There were rumors running around that the ‘Successors of Truth’ did not disappear and were still living secretly. However, they were only rumors. They had not been active for more than 200 years ever since the last ‘One who Interprets’ disappeared. However, just in case, there was still a need to investigate them.
‘…But, rather than a mysterious organization that has no contact with Verchesters… the Imperial Family is more likely the one who can work openly in such bright and open places. If the culprit is the Imperial Family, then the question of who and why did they kidnap Lestia?’
Lysian worried and wondered if the Imperial Family was aware of the fact that Lestia was the ‘One who Interprets’. After all, she had the power to interpret magic books that are difficult to read and understand. It was clear that the Imperial Family would covet her if they knew about this power. However, if they knew this fact, they would openly invade their territory and force them to hand over Lestia.
Not doing that means… that there’s clearly another reason for them to approach her sneakily like that.
And he had to figure that out.
Joel and Mathias were both collecting information. Joel, a senior scholar in the Imperial Academy, went and gathered information on the Imperial Family through his connections. While Mathias, someone who had dropped out long ago and stayed in the back alleys whenever he ran away from home, went there and wandered around to gather information. Lysian was known for being unable to travel due to his weak body so he took on the role of being Lestia’s protector in the mansion.
However, his body was itching for something to do. Even though he was tasked to protect her, all he did was to stick to her and study together like usual.
“Uhmm… brother Lysian.”
Lestia called out to Lysian with her head half-covered with the magic book. Lysian paused his musings as he replied to Lestia.
“Why?”
“Does this have the right meaning?”
Lestia blinked her round eyes as she asked him her question. Lysian turned to the writings that Lestia was pointing at. The corners of Lysian’s mouth curled up on their own when he saw the neat and pretty handwriting on the paper. This was the result of pressing her hard and making her take notes in the prettiest form possible.
However, he quickly fixed his expression and bluntly answered her.
“Right. That’s correct.”
Lysian felt that it was extremely awkward to smile at her and give her praise.
“Wow! I got it right!”
He felt that it was good to see Lestia reacting happily despite his blunt answers. However, even though he wanted to praise her, sweet and nice words couldn’t come out of his mouth due to his old habits.
“It’s not that usual for someone to like it just to get the right meaning of this word.”
“Is… Is that so? Did I get too excited for no reason? Was this really easy?”
Lestia smiled bitterly and became a scared rabbit. Knowing that he was wrong, Lysian tried his best to give her a compliment.
“But you still did a good job.”
“Re, really?”
“Yes.”
His words were true.
‘It seems like the interpreter can really learn quickly when it comes to reading and writing.’
That just went to show how enormous Lestia’s learning ability was. Enough for Lysian to draw such a conclusion. The way she absorbed knowledge was akin to a dry sponge sucking in water.
Perhaps, Lysian would have nothing left to teach her in the future and they would need to find her a new teacher. Although it was going to be the natural course of events, Lysian still felt disappointed at the thought. Once Gerald returns, they would need to discuss a lot of things about this little girl’s future.
Lysian glanced at Lestia as he reorganized his thoughts.
“Uhm…brother Lysian.”
Lestia carefully raised her head once again and asked him a question. Lysian, not wanting to be caught staring at the girl, quickly returned his face to indifference as he answered her deftly.
“You have a lot of questions today. What is it?”
Oops. I accidentally answered her sharply.
Lysian subtly felt guilty after seeing Lestia flinch as if she was terrified of him. However, Lestia, just like a brave little rabbit sacrificing itself for the greater good, expressed her intentions firmly.
“Can I read the magic book today too?”
“……”
Lysian couldn’t help but click his tongue.
Before he knew Gerard’s decision and took on this matter, he couldn’t allow her to read the magic book for the time being. But Lestia was always trying to read the magic book as if she was possessed by something. Thankfully, most of the magic books were placed on the highest bookshelves, the bookshelves that Lestia couldn’t reach on her own… But Lestia wandered around Verchester’s library and discovered three magic books that were laying around as if they had been thrown away.
