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~ Translation by Lurelia | Editing by Valpal | Read only at rainofsnow.com ~
I stared at him for a moment, unable to respond to Carlot’s innocent remark.
I looked at his glossy red hair, his smooth forehead, the top of his head, and then…….
Bam!
I smacked him on the head with my hand.
“……!!!”
And with that, Carlot wrapped his hands around the top of his head and pulled away.
I could feel Severes’s butler staring at me, his eyes wide with surprise.
In a trembling voice, Carlot asked, “Did you, did you hit me?”
He looked mildly shocked.
I put my hands on my hips and answered firmly, “Yes, I hit you!”
“Why did you hit me……?”
“Where did you learn to say that nonsense and embarrass the other person?”
A couple of times, Carlot said something ridiculous like that he was my dog, but each time I was able to let it slide.
When it was just the two of us, it didn’t matter what nonsense he said, but that was always just between us. I couldn’t afford to make a fool of myself and embarrass everyone else.
“Come on, apologize,” I ordered Carlot sternly.
“I don’t want to,” he replied shortly, a stubborn look on his face.
He didn’t understand why I was angry, or why he was wrong.
“Carlot Perdia,” I quietly called him by his full name.
“…….”
“If you do this, I can’t help but regret my decision to bring you here.”
He’d promised me he wouldn’t cause any trouble, and it was a betrayal of my trust to insist on going in with such nonsense.
Still pouting, Carlot spat out a few words towards Severes’s butler.
“…… apologize.”
‘What?’
“What kind of apology is that?! Get it right.”
I tried to restrain the still-rebellious Carlot, but I couldn’t. Severes’s butler, who had been watching our conversation, finally intervened.
“It’s all right, Lady Perdia.”
“I’m afraid I’ve made an unseemly entrance, and I apologize.”
“No, no. You don’t have to.” The butler waved his hand in dismissal, then spoke again. “May I inform His Grace the Count of your visit and request permission to enter?”
It was an unusual gesture in the closed-off atmosphere of the Severes mansion.
But there was no way I was going to leave Carlot, who had traveled all this way with me, to enter alone, so I nodded quickly.
“I would be grateful if you could do that.”
“I’ll go ask him, then, and then I’ll be back.”
The butler disappeared inside the front door, and we were the only ones left besides the Severes soldiers guarding the gate.
Tap, tap. Carlot had his back to me, kicking a small pebble out of the way.
“Carl.”
“…….”
I called his name, but he didn’t answer. I moved in front of him, but he jerked his head away to avoid eye contact.
He pouted. His pouting lips spoke volumes.
“Carl. Are you pouting?”
“No.”
No. You’re pouting.
“No one treats me so casually,” Carlot muttered in a low voice, glaring at me,
You’re a direct descendant of the noble Perdia, of all people. Of course no one treats you casually.
I turned back to Carlot, my voice soothing.
“Still, Carl, there are times and places.”
“Perdia said it was okay.”
At Carlot’s adamant reply, I cupped my forehead with one hand.
‘I see before me the fruits of a failed upbringing.’
Perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised. Carlot had probably been raised that way from a young age.
The Perdia family, the lord of the underworld, can explain everything with just the name of the family.
They’re a family that doesn’t care how their children turn out in the first place, so what right do I have to say something? Especially when I’m not even their child.
It was impossible for me to change the way Carlot had been raised.
‘I’ll leave as soon as the assassins and the money are sorted out, so don’t give me any sympathy.’
As soon as I made up my mind to keep my distance from Carlot, he grumbled, rubbing his hand over his bruised head.
“…. My sister is the first one to hit me on the head.”
“You need to get your words straight, Carl. I didn’t hit you in the head, I just gave you a little smack.”
“It was a ‘little smack’ on the head to you, but it was a shock to me as if the world was about to end.”
I couldn’t believe he was talking about the end of the world over a single smack on the head. It was even more ridiculous when he appeared to be genuinely hurt.
“So, you’re not going to look at my face again?”
“No.”
As he said this, he continued to avoid my gaze. It was as if I had left a deep wound on his heart.
‘It’s irritating and it bothers me.’
Ugh, I’ve never had to soothe a pouting kid before, so I don’t know what to do.
