    It was because an employee working outside the house found that the wall surrounding the window of Hillis¡¯s room was damaged. Moreover, the windows were even wide open.


    She hurried up to the fourth floor.


    The wall that Diego made in the hallway was intact.


    So, there was no way for others to go inside and directly confirm Hillis¡¯ absence.


    She tried to call May inside to find out if Hillis had escaped, but she didn¡¯t respond to the calls of people across the wall to see what the hell was going on.


    In fact, after eating a full dinner, she was lying in bed and sleeping deeply.


    Now that Diego was away, everything in the mansion was, of course, to be reported to Ricardo first.


    ¡°Is that true ?¡±


    ¡°Yes, as soon as I checked that the window was open, I told master about it.¡±


    When Ricardo heard the news from the rushing servant, he stood upright, leaning against the bookshelf.


    On his face, the scar from the last encounter with Hillis remains.


    Even if it wasn¡¯t like Gabriel who had been ordered by his father, Diego was still refraining from going out for a while.


    Ricardo ordered the attendant with a firm face.


    ¡°For now, send a servant to Calicia to deliver the news to my father.¡±


    ¡°Yes sir!¡±


    ¡°And pick up some knights and hurry to search around the mansion.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will master.¡±


    Ricardo then walked out of Diego¡¯s study, placing the family literature he was reading back on the desk.


    Ricardo¡¯s face was frozen as he walked through the hallway with his long legs.


    In the first place, Ricardo opposed the imprisonment of Hillis.


    However, Diego was so strong that his opinion was rejected.


    Because Ricardo is the only one who can¡¯t inherit the power of Inoaden, it was impossible to destroy the wall that Diego had made with his will.


    Ricardo left the building with his employees greeting him.


    He stopped at the place where Hillis¡¯ window was, it was placed right above his head.


    As he lifted his head, a wide-open window, as the attendant said, came into his view.


    It was late in the evening when the sunset and the interior of the room were dark enough that he couldn¡¯t see anything.


    However, it was noticeable at first glance that the thin curtains gently clad their arms.


    If that room was on the second floor, it would have been possible to climb up the wall, but this was the fourth floor.


    ¡°¡­..¡±


    Ricardo looked down from the open window and lowered his head. He lowered his body and opened his feet.


    A rose that had bloomed in the growing field of grass shone into his eyes.


    As soon as Ricardo¡¯s hand touched it, it shattered and disappeared without a trace.


    Where did she go?


    He wondered if she was escaping after her father was away. Was she deliberately waiting for the time and aiming for an opportunity?


    Rather, is it common sense that Hillis, who has just awakened, destroys father¡¯s power in this way?


    ¡°Ri¡­, Master Ricardo!¡±


    When Ricardo fell into thoughts with a serious face, someone urgently came to him.


    Ricardo got out from his thoughts as the servant shouted through his ears.


    ¡°Lady Hillis is back!¡±


    * * *


    Wow!


    Hillis arrived in Inoaden¡¯s garden.


    A building with lights all over the windows could be seen.


    As the sun went down, all the employees who worked outside were withdrawn, so there was only one person in the garden remaining.


    The shadows of the chestnut leaves, the grass wavering, and the wind mixed with the fragrance of flowers, turned around, and then it was quiet.


    Inoaden¡¯s mansion was somewhat cluttered.


    But for Hillis, who had just escaped from the noisy Calicia ballroom, it felt very quiet.


    Hillis found Diego, who was there just before moving to Inoaden.


    He was staring at her as if he wanted to kill her because she disappeared. As soon as she came to the mansion, he was going to find Hillis.


    However, he couldn¡¯t move.


    So it would probably take some time to get to the mansion.


    Then should she eat until then?


    Hillis was bored looking at the water from a distance.


    In a way, it was a ridiculous idea, but Hillis took a step to a restaurant.


    She was much more hungry today than she had been usually because she had skipped lunch.


    Surely after Diego comes, she won¡¯t be able to fill her stomach.


    So Hillis moved toward a restaurant that was relatively quiet compared to the other distracting places in the mansion.

 Chapter 25

    ***


    Ding.


    I heard an untimely bell ringing in the restaurant.


    The employees, who were cleaning up in the kitchen, tilted their heads, and one of them opened the door and headed to the place where the bell was heard.


    Then at the restaurant where he arrived, he shook his shoulders in surprise.


    ¡°Hey, Miss Hilise?!¡±


    It was Hilise who was sitting in front of the table and holding the bell with her chin propped.


    She saw the employee and put the bell back down on the table.


    ¡°I missed dinner because I was going out for a while. I¡¯m finished with the important things, so please make something that can be cooked easily.¡±


    The news of her escape from the window had already been heard by the employees in the kitchen.


    But he couldn¡¯t believe she showed up at the restaurant again with such a casual look!


    ¡°Yes, yes¡­! I¡¯ll be ready in a minute!¡±


    However, it wasn¡¯t the employee¡¯s business to ask about it.


    He quickly left the restaurant after responding to Hilise.


    Then he hurried to deliver Hilise¡¯s orders to the chef in the kitchen and called the servant outside to tell Ricardo the news.


    It wasn¡¯t long before the dish made for Hilise was on the table.


    ¡°I¡¯ll put the main dish up in a minute.¡±


    It was difficult to prepare a proper dish right now, so she put soup, bread, and salad on the table first to soothe her hunger.


    Hilise was worried that the main dish would be too late, but Hilise didn¡¯t care and started eating the soup first.


    ¡°Hilise!¡±


    Just then, Ricardo arrived at the restaurant.


    He stopped walking when he saw Hilise sitting calmly.


    She glanced at Ricardo, who appeared in front of her, and without looking away, picked up the bread in front of her and dipped it in the soup.


    ¡°Where the hell have you been all this time?¡±


    Ricardo got a little closer to Hilise.


    There was a gap between when he confirmed that the window of Hilise¡¯s room was open and when he heard that she was in the restaurant.


    Ricardo chillingly asked Hilise where and what she had been doing.


    ¡°Do you know how surprised everyone was to hear that you disappeared? People are still searching outside for you.¡±


    He didn¡¯t mean to speak to Hilise with such a questionable tone from the start.


    However, as he watched Hilise eat peacefully, the anger inside him started to rise.


    It was made worse by Hilise¡¯s response to Ricardo¡¯s remarks, saying that he was irrelevant.


    ¡°You did something useless. Tell him to come back in.¡±


    He grew desperate to know if there was anything else he could say.


    Still, Ricardo tried to calm himself down and asked her again. ¡°Where the hell did you go without saying anything? Did you break the wall by the window? Why did you go outside? If you had any business outside the mansion, at least you should¡¯ve told me before you left, leaving as you please¡­¡±


    Then suddenly, he caught sight of the blood on Hilise¡¯s clothes.


    Ricardo¡¯s words, which continued like an interrogation, suddenly stopped.


    Looking closely, Hilise¡¯s face and hands were also covered with red marks.


    Ricardo¡¯s face became hard.


    ¡°What¡¯s that on your body? It seems to be blood, except it isn¡¯t yours¡­.¡±


    ¡°Ricardo.¡±


    Ricardo¡¯s question was followed by a second thought.