―How did you find it?
If he asked her that question then…
―I think the book is calling for me.
Is what she would answer.
If that was the case, then it was completely useless to stop her.
“Alright. You can read it. However, you can’t read the contents out loud. Otherwise, the magic will be activated. Do you understand?”
“Yeeees…!”
Lestia’s gray eyes brightened significantly as she nodded her head repeatedly.
What’s so good about reading one book?
As soon as Lestia received Lysian’s permission, she ran to the bookshelf where she found the magic book the other day and started to read quietly. Just like he expected, the magic circle did not appear in her eyes because she did not read them out loud. However… her eyes still sparkled as if a magic circle was being drawn on them.
Does ‘The One who Interprets’’s eyes shine like that?
It was quite strange. When he first met her, he thought that she was just a child who rolled around the mud and that her gray eyes were dull and filled with dark clouds.
“Uhm…Brother Lysian.”
Lestia suddenly looked up and saw Lysian staring at her. Lysian felt a bit embarrassed when their eyes suddenly made eye contact. However, he was still able to naturally take the lead in their conversation.
“Huh? …Why? Is the magic book strange?”
“No. That’s not it.”
Lestia shyly covered half of her face with the magic book before opening her mouth and speaking as if she had finally made up her mind.
“That, uhmm…”
“What is it?”
“That’s… Today’s dinner…”
“What? What’s with dinner? What’s taking you so long to say it?”
“Wo… Would you please have dinner with me?”
“What?”
“That… You don’t have to if you’re busy. Just… I just wanted to ask you.”
Lestia’s voice was trembling softly.
‘What the hell. Why does she look like a scared rabbit again?’
Lysian knew that Lestia’s behavior was strange in just one glance. He realized it when she had a lot of questions for him today but it seemed like she just wanted to ask him to eat with her.
“…Ah. What’s so hard about asking that? Alright.”
Although that was all that he said, Lestia looked happy as she smiled brightly at him. Her appearance left quite a deep impression on him.
‘Does it feel a bit unique since ‘The One who Interprets’ is smiling at me?’
He couldn’t help but doubt it when she made a deep impression every time she smiled. Lysian , once again, had a lot of questions about ‘The One who Interprets’.
“Young Master, Young Miss.”
The sound of the heels clacking on the floor broke the silence as Butler Halo walked in the library.
“I have something to say to you.”
Halo, who usually had a stoic expression, looked even more solemn today.
“What is it?”
“The princess has a guest.”
“What? A guest? Who?”
Lestia has a guest?
Heiroc spoke when Lysian frowned at his words.
“He insisted that he was the princess’ uncle.”
Lestia accidentally dropped the magic book when she heard that her uncle had come to find her.
“My… My uncle?”
She only heard that her uncle came but it seemed like the violence and abuse that she had experienced in her past, something that she thought she had already forgotten, unfolded in front of her eyes.
Lysian’s forehead crumpled when he saw Lestia turning pale in an instant. He was sure that he promised to give up her custody after receiving a huge sum of money from Joel. He even set fire to his house and threatened him to never come to them.
But he still came to Verchester Mansion. Is he dumb, shameless or brave?
However, he was a person that was not worth dealing with.
“Send him back.”
Lysian spoke firmly. But Halo responded as if he was troubled.
“That… I have actually told him that many times but he insisted that there was something that he needed to tell the princess.”
“What does he want to say?”
“…That there was a memento left by the princess’ mother. And he was forcing himself to deliver it to her personally.”
Lysian couldn’t help but look at Lestia when he heard that it was a memento from her mother. If there was something that Lestia’s mother had left behind, then it should belong to her.
“Something my mother left behind?”
Lestia’s eyes shook. It was an expression that Lysian could determine if she wanted it or not.
Lysian briefly instructed Halo.
“Take it from him.”
Lestia did not need to meet with him in person.