Scratching my cheek, I asked without thinking.
“What, do you want me to do a whooo-?”
(T/N: I was so confused until I understood what they’re talking about. Elodie means what you do to little kids when they get a minor injury, for example a scrape after a fall. You blow on their wounds xD )
“……?”
At that moment, I think Carlot’s eyes lit up.
As I stopped, he took two steps toward me.
“Do it.”
“Do what?”
Carlot demanded, bending down to be on eye level with me.
“Whooo.”
“Now, here?”
“You said you’d do it for me. A whooo would make me feel better.”
I was dumbfounded by his childish request to be treated like an actual child because he was so big. When I didn’t say anything, the corners of his eyes drooped.
“You almost smashed my skull in…….”
Carlot pouted again, sternly.
If the power of my reprimanding hand smack was so strong, I wondered how strong it would be if used for evil instead of good.
‘Are you doing this to embarrass me in front of the men of Severes?’
The thought crossed my mind, but Carlot was not that clever or intelligent.
I quickly grabbed him by the hair and gave him a quick ‘whooo’ before he could do anything worse.
Then my lips unintentionally brushed past his ear.
“Ughhhh.”
‘Simple minded guy…….’
Carlot quickly figured out that this was good and clung to my side. Carlot’s attitude, which had no middle ground, made me lose my mind even more.
Greed, who had been in my arms the whole time, narrowed its eyes and looked back and forth between me and Carlot, but I shrugged it off.
It was only after a flurry of commotion that the head butler of the Severes manor stepped out of the doorway.
“I apologize for keeping you waiting so long. The young master says you can join us.”
I was relieved to hear this, as I had anticipated that they might be so closed off that they would not allow Carlot to enter.
With the butler’s permission, we walked right through the front door.
And then.
[Yikes!]
Suddenly there was an uproar as Greed screamed at the top of its lungs, but everyone just looked at each other in confusion.
’What are you doing! Why would you do such a thing – are you trying to get caught?’
Then Greed whispered in my ear in a very small voice, almost inaudibly.
[The moment I passed through that barrier, it hurt as if my body was being burned by the flames of eons!]
Ouch. Greed whimpered in pain and burrowed into my arms.
‘Is it because the power of the House of Severus is purification?’
The power of purification seemed to have a bad effect on Greed.
Fortunately, the inside of the barrier was okay, and Greed didn’t whine any more.
The atmosphere of the Severes capital mansion was not what I expected.
It was pure white.
The building itself was mostly white, with colorful carvings all over it.
However, if you didn’t look closely, you won’t notice the vibrant disruptions in the white, giving the whole place a neat and tidy feel.
What was also impressive was that the mansion itself was bright and dazzling, like it was bathed in sunlight.
The atmosphere was completely different from the rather dark, heavy, and antique mansions in Perdia.
‘Severes, you’re certainly one of the four great families.’
The unobtrusive elegance of the place suited the purifying Severes.
But Carlot’s impression was different from mine.
“I heard the Head of the House is in a coma, so things must be difficult in your family.”
You’re all about the sword, Carlot, and not about art or architecture.
Regardless, we continued our mesmerizing tour of the Severes mansion until we reached our destination, the drawing room.
“His Excellency, Count Hicklemeyer, is waiting for you. Please enter.”
I stepped through the open door to see Felix Hicklemeyer sitting in the sunlit drawing room.
‘Don’t forget. This is the first time I’ve ever interacted with him.’
As I went inside, repeating that sentiment in my mind, fearing that I might make a mistake, Felix turned his head.
“Welcome, Lady Perdia. And….. uninvited guest?”
“Who’s an unwelcome guest?!” an exasperated Carlot shouted.
Felix smiled weakly and shrugged.
“I’m just kidding, so don’t take offense, Second Young Master of Perdia.”
“Hmph,” Carlot snorted and sat down on the couch.
I glanced over at him, trying to get his attention, but this time he avoided eye contact.
‘Ugh, I shouldn’t have brought him.’
I thought he’d be simple and controllable, but I didn’t expect him to be so rude.
As I stood there perplexed, Felix spoke to me in a friendly way.
“Is this your pet? What’s his name?”
“Black.”
“It’s Black…….”