    Hilise softly sighed, pushing the bowl of freshly emptied soup and the basket of bread aside.


    Ricardo flinched at the sound.


    ¡°Why do I have to report that to you?¡±


    This time, Hilise added, holding a salad fork in her hand.


    ¡°I¡¯m not even a dog with a leash.¡±


    Her words made Ricardo¡¯s body stiffen.


    ¡°You really, you can¡¯t just talk like that? I¡¯m just worried¡­.¡±


    However, while speaking in such a critical tone, Ricardo paused momentarily.


    It was because he felt very strange that what he casually said was aimed at Hilise.


    ¡°Worried?¡±


    It was then that the silky smile leaked out of Hilise¡¯ lips.


    ¡°Worried, who are you worried about?¡±


    She looked at Ricardo as if she had never heard such a funny thing before.


    In front of that gaze, Ricardo was again engulfed by the same emotion that had captured him in Hilise¡¯s room.


    Ricardo¡¯s expression shifted as soon as Hilise looked at him with glassy eyes and recited.


    ¡°Ricardo, how many times have I had to feel like a bug in front of father and you, don¡¯t you know?¡±


    In an instant, his body cooled down.


    ¡°You don¡¯t even know how dirty Father and you normally look at me.¡±


    This was the first time he had heard a story like this from Hilise.


    Ricardo was embarrassed by this situation, and he felt like he had a stone lodged in his throat.


    ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t want to talk about the nasty past, but let me tell you one thing now that it¡¯s like this.¡±


    Then, finally, from Hilise, the story of the not-so-long past


    The moment the memory was forced out:


    ¡°Do you remember Gabrielle¡¯s 16th birthday party? She had taken Mother¡¯s precious earrings with her and brought them out with her.¡±


    ¡°Why are you bringing up a story from so long ago?¡±


    Ricardo blocked Hilise from continuing with a cold face as if he were defending himself.


    When she saw it, Hilise tilted her head at an angle.


    Perhaps in the past, Ricardo¡¯s reaction would have discouraged her and she would have closed her mouth.


    No, she wouldn¡¯t have talked about this in the first place because that would make him feel uncomfortable.


    But now, Hilise didn¡¯t dwell on Ricardo¡¯s reaction at all and continued with the story she wanted to talk about.


    ¡°At that time, you were so frighteningly angry that Gabrielle became embarrassed and lied. She said I took those earrings out and gave them to her as a gift.¡±


    It was probably the first time Gabrielle had faced Ricardo¡¯s anger.


    Diego and Ricardo usually listened to Gabrielle¡¯s words, but they wouldn¡¯t let her touch those. It was a remnant left by the mother of Hilise, who had passed away.


    In particular, even their stepmother was not allowed to handle the jewelry left by Hilise¡¯s mother.


    So there was no need to explain how Ricardo was angry with Gabrielle, who has snuck it out and wore the earrings.


    Ricardo, who was waiting at the door to escort Gabrielle, was the first to discover the earrings in question, and he believed that if Diego had discovered them first, there would have been a greater uproar.


    ¡°What did you do then?¡±


    Ricardo¡¯s color faded to black in the old memory that was recalled again.


    ¡°Then you immediately came to me and slapped me across the face without even knowing if Gabrielle was telling the truth.¡±


    That was the reason why Ricardo was reluctant to remember the incident.


    At that time, he was so angry to see Gabrielle wearing his mother¡¯s belongings.


    Therefore, he had no time to consider the circumstances before and after the eyes were turned to him.


    The day remained Ricardo¡¯s biggest blemish in his life.


    It was the day when Ricardo¡¯s mask as Gabrielle¡¯s always sweet brother, was peeled off, and it was also the first and last time he gave Hilise an impulsive slap.


    ¡°¡­¡­yes, I admit I made a mistake then.¡±


    Ricardo had been regretting it all this time.


    ¡°But it¡¯s already over. Do you have to bring this out again?¡±


    But while past mistakes were being recited in Hilise¡¯s mouth like this, he was seized with shame that offset all other emotions.


    The silent voices heard Ricardo¡¯s offensive words.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s over. The man who worked in the mansion proved that he saw Gabrielle sneaking belongings out of her room.¡±


    The fork in Hilise¡¯s hand flicked up and down meaninglessly and tapped the plate.


    Then the small noise that occurred scratched Ricardo¡¯s nerves.


    ¡°Gabrielle was scared as things got bigger and admitted that she did it. So later, when I heard the commotion, my father ended it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Hilise.¡±


    ¡°Remember what my father said afterward.¡±


    ¡°I told you to stop.¡±


    The cracked low voice cracked the air somewhat roughly, threateningly.


    But Hilise¡¯s words were not interrupted by anything.


    ¡°You¡¯ve forgiven and praised Gabriel for being a straightforward and nice kid who can admit mistakes, haven¡¯t you? On the contrary, the employee was fired.¡±

 Chapter 26

    At that time, Gabriel was already confused by Ricardo and was crying with great shock, so Diego couldn¡¯t be a bad father to her.


    He chose to fire the employee who could not properly manage his wife¡¯s belongings rather than reprimanding her stepdaughter for something that had been already done.


    He also saw what Gabriel did and didn¡¯t do anything until another employee was fired after four months.


    ¡°And none of the people in this house has ever apologized to me.¡±


    Grumbled Ricardo.


    It was just as Hillise said.


    At that time, Ricardo did not apologize for the misunderstanding and hitting Hillise.


    He felt uneasy seeing her cry while covering her red, swollen cheeks, so he walked away.


    He never really thought about Hillise¡¯s feelings at that time.


    Because he never had to think about someone else until now¡­


    Ricardo was a younger brother who had never been able to open his heart after his mother had died as a result of her.


    But from a while ago, he was somewhat weird.


    Without understanding why Ricardo was having trouble looking Hillise in the eyes right now.


    After working in the garden, when he faced Hillise, it seemed that something was constantly scraping him down like a needle.


    In front of those transparent and insensitive eyes, he felt as if his inside was getting crushed.


    ¡°Was it around this time of the year? When I almost died of pneumonia and you didn¡¯t even know I was sick.¡±


    One day, in the past, Hillise, who came out of the room after a long absence, ran into Ricardo in the hallway.


    It was late in the evening, and Ricardo had just returned home after going out.


    He stopped and said, glancing at Hillise with cold eyes.


    ¡°No way. Are you only waking up? No matter what you do, you are always home, you are always so lazy. A maid would be more useful than you.¡±


    If he would have a bit more interest, he would have seen that she had a disease.


    However, he just passed by without knowing how much she was sick. It was only later that he knew.


    ¡°Father and you have both been either uninterested in me or upset with me up until now.¡±


    Hillise shook Ricardo with her word, and she said it without any emotion whatsoever.


    That calm voice made Ricardo¡¯s eyes draw a shallow stream of water.


    ¡°But now you are worried about me?¡±


    For the first time, Hillise laughed gently at Ricardo.


    The figure that was always stiff in front of him or frozen coldly, showed gentle curves and gentleness.


    Momentarily, Ricardo felt his heart pounding at the unfamiliarity.


    ¡°Ricardo. This is disappointing.¡±


    The words that came out of her mouth, however, were sharper than ever before and stayed in Ricardo¡¯s heart.


    ¡°And it¡¯s hypocrisy,¡±


    Hillise ruthlessly sentenced Ricardo.


    ¡°Just be honest. You just don¡¯t want to admit that you¡¯re a cowardly person. You¡¯re afraid of being criticized by anyone.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not¡­¡±


    Ricardo reflexively tried to deny Healys¡¯ words.


    But, for some reason, he couldn¡¯t speak because his throat was choked up like a person who had been stabbed.


    But then Hillise opened her mouth again.


    ¡°Do you know why I just left you without dealing with my father?¡±


    In the place where the frosty cynic had disappeared, only desolate traces of wasteland remained.


    ¡°For me, the people in this house are already dead.¡±


    When Ricardo heard that, an indescribable light struck him.


    ¡°This¡­ What do you mean?¡±


    He seemed to be struck by those words.


    But on the other hand, he seemed to think that Hillise was exaggerating.


    ¡°It means you don¡¯t deserve to worry about me.¡±


    Hillise cut Ricardo without hesitation.


    ¡°So don¡¯t ever make that disgusting sound in front of me again. I want to vomit just by listening to it.¡±


    Ricardo turned into an ice statue that seemed to have been frozen for thousands or hundreds of years.


    Unorganized messy words rang loudly in his head. But he couldn¡¯t say a word to the person in front of him.


    It was because he knew very well, how the relationship between himself and Hillise had deteriorated to the point he stopped talking without knowing realizing it.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    At that time, an employee who came in with the main dish felt a heavy atmosphere and was a bit shocked.


    He turned around and wondered whether or not to bring the dish. Finally, he decided to come in with the impression of entering a law court.


    The employee approached the table and greeted Ricardo and laid down a plate in front of Hillise.


    Then he quickly tried to leave.


    At that time, the door suddenly opened.


    ¡°You¡­!¡±


    Diego appeared furiously through the door.


    ¡°Hillise, you dare¡­!¡±


    He came into the room with a terrifying spirit and smashed Hillise with his fiery, fiery eyes.


    ¡°How dare you ruin everything like this?!¡±


    ¡°Father?!¡±


    Ricardo was surprised at Diego¡¯s unusual and scary appearance.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you doing this because Hillise left the room?¡±


    But it seemed to be a bit too much to say, yes.


    The attendant Ricardo sent was looking for him at the ballroom in Kallikia because of the crossroads with Diego.


    Not knowing that Ricardo bit his lips for a moment.


    However, he was somewhat reluctant to see her being scolded by her father.


    He stepped forward to relieve Diego¡¯s anger.


    ¡°Father, first, calm down then take a cup of tea.¡±


    Of course, Diego didn¡¯t even listen to Ricardo¡¯s words in the back of his ear.


    ¡®Bang!¡¯


    The sound made the table shake. The plate, as well as the food on it.


    The glass of water was also greatly shaken.


    The employee who was standing in the corner of the restaurant also jumped in surprise.


    ¡°If you have a mouth, try to make an excuse! Why on earth did you appear there?¡±


    Even an adult male would become ill (or scared) if he saw Diego, who had a large appearance, standing in front of his eyes and spreading his life in front of his eyes.


    But Hillise slowly looked at him with her eyes with no fear and without shaking.


    Hillise¡¯s hand holding the fork slightly loosened.


    After all, she can¡¯t seem to eat a bite of today¡¯s main dish.


    Isn¡¯t it proper etiquette not to bother or interrupt someone who is eating?


    ¡°You should know because you¡¯ve seen it yourself.¡±


    Still, it¡¯s a dish that has been taken out so she wants to at least taste it. Hillise bowed down again and started to cut her meat.


    ¡°I gave Lady Kallikia a birthday present.¡±


    Diego¡¯s tight lips began to tremble.


    A fierce flame splattered in the eyes of Hillise¡¯s natural face.


    Ricardo, who listened to the conversation and grasped the situation, stiffened his face.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t go to the city, did you, Hillise?¡±


    Finally, Diego exploded.


    Wow!


    There was a storm inside the dining room. An angry force began to rattle and gather around Diego.


    ¡°I see you couldn¡¯t say it nicely! Let¡¯s drop this habit shall we.¡±


    Diego, who was angry to his head, clenched his teeth hard enough to make a crackling noise.


    ¡°From now on, you can¡¯t go out of your room without my permission!¡±


    He said exploding like a bomb to Hillise.


    At that moment, Hillise, who had forked a freshly cut piece of meat, slipped it on Diego.


    As if a thunderbolt struck her, a golden light appeared in her eyes.


    A rose blooms from the chair on which Hillise sits and begins to blend with Diego¡¯s red rose.


    At the next moment, Diego¡¯s power was sucked by Hillise instead of attacking or trapping her.


    ¡°¡­.!¡±


    Diego quickly noticed the anomaly.


    For an instant, he couldn¡¯t figure out what was going on to him, and he faltered.


    Even at that moment, the power that Diego poured out was drawn into Hillise.


    What she was doing now was a provocation.


    She ate all Diego¡¯s power that was poured onto her.


    Until Diego finally comes back to reality and regains strength.

 Chapter 27

    ¡°Now¡­¡±


    Diego¡¯s pale lips twitched in a different sense than before.


    ¡°What the hell did you do now?¡±


    The restaurant, which had a huge power subsided, was filled with heavy silence that was suffocating.


    Only Hilise has remained calm.


    ¡°I was hungry, but I was interrupted during my meal, so I ate something else instead.¡±


    Then, he heard an uninspiring calm voice.


    The moment he heard Hilise, Diego moved his legs unconsciously and took a step back.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to finish my meal like this, but if you want, you can give me more of what I ate right now.¡±


    It was clear that the ¡®other thing¡¯ that Hilise was referring to, meant Diego¡¯s power that had flowed inside her a while ago.


    An instinctive fear froze Diego.


    Hilise¡¯s expressionless, serene face that reached the end of his gaze somehow gave him goosebumps.


    So he unconsciously took a step back, and Hilise, who saw him, tilted her head.


    ¡°Are you just going to leave?¡±


    Her tone and eyes were extremely calm as if laughing at the people who were agitated by her side. Soon Hilise moved his hand as if he were at her disposal.


    Diego foolishly stared at the sight of the floral food entering her mouth.


    Hilise¡¯s movements were graceful and elegant, like a lady who was enjoying a leisurely dinner.


    That irritated Diego.


    Diego was overwhelmed by embarrassment as he¡¯d never felt before, and his grudging humiliation was caused by the fact that it was none other than his daughter who had made him feel instinctive terror.


    Now, I don¡¯t know exactly what Hilise did to me, but it is clear that it¡¯s all a hoax.


    It had to be a delusion for him to believe Hilise had taken away his power.


    I¡¯ve never heard of such a thing before.


    When the embarrassment and confusion burned down, he was only left with resentment.


    ¡°Hilise¡­!¡±


    But in fact, Hilise didn¡¯t want to rile up Diego, she just wanted to eat the veal


    in front of her.


    t/n: veal is calf meat


    It was only fitting for Diego¡¯s character to further refuse to give up.


    So Hilise wanted to taste the appetizing dish in front of her before dinner was over.