Greed shivered under the scrutiny and buried his face in my arms.
“Your fox is so cute!”
“Thank you. Count Hicklemeyer.”
What on earth had he called me for?
Guessing his intentions, I picked up the teacup in front of me, and Carlot stopped me in my tracks.
“Sister. Don’t drink it. You don’t know what’s in it.”
I raised an eyebrow at his rudeness and indirectly warned him, but he didn’t listen.
Oh well, I’m stuck with him.
I sighed and took a sip of the tea.
“Ack, sister……!”
Carlot looked at me anxiously. But of course, it couldn’t be poisoned.
I took a breath and got straight to the point.
“I’ve never spoken to the Count before, so what made you call me here?”
“Well, as I wrote in my letter, I wanted to make Lady Perdia’s acquaintance. I don’t know if you have heard, but I’ve been out of the capital for a long time and don’t know many people in Somnia.”
“I suppose you haven’t heard my rumors.”
There was some bitterness in my words.
There was no way he hadn’t heard of me, even if he had only just arrived in the capital city of Somnia.
Which makes it all the more strange. Who would want to make the acquaintance of a lady called Perdia’s mad dog?
Then Felix answered me bluntly.
“Of course, I’ve heard. There are two rumors I’ve heard, and I thought they were about two different people.”
He grinned and snapped his fingers.
“One is an ugly duckling and illegitimate child of House Perdia.”
Carlot’s fists clenched at the words. Felix snapped another finger.
“The other, the savior of the world.” Felix laughed and lowered his hand. “Those are such contrasting rumors, it makes me wonder all the more what kind of person you really are.”
I wondered if that was all there was to him.
‘No. There must be something more.’
It was an instinctive hunch. He didn’t call me in just for that reason.
As if he could read my mind, Felix turned to Carlot.
“I would like to speak with Lady Perdia in private, so could the Second Young Master please leave us alone for a moment?”
“What? Absolutely not.”
Carlot jumped up, but I gently rebuked him.
“Carl. Why don’t you go outside and wait for me? I’ll talk to him shortly and then we’ll be on our way.”
“You’re not leaving your escort, right? Who knows what that bastard will do!”
“You must excuse him, Count Hicklemeyer,” I sighed. Then I turned narrowed eyes back towards the carrot-top I brought with me. “Carl.”
“But…….”
“You promised me you wouldn’t cause an incident.”
Perhaps because of my history of scolding him once before, Carlot was less stubborn this time.
“Sister. If anything happens, scream. Then I’ll use my powers to tear down the entire Severes mansion.”
With that frightening threat, Carlot stalked out of the room, glaring viciously at Felix before he left.
Before the door could close, Felix stood up.
“I wish we could move and talk.”
“But there’s Carlot outside–”
“It’s okay, we’ll take another passage.”
Felix tugged on the wall’s sculpture a few times, and it opened without a sound.
“Shall we go?”
“You’re not trying to do anything, by any chance?” I asked, eyeing the man warily.
“You know that I’m probably wary enough about Perdia to avoid offending you, and I’d be especially concerned if the entire Severes’ mansion fell to the ground.”
That’s a good point.
Smiling in acknowledgment of Felix’s knowing grin, I followed the man.
***
After traveling through a myriad of secret passages leading from room to room, we came to a greenhouse.
Unlike the Duchess of Perdia’s greenhouse, which was full of poisonous herbs, the greenhouse of Severes was full of colorful spring flowers.
“Come this way.”
Felix gestured to an area, where a glass coffin stood.
And in it…… there was a man.
A blonde man who, even with his eyes closed, could be described as handsome.
The only evidence that the man lying there was alive was his chest rising and falling faintly.
Felix. This man suddenly took me to the greenhouse of the mansion, where we arrived to find a man asleep in a coffin.
I looked back at Felix, at this incomprehensible occurrence, and he explained with a far from amused expression on his face.
“This is my uncle.”
“If he’s your…….”
“Yes. Duke Richard Severes, head of the House of Severes.”
I looked down at the coffin again.
‘Is this…… my biological father?’
The head of Severes, who is said to be in a coma, and the real father of Elodie Perdia in the original story.
“Ah.”
It was my first meeting with my biological father.
***