    But Diego¡¯s patience was shorter than she thought, so Hilise ate only two pieces of delicious meat in front of him.


    Once again, enormous power flooded his eyes.


    Eventually, Hilise sighed and put her hand on the tableware next to the plate.


    Ooooh!


    It was the same phenomenon that happened a little while ago.


    Diego¡¯s power was completely swallowed by Hilise.


    ¡°D, don¡¯t be ridiculous¡­! How did this happen!¡±


    He felt it vividly and was appalled. Again, Diego couldn¡¯t even make a small scratch on Hilise¡¯s body.


    Until now, he had forgotten that Hilise also used her power during the Kallikia ball to relocate the venue.


    It was impossible for even Diego to do so, including Axion, some of Berzete¡¯s people, or the head of Parvenon and his successor, Christian.


    (Q/C: ¡®some of berzete¡¯s people¡¯ refer to the previous head of berzete , i.e., axion¡¯s mother)


    So, is it true that Hilise¡¯s power is superior to mine?


    There was no way he could admit that.


    Diego clenched his teeth to the point where his jaw was numb, bringing in more power.


    Kuugng!


    ¡°Argh¡­!¡±


    ¡°Kak!¡±


    The mansion shook, and a strong wind whipped through the restaurant.


    Employees in the area were taken aback.


    Paat!


    Despite the vibrant roses blooming all around Diego, his power was consumed by Hilise instead of being used against her.


    Diego realized that his feeling was not an illusion.


    My strength has evidently weakened after I  confronted Hillise¡­!!


    At that moment, he became dizzy and his legs felt numb.


    At the same time that his concentration was broken, the power that flowed from Diego¡¯s body was scattered in the air.


    ¡°Father!¡±


    Ricardo, who had been pushed toward the wall due to the strong winds, saw Diego stumbling and ran quickly and caught him.


    Hilise¡¯s hair, which was blowing in the wind, fell on her shoulder.


    About half of it turned red.


    It was the second flowering she had been waiting for.


    When she raised her eyelids, the golden eyes that were hidden in them gave off a cold glow.


    Diego¡¯s power, which had poured inside a little earlier, was still not fully fused with Hilise¡¯s power.


    But after some time it slowly began to melt under Hilise¡¯s power.


    She could feel the stronger power twisting around her heart and screaming.


    After swallowing Diego¡¯s power, her ability to become more powerful finally settled in.


    Originally, it would have been impossible to take Diego¡¯s power in this way.


    But what turned the impossible into possible was the tears of Kallikia, which Hilise swallowed earlier underground.


    A rare treasure that made her power stronger than before and helped her absorb other people¡¯s power. The reason she went to save the child today was to get that jewel.


    From ancient times, it has been said that among the holy waters of Kallikia, jewels made of tears have a mysterious power.


    That¡¯s why Kallikia is called the ¡®Clan of Heavy Rain¡¯.


    If members of the four largest families had the jewel in their bodies, their strength increased slightly over a period of time, and Kallikia¡¯s ability was treated as a gem by other families.


    But the true effect of the jewel made from tears was separate.


    By swallowing it with your mouth and dissolving it in your body, your strength not only increases significantly, but it is also possible to absorb other people¡¯s abilities for a certain period and make it your own. Thus, in Kallikia, the fact has been kept secret from the outside for the peace and balance of the four major families.


    No relevant literature was left on the real power of Kallikia¡¯s treasure.


    Especially today, long after their abilities disappeared, no outsiders knew about its utility. Diego was now pale and speechless, unable to comprehend what had happened to him. Ricardo¡¯s face, on the other hand, was not nearly as pale as Diego¡¯s.


    A moment ago, he knew that there was a confrontation of power between Diego and Hilise, but he did not know exactly what had happened between the two because he did not have the ability.


    Still, he could see that the current situation was threatening Diego¡¯s authority.


    Klang.


    Seeing them, Hilise completely dropped the fork and knife she had in her hand onto the plate.


    ¡°In the past, there was a stigma on the body of the person with the most power in the family that gave them the qualification to be head of the family.¡±


    Then everyone in the restaurant stared at Hilise with a stupid face as she lifted a napkin and gently wiped her mouth.


    As a result, they seemed to have failed to properly listen to what Hilise said.


    I once read about it in old texts.


    It was a record before the ancient blood-flowing powers were almost extinct.


    However, as the generation continued, the blood slowly faded, and it was natural that the power in it gradually weakened.


    Therefore, it was impossible for the successor to have a power stronger than the current head of the family.


    For that reason, the terms of the transfer have changed to where the former head directly appoints his successor and hands over the stigma.


    It was a common practice at the time, and it is still followed today.


    But there was only one person in this generation who broke that old rule.


    ¡°It¡¯s a little interesting. I wonder if Axion Berzete felt this way, too.¡±


    Diego¡¯s eyes shook greatly when Axion Berzete¡¯s name came out of Hilise¡¯s mouth.


    A look of disbelief rushed into Hilise. He could tell right away because the clothes she was wearing now were pajamas.


    The geometrically shaped stigma shone in a subtle gold color on Hilise¡¯s nape and collarbone. It reached down to the back of her left hand, which was exposed out of her sleeve.


    Diego hastily looked down at the back of his hand and called on his power.


    However, the stigma that surfaced on the skin whenever he used his power, no longer formed.


    ¡°I think I should take back what I said last time. There are times when my father helps me.¡±


    The monotonous voice that echoed over Diego¡¯s head was the reason for his desperation.


    ¡°Whatever the people of this house give me is not worth a stone on the side of the road, but it¡¯ll come in handy.¡±


    Finally, she dragged her chair back and stood on the floor, but there was not a single piece of emotion like joy on her face.


    ¡°Now that it¡¯s come to this, I¡¯ll keep it until I die.¡±


    With an uncanny indifference and heartlessness, Hilise declared.


    ¡°So you guys don¡¯t need to do anything from now on. From today on, I, the owner of Inoaden, will decide everything.¡±


    For Diego, it was a sentence that had the same meaning as the death penalty.

 Chapter 28

    Diego stared at his daughter.


    ¡°You¡­! What the hell have you done now?!¡±


    Then, this time, Ricardo, who was next to Diego, stood up with anger.


    ¡±Is that something you can say to your father now? Are you crazy?¡±


    Hillise¡¯s words were shocking to Ricardo as well.


    Is Hillise being the head of Inoaden instead of Diego?


    As long as dirt didn¡¯t get into his eyes, there was no way he could tolerate it.


    ¡°I can¡¯t tolerate it. I can¡¯t accept this. If you don¡¯t return it as it was, I won¡¯t be still!¡±


    Hillise stared at Ricardo with pride, who was losing his temper.


    ¡°Is that so? What can you do if you don¡¯t stay still?¡±


    Ricardo¡¯s body was entangled by a bunch of roses that spread out in an instant.


    Ricardo tried to get out of there somehow, but he couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°You¡­ how?!¡±


    The more he moved his body, the sharper the rose thorns on the vine would just dig deeper into his skin.


    Everyone could see on Ricardo¡¯s face that he was defeated.


    And, after seeing the rose vines smothering him and starting to spread all over the restaurant, Ricardo soon lost his words.


    It was the same for everyone in the restaurant.


    ¡°From now on, I will give orders. If you don¡¯t like that, go out.¡±


    Like that Hillise harshly dismissed Ricardo.


    ¡°However, I don¡¯t know if you have the courage to do so.¡±


    ***


    ¡±What the hell is happening now?¡±


    Gabriel stood at the door of the restaurant and couldn¡¯t breathe much, with only her eyes wide open.


    Not long ago, she was burying herself on the couch with a swollen face and tearing the tissue to pieces.


    It was regrettable that she couldn¡¯t go to the ball in Kallikia because of Diego¡¯s probationary order.


    Gabriel has been looking forward to the ball that will be held that day.


    Moreover, this ball was to celebrate Violetta¡¯s birthday, who is called the Princess of Kallikia.


    As much as that, she wanted to attend, however, Diego¡¯s order to ban her from going out, caused the plan to be destroyed, and Gabriel felt disappointed.


    But Gabriel was excited to show off her beauty on the spot, with the intention of taking all the attention during the ball.


    Imagining the wrath in Violetta¡¯s face, made her heart flutter.


    Gabriel was fully aware of her charm, and she enjoyed the usual look of others to herself. Among those, she was especially pleased to be praised compared to Violetta.


    She is called Princess of Inoaden and Violetta is called Princess of Kallikia.


    Although Gabriel did not really inherit the blood of Inoaden, she received the affection of Ricardo.


    That is why everyone from outside treated Gabriel more than Hillise and did not hesitate to call her the princess of Inoaden.


    Gabriel loved that title very much.


    And that¡¯s why she was dissatisfied with other people calling a woman from another family with the same nickname as her.


    Of course, Violetta had noble blood, and in a sense, it could mean that she was closer to a real princess than Gabriel.


    However, when looked at in various ways, Kallikia was also lower than the current Inoaden.


    Moreover, even if the family was separated, Gabriel could confidently affirm that she was the one who suited being a princess more.


    So, she used to show off her beauty by showing it like a peacock in every event she attended with Violetta.


    Each time, Violetta¡¯s eyes changed as if she was seeing a kitten frolicking for the owner¡¯s attention, or a cat sneering with a small bulge, but Gabriel was intoxicated with herself and couldn¡¯t notice it.


    Anyway, she was in the middle of making a wholesome fuss by tearing a piece of tissue out of the room out of anger.


    It¡¯s been a while since she did this, so in front of her was a long, unusable tissue, torn.


    ¡±If it was the way it was, I should have been putting Chris next to me and putting Violetta on drugs by now.¡±


    (QC: It means if she would have attended the ball, she would have spent her time with Chris whilst done some harm to Violetta¡­she must have planned something)


    In the end, all the dresses and accessories carefully prepared for today have become obsolete.


    It was unfortunate and frustrating, but if I think positively about it, it was fortunate that she didn¡¯t have to meet Christian today.


    Gabriel was still not relieved by the attitude she had seen in the garden last time.


    But when she looked at Christian¡¯s face, she was clearly relieved without knowing, so she easily forgave him¡­


    ¡°Huh! No matter how much he apologizes next time, I won¡¯t just go over it.¡¯


    Gabriel struggled to make her mind.


    As she was thinking hard, Donna, her former maid, ran into the room.


    After that, when she heard the story she had told, Gabriel dropped the tissue she had in her hand on her lap.


    ¡°Sister Hillise disappeared?¡±


    ¡°I think so! I saw the window that the master blocked was open. The walls in the hallway were still the same, so I went in and checked but I didn¡¯t see her!¡±


    Suddenly, she felt a cold feeling in her back, and she felt anxious to be alone in the room.


    ¡°What are you doing now? I have to go at once!¡±


    Gabriel was almost lying on the sofa and jumped up.


    Following the movement, pieces of tissue that had been piled up on her knees fluttered and scattered.


    And so Gabriel heard that Ricardo was at the restaurant.


    For some reason, she could see her father, who was enraged, spreading unpleasant energy and going crazy.


    It was her first time seeing Diego like that, and Gabriel chased after him with curiosity while shrugging her shoulders without even knowing.


    Then, the castle rang several times in the restaurant, and suddenly an earthquake-like vibration spread from the inside


    Even in that hectic situation, Gabriel captured what had happened in the restaurant through the open door.


    Then she suffered a tremendous shock.


    Hillise first left the restaurant while Gabriel was standing.


    But then she confronted her head-on and stopped Hillise.


    ¡°Hey, sister Hillise.¡±


    As soon as the golden eyes met, Gabriel froze like a rabbit in front of a wild beast.


    Diego was also helpless and couldn¡¯t do anything.


    It was clear that she couldn¡¯t even speak to her.


    Hillise with an expressionless face made a step forward silently.


    Gabriel trembled in fear and closed her eyes tightly.


    However the next moment, she felt a force passing by her side.


    Hillise didn¡¯t even do anything to Gabriel, and as she walked, she went away from her.


    ¡°Ha¡­.¡±


    It was only when Hillise disappeared silently, without even making a sound, Gabriel exhaled the breath she had barely held.


    Badum badum ¨C Her chest was beating very loudly from the beginning.


    ¡°Did I hear it wrong?! Sister Hillise defeated Father and became the owner of Inoaden?¡±


    Of course, Gabriel was the same as Ricardo and didn¡¯t understand the situation.


    However, it was clear in her mind that Diego tried to scare Hillise with his force, then failed and finally sat down with a white face.


    On the other hand, Hillise did not give in to Diego¡¯s threat and faced it head-on, and in front of him in a tumultuous manner, she announced that she had become king of Inoaden from that moment on.


    In addition to that, she even simply neutralized Ricardo.


    Gabriel¡¯s head began to spin.


    She wasn¡¯t smart, but she seemed to know that she was on a sinking ship.


    Gabriel grabbed her confused head and glanced at Diego and Ricardo inside the restaurant.


    Then, she hurriedly moved, squeezing her lips, and left the restaurant.


    ***


    The farther away she was from the restaurant, the faster her feet went to the nearest washroom.


    ¡°Gosh¡­.!¡±


    Hillise hurriedly went inside and became nauseous.


    All of the foods that she couldn¡¯t eat properly because of the fuss were suddenly turning upside down in her stomach.


    Suddenly, she had to use a huge external force, and because of the second awakening, her body was overwhelmed.


    Only after emptying her insides, Hillise narrowed her eyebrows and raised her head.


    It was a shame. The meal was delicious.


    She wanted to remind herself to put up the same menu again tomorrow.

 Chapter 29

    After rinsing her mouth, Hillise raised her head and looked at the mirror in front of her. When the power was expressed, a golden pattern appeared on her skin again.


    Perhaps there was a stigma going down on her left shoulder and arm that was hidden by her clothes.


    As soon as the power was withdrawn, it slowly disappeared. Now that she has more power than Diego and became the head, her authority has also expanded.


    So she was going to finish what she couldn¡¯t do in her last life. Hillise planned to visit a place where only the heads of the four great families, who had ancient blood, could enter.


    I was told that there were old and top-secret documents about the four families secretly kept in here.


    What Hillise ultimately wanted in this life was simple.


    It was her own complete death.


    The eternal disappearance of her existence itself, so she does not repeat this tedious life again.


    Hillise wanted to find the way this time.


    With a crunching sound, her wet hands distorted the image in front of her.


    Being alone in a quiet place, what happened this evening replayed in her mind.


    What happened just a moment ago at the restaurant.


    The first time she showed her power was in the ballroom where there were countless people.


    And taking the child there and giving it to Violetta Kallikia¡­.


    Meeting Axion Berzette in the basement of the back alley, etc.


    I knew I¡¯d inevitably run into him if I went to save the child, but I couldn¡¯t help it.


    The gang who was carrying the child kept changing locations to avoid getting caught.


    So it was around the evening when the child was moved to the latest location.


    Hillise didn¡¯t know where the child had been before that. So she had to go find the child today.


    ¡°¡­¡­..¡±


    Her starlight eyes that were wet looked into the mirror, which looked distorted.


    ¡°Do you know why I¡¯ve left my father and you alone until now?¡±


    ¡°The people in this house are already dead to me.¡±


    Could it be that the events that took place outside this evening, at least faintly, were engraved into my mind?


    I said unnecessary things at the restaurant.


    Of course, no matter what she said, the other person would not be able to understand the meaning behind it.


    In particular, what Hillise said to Ricardo earlier was not a metaphor or parable, but the literal meaning.


    ¡ô In fact, Hillise¡­


    Before the end of her seventh life, she killed everyone in Inoaden with her own hands.


    ¡°Hillise, please.¡±


    ¡°Die for Gabrielle.¡±


    It was after Ricardo knelt down before her, pleading.


    Then Hillise regretted it.


    ¡®Why did I dedicate my whole life to those who have never cherished me?¡¯


    So Hillise escaped from prison, killed Ricardo, Gabrielle, and her father. She also killed everyone who stood in her way. The horrors of that time still seemed to haunt her eyes.


    The reason Hillise was imprisoned in her last life was because of committing a crime instead of Gabriel. But it also had something to do with the child she met today, ¡®Margot Kallikia¡¯.


    Margot would later become the head of Kallikia. Hillise was framed for his murder.


    And the one who came to deal with Hillise, who escaped from prison and committed another murder. He was Axion Berzette. The last person Hillise saw in her last life was also that man.


    The expressionless woman reflected in the mirror slowly closed her eyes once. Then, the scene that came to mind as vivid as if it happened yesterday was blurred beyond the distant memory.


    Hillise looked away from the mirror and turned around.


    Squeak.


    Soon her hand opened the bathroom door. She was more tired today than other days because she moved quite a lot. She thought it would be better to go back to her room and rest.


    After a while, Hillise walked alone in the desolate hallway. Looking out the window, there was not a single star in the dark night sky today. It¡¯s already late. The long day was finally coming to an end.


    * * *


    A warm spring breeze blew from afar in the night sky. As the clouds over his head receded, the moon split in half appeared in the still night scene.


    ¡°The old raccoons are going to be loud again.¡±


    (PR: Raccoons = the elders of Berzette)


    Axion, who had just come out of Kallikia, shook his head slowly as if he had been bothered. He frowned and took off the glove he was wearing with his teeth.


    Suleiman, who joined late, spoke after stuffing a cookie he had picked up from the ballroom in Kallikia in his mouth.


    ¡°Aye, what are you doing all of a sudden. You don¡¯t care about what the elders say anyway.¡±


    ¡°Still, it¡¯s always a bit of a pain in the ears.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­. that¡¯s true.¡±


    Blood was all over Suleiman¡¯s body, which had been cleaned by Axion¡¯s orders. However, he was dressed in black from head to toe, so not much was shown except for the faint smell of blood.


    Axion clicked his tongue once, looking at Suleiman, who picked up a handful of snacks while still wearing blood-stained gloves and ate them.


    ¡°What about the auction house?¡±


    ¡°We have removed all the twelve.¡±


    ¡°What was sold first?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re still tracking it.¡±


    Axion also left the place where the descendants of Kallikia stayed in complete ruins.


    There were more illegally abducted children and women imprisoned there, so they called other men to set them free and melt the ¡®underground¡¯ as a whole.


    The treasure of Kallikia was sold by people who were blinded by money because they thought it was just cheap jewelry. In fact, it was a treasure of infinite value for those who inherited the ancient blood. Of course, tears were the only thing they considered as treasure, but they couldn¡¯t let the jewels made out of blood be spread out.


    ¡°Find them all. You must not miss a single one.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Suleiman, who had just finished eating all the cookies, answered quickly, wiping the crumbs off his gloves. However, the pieces of cookies that were clumped in the blood did not come off easily. Axion¡¯s blue eyes glanced at Suleiman with a dirty look.


    ¡°Does that work for you? It¡¯s disgusting.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t make much difference if it¡¯s digested in your stomach anyway. Besides, it¡¯s all because of you that I haven¡¯t eaten and starved all this time.¡±


    Unlike Suleiman, Axion¡¯s gloves were not stained with dust. But he threw it at Suleiman as if it were garbage.


    ¡°Change it or throw it away.¡±


    ¡°Oh, is this a gift? Thank you.¡±


    Still, Suleiman grinned and accepted it.


    Axion went first, leaving Suleiman who was changing his gloves behind him.


    Today¡¯s Kallikia¡¯s ball was also canceled early. Axion didn¡¯t stay there long and left first. There was still a discussion needed with Kallikia about today¡¯s affairs, but the Summer clan didn¡¯t seem to be in a good mood, so he decided to postpone the conversation with them for a while.


    As a descendant from Kallikia with a supernatural power that appears only in a few generations, it was obvious that all fifty-two families would cause an uproar. In particular, the four largest families will have no choice but to keep an eye on the trends of Kallikia in the future.


    ¡°Oh, by the way, Chief.¡±


    Suddenly, Suleiman, who was following Axion¡¯s side and talking about how fantastic the feel of the gloves he gave him, asked.


    ¡°Seeing you like this, you look so pale. It looks like you¡¯ve been up all night for a few days.¡±


    If he was someone who did not know Axion well, he would have thought that he was being unreasonable because of this incident. But that wouldn¡¯t be the case either.


    ¡°It¡¯s probably because I¡¯m having a bad dream these days.¡±


    As Axion passed by, Suleiman¡¯s eyes widened when he heard the unexpected remark.


    ¡°Why do you have nightmares every night?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s just a ghostly woman in my dream.¡±


    ¡°What does she do?¡±


    ¡°Laughing while killing people.¡±


    ¡°Uh, that¡¯s definitely a bit creepy.¡±


    But when Axion heard those words, his eyes narrowed.


    It wasn¡¯t. Rather than creepy¡­.


    Then he remembered what he had thought earlier.


    ¡®It kind of resembles her.¡¯

 Chapter 30

    Axion couldn¡¯t clearly recall the face of the woman he had seen in his dream.


    For some reason, when he woke up, his memory became blurred like a hazy fog.


    But when he finally saw the face of the woman exposed through the subtle moonlight at the place where he went to pick up the descendant of Kallikia.


    Axion unconsciously thought she looked like the woman in his dream.


    In fact, that¡¯s why he hesitated for a moment.


    That was the reason why he had lost the woman and child right in front of him.


    ¡®It must have been Inoaden.¡¯


    In Inoaden, if anyone other than Ricardo can awaken¡­.


    ¡°Was her name Hillise?¡±


    ¡°Well? If it¡¯s Hillise¡­ maybe Hillise Inoaden? That pale woman who, on very rare occasions, is tucked away in a corner with no presence every time she attends something like a banquet?¡±


    Suleiman responded to Axion¡¯s words.


    He was also a member of Berzette¡¯s bloodline and had seen Hillise Inoaden before.


    Of course, because she was a woman with a very vague impression, her face did not immediately come to mind.


    Then, Suleiman shouted ¡®Ah!¡¯ as if he had thought of it belatedly.


    ¡°Come to think of it, I went to the ballroom late and couldn¡¯t hear the details, but strange things were being said. You said it was the heir of Inoaden who brought Kallikia¡¯s jewel?¡±


    However, Axion, who was lost in thought alone, just listened to Suleiman¡¯s words.


    ¡°The rose prince must have finally awakened? But, I¡¯m sure the chief wasn¡¯t there to pick him up..¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m leaving first. I want you to follow me.¡±


    ¡°Oh, wait¡­.¡±


    Paah!


    Before Suleiman could even react, Axion¡¯s body disappeared as if it had collapsed into the darkness.


    Before long, the distance from Kallikia¡¯s mansion had widened, and he could freely use this ability.


    In fact, the same case before was an exception, but it was a rule that was secretly applied among the four major families to not use supernatural abilities near the residences of other families. But to the present-day Suleiman, such a rule was meaningless.


    ¡°I used so much energy today that I can¡¯t even get to the mansion¡­.¡±


    A despondent murmur came out of the man who was left alone, but his heartless owner had already left.


    Eventually, with tears in his eyes, Suleiman began to walk alone, tumbling down the lonely night road. The crescent moon above his head looked down at him.


    One day in spring. It was a night where many people could not sleep properly.


    Side. Pieces of the Past 2


    ¡°No, get out of here.¡­!¡±


    When she opened her eyes again after her death, Ricardo¡¯s urgent voice awoke Hillise¡¯s hazy mind.


    The situation in which a white monster was rushing at her as if it was about to swallow her was slowly recognized in her dazed mind.


    For some reason, Hillise had returned to the day she awoke.


    Again, Diego was angry with her, and Ricardo looked at her with cold eyes.


    Hillise began to wonder if what had happened to her was a dream or not.


    Apparently, she fell off the stairs and lost consciousness¡­.


    Why am I back in the past?


    Hillise involuntarily recalled the events of that time and gripped her chest with an eerie feeling.


    At that moment, Ricardo¡¯s hand clearly grabbed Hillise. But it was for a brief moment. After that, Ricardo raised his hand as if he were deliberately trying to push her away.¡­


    But as soon as she thought about it, Hillise was frightened and denied it herself.


    No, no. He couldn¡¯t have let go of my hand on purpose. It just happened so unexpectedly that I lost the strength in my hands without realizing it. Yes, it was obvious.


    Still, Hillise was very confused.


    So she wanted to talk to someone about what had happened, but there was no one around who could.


    Hillise tried to tell Diego and Ricardo the truth except for the incident on the last step.


    But they didn¡¯t listen to Hillise as usual.


    Still, this time she somehow avoided colliding with Ricardo so she didn¡¯t have to go through the same thing on the stairs.


    Instead, Hillise¡¯s imprisonment was extended.


    Now, even Ricardo sometimes swears at Hillise.


    Everyone in the mansion hated seeing Hillise.


    So the only space she was allowed was a room and an uninhabited backyard.


    Hillise also avoided meeting Riccardo as much as possible because her heart sped up whenever she saw him.


    ¡°They¡¯re bad people. I can¡¯t believe they made you so lonely.¡±


    The person who approached her then was Christian Parvenon.


    He came to support Hillise and whispered to her in a sweet voice.


    ¡°You are always alone when they are together, so how can I call it a family?¡±


    It was the same words I heard from Christian in my last life.


    Even then, he had been courting Hillise, who had escaped being imprisoned in Inoaden with the same consistency as now.


    Christian was Gabrielle¡¯s fiance, which allowed him to be the only outsider to enter Inoaden¡¯s mansion.


    It wasn¡¯t that difficult for Christian to coax Gabrielle and the employees into meeting Hillise, who was locked in the mansion.


    ¡°Miss Hillise, come with me to Parvenon.¡±


    He said as he kissed the tip of Hillise¡¯s crimson hair.


    Just like in my last life, I thought it would be impossible to be with Gabrielle¡¯s fianc¨¦e this time as well.


    However, as Christian said, Hillise was always lonely, and so far, he was the only one who recognized her.


    In addition, he was the one that Hillise secretly had cherished even before he became Gabrielle¡¯s fiance.


    Still, Hillise refused several times.


    Still, Christian did not give up and continued to visit her and whisper his love.


    ¡°If the problem with Gabrielle bothers you, I¡¯ll figure it out. In the first place, it was just a political engagement between the two families.¡±


    It was inevitable that my heart shook there.


    Even in her last life, Christian was the only comfort for Hillise, who was locked up in the mansion alone.


    Although Hillise died in vain while pushing him away.


    ¡°I swear there was never a moment when she and I were sincere with each other, so you don¡¯t have to worry about anything.¡±


    Maybe¡­¡­ God gave her a second chance?


    ¡°So you can only think of me and only look at me.¡±


    So this time around, I wondered if it would be okay to move as my heart desired.


    Let¡¯s be brave for the first time in my life.


    At last, Hillise decided and grabbed the hand that he extended.


    So this time, after suppressing the fear and guilt in her heart, she chose Christian.


    Christian really took care of everything, as he said to Hillise.


    She didn¡¯t know what was going on between the families, but Christian and Gabrielle broke up more easily than expected.


    And this time the engagement with Hillise was pushed forward.


    This is also how Christian got his hands on her, and during the process, strangely enough Hillise had never met Gabrielle in the mansion.


    Of course, that didn¡¯t change Hillise¡¯s attitude immediately.


    Diego was anxious about letting Hillise out of Inoaden.


    It was unclear why Christian and Hillise were engaged, but she thought there was probably some sort of deal with Parvenon.


    ¡°Miss Hillise, I¡¯m here to pick you up.¡±


    Then, after a while, Diego and Ricardo were away from home at the same time.


    Christian came to visit Hillise.


    ¡°Before getting married, I think I will need time to adjust in advance, so I am on the way to get permission from the head of Inoaden to stay in Parvenon together for a while. So let¡¯s go together.¡±


    She was startled by the sudden situation, but Christian¡¯s smile toward her was so dazzling that she finally grabbed his hand as if she was being pushed by something.


    Thus, for the first time in her life, Hillise was off the fence of Inoaden.

 Chapter 31

    In Parvenon, where she stayed, Christian really gave Hillise everything she needed.


    All the beautiful, warm, and sweet things in the world she had experienced for the first time were all given to her by Christian.


    Hillise was happy enough to cry, but she suddenly thought of Inoaden.


    On this day, she felt anxious. Hillise believed Christian¡¯s words that he had her father¡¯s permission, but she still wasn¡¯t comfortable because it was the first time she had been away from the mansion for so long.


    So she hesitated and expressed her intention to return to Inoaden. However, Christian did not let Hillise out of Parvenon as promised. In fact, Hillise didn¡¯t know until very late that he lied about getting Diego¡¯s permission.


    Naturally, Inoaden somehow wanted to bring Hillise back and wrote a letter. Without Hillise, it was impossible to make Ricardo the successor, so it was inevitable. However, they did not reveal the fact that Hillise had awakened, and it became a justification for Parvenon.


    Officially, Inoaden¡¯s successor was Ricardo. And Hillise had no reason to be tied to Inoaden.


    Parvenon argued that Hillise also wanted to stay here, so the two should just get married like this.


    The lies that Diego and Ricardo told caught up with them, so there was little to no reason to force Hillise out of Parvenon.


    They said they wanted to talk to Hillise in person, but Christian dismissed them.


    In the process, friction arose between the two families.


    Christian didn¡¯t tell the anxious Hillise anything, he just said there was no need to worry. Then he hugged her deeper in his arms.


    Hillise followed his words, covering her eyes and ears. It was, in a sense, an escape. Hillise was drunk on the comfort she felt for the first time in her life and became more and more dependent on Christian.


    It could have been said that she gave her blind affection as she did to her family.


    Some time had passed.


    By then, Christian and Hillise were almost married, but they did not have a separate ceremony.


    From that time on, Christian¡¯s gaze toward Hillise began to grow further apart little by little.


    The more he did, the more carefully Hillise acted so that she wouldn¡¯t offend Christian, and Christian looked at her as if he was tired of her sometimes.


    Then one autumn night.


    Hillise couldn¡¯t sleep, so she tossed and turned, leaving the room with a robe over her pajamas.


    As her relationship with Christian became estranged, she began to suffer from insomnia.


    So on nights when she couldn¡¯t fall asleep easily, she often went out for a walk alone.


    After passing through a quiet hallway, as usual, she passed a lit room.


    ¡°I can¡¯t do this. In a sense, she¡¯s a dumber woman than Gabriel.¡±


    Her footsteps stopped at the familiar voice from within.


    As she peered through the crack in the door where the light was leaking out, Hillise saw Christian sitting with a glass of wine in his hand.


    ¡°Actually, people don¡¯t change just because they suddenly have an ability they didn¡¯t have before. Still, I didn¡¯t expect it to be this annoying.¡±


    ¡°Do you know the poor woman? She is so blind to Christian, so please be kind to her even if it bothers you.¡±


    ¡°Even if you don¡¯t, squeeze out all the patience you have and treat her with respect.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a philanthropist,¡± he added, which pierced her heart like thorns.


    Christian had a cold face that Hillise had never seen before.


    The voice that followed was so cold that it made her heart sink.


    ¡°If I had a child who inherited the power of both sides, I would be able to finish this kind of mundane play early without dragging it on. These days, whenever I see her face, I get so sick of it that I want to throw it all away.¡±


    Hillise stepped back without realizing it.


    Tuug!


    Then the robe she was wearing fell to the floor. Even that echoed loudly in the quiet hallway.


    Hillise ran away from that spot, not knowing what she was trying to get away from. Then she tripped and fell.


    Her legs were so weak that she couldn¡¯t get up right away, and while she looked down at her trembling hands, her heart was pounding sharply with every breath she took.


    ¡°Hillise?¡±


    A soft voice flew in from behind her back.


    When she turned her head, Christian, who was standing a few steps away, was reflected in her vision.


    He stood with his head slightly to the side, dressed as light as Hillise, and looked down at her, who was crouching on the floor.


    In Christian¡¯s hand was the robe Hillise had dropped a while ago. Hillise looked up at him, half-covered by darkness, and unconsciously held her breath.


    Soon after, Christian took a step and approached Hillise.


    ¡°You must have left the robe you brought because you couldn¡¯t sleep today.¡±


    ??Sitting on one knee on the floor, his touch was still gentle as he placed the robe on Hillise¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°You have to dress warmly. What if you catch a cold?¡±


    His voice stagnated around the corner and the face reflected in her eyes was just as sweet as usual.


    ¡­Maybe I misheard a little while ago?


    Or maybe the person in the room wasn¡¯t Christian, but someone else who looked like him.


    Yeah. Even now, a person who touches her so softly could never have said the same thing earlier.


    But even as she thought about it, Hillise¡¯s eyes shook aimlessly.


    ¡°By the way¡­¡±


    Christian, who was looking closely at her, noticed her agitation easily.


    ¡°Why did you fall like this?¡±


    The moment his cool hand holding the robe brushed the nape of her neck, Hillise trembled.


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right.¡±


    Christian, who saw it, muttered to himself slowly as if he understood.


    Then, hearing his voice digging into her eardrums, Hillise felt her heart drop.


    ¡°As expected, you heard everything.¡±


    A confident smile appeared in front of her.


    On the other hand, Hillise shook her head hurriedly, looking at his red eyes that had no warmth like a piece of ice.


    ¡°Oh, no. I didn¡¯t hear anything. I really didn¡¯t¡­¡±


    Her denial was desperate.


    Christian just watched Hillise silently for a while.


    Then, soon after, he spoke gently.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to blame you, so you don¡¯t have to be so scared. Actually, I left the door open on purpose.¡±


    At that moment, Hillise closed her mouth, feeling her heart drop once again.


    You intentionally left the door open in the first place.


    Why did you do that?


    Did you want me to come by on purpose¡­?


    Why?


    ¡°I¡¯d rather you be angry and slap my cheek, so it wouldn¡¯t have been so boring.¡±


    There was no emotion in his voice.


    Christian, who was smiling, was terribly expressionless.


    ¡°Hillise.¡±


    In that state, he whispered to Hillise.


    ¡°I knew it, but you¡¯re so pathetic.¡±


    This time, he tore her heart apart without hesitation with the lips that always whispered sweet nothings to her.


    ¡°And you¡¯re stupid. After all, you were so stupid, you didn¡¯t know what was real and what was lies, but you grabbed my hand then.¡±


    Realization hit her instantly. Tears welling up in her eyes ran down her pale cheeks.


    Still, a soft touch slowly wrapped around her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t cry.¡±


    Unless she was a fool, she had no choice but to realize it.


    ¡°I get really annoyed whenever you cry like that.¡±


    The fact that the image she sees now is the truth that Christian has shown her for the first time.


    ¡°Poor Hillise Inoaden.¡±


    As Christian watched Hillise cry, he painted the sweet smile she loved so much on his beautiful face once more.


    After that, he whispered cruelly.


    ¡°But you still love me.¡±


    It was as he said.


    Hillise still loved Christian, and she couldn¡¯t even imagine letting go of him like this.


    ¡°Foolish woman.¡±


    Christian leaned closer to her, covering Hillise¡¯s tear-filled cheeks.


    ¡°That¡¯s why you only have my empty shell.¡±


    A cold laugh spread over their lips.


    Unlike his soft touch, it was a kiss that was cold enough to make her heart chill.