Now that she had gained the status of the Verchester Duchy’s young lady, she had the power to make that drunkard do whatever she wanted.
“Yes.”
Halo bowed deeply as if Lysian’s orders were only natural. But… Lestia suddenly spoke up.
“No. I’ll meet with my uncle.”
She looked like she was determined after thinking about something. Lysian turned to look at her as if he couldn’t understand what she wanted to do.
“Why do you want to meet with that trash? Is it because of the memento? I’ll have them bring it to you.”
Lestia shook her head.
“…I want to tell him to never look for me again. I regret not being able to do so and giving him enough room to do this.”
Then, she stood up as if she had made up her mind.
She wanted to tell her uncle a lot of things before but she failed to do so. But now, she felt like she could spit out the words that she had endured and failed to do so before.
✢✢✢✢✢
Lestia’s uncle was waiting for her in the guest parlor located near the Verchester Mansion’s main hall.
Lestia headed there under the guidance of Halo but she wasn’t alone. Lysian was with her.
“You… don’t have to come with me, I can go alone.”
Lestia spoke to Lysian but Lysian was firm on his decision.
“Don’t worry. I’m just going to watch over you.”
Although he said that he would just stay there and watch over her, she felt like she had gained a strong support.
‘Phew…’
Finally, the door to the guest parlor was opened and Lestia was greeted with her uncle’s back.
It was a familiar back. But as much as it was familiar, it was also scary. Lestia recalled the times when she had to look at that back and determine if he was drunk or not. If he was drunk, she had to take care of herself. But if he was not drunk, she had to gauge his mood.
However, right now, there was no need for that.
Lestia plucked up her courage as she entered the parlor where her uncle was. Then, she spoke out a name that sounded so unfamiliar to her.
“Uncle.”
When Lestia appeared in the parlor, her uncle turned around and approached her with his arms wide open.
“Lestia! My beloved niece! It’s been a while!”
✢✢✢✢✢
There were rumors running around that the ‘Successors of Truth’ did not disappear and were still living secretly. However, they were only rumors. They had not been active for more than 200 years ever since the last ‘One who Interprets’ disappeared. However, just in case, there was still a need to investigate them.
‘…But, rather than a mysterious organization that has no contact with Verchesters… the Imperial Family is more likely the one who can work openly in such bright and open places. If the culprit is the Imperial Family, then the question of who and why did they kidnap Lestia?’
Lysian worried and wondered if the Imperial Family was aware of the fact that Lestia was the ‘One who Interprets’. After all, she had the power to interpret magic books that are difficult to read and understand. It was clear that the Imperial Family would covet her if they knew about this power. However, if they knew this fact, they would openly invade their territory and force them to hand over Lestia.
Not doing that means… that there’s clearly another reason for them to approach her sneakily like that.
And he had to figure that out.
Joel and Mathias were both collecting information. Joel, a senior scholar in the Imperial Academy, went and gathered information on the Imperial Family through his connections. While Mathias, someone who had dropped out long ago and stayed in the back alleys whenever he ran away from home, went there and wandered around to gather information. Lysian was known for being unable to travel due to his weak body so he took on the role of being Lestia’s protector in the mansion.
However, his body was itching for something to do. Even though he was tasked to protect her, all he did was to stick to her and study together like usual.
“Uhmm… brother Lysian.”
Lestia called out to Lysian with her head half-covered with the magic book. Lysian paused his musings as he replied to Lestia.
“Why?”
“Does this have the right meaning?”
Lestia blinked her round eyes as she asked him her question. Lysian turned to the writings that Lestia was pointing at. The corners of Lysian’s mouth curled up on their own when he saw the neat and pretty handwriting on the paper. This was the result of pressing her hard and making her take notes in the prettiest form possible.
However, he quickly fixed his expression and bluntly answered her.
“Right. That’s correct.”
Lysian felt that it was extremely awkward to smile at her and give her praise.
“Wow! I got it right!”
He felt that it was good to see Lestia reacting happily despite his blunt answers. However, even though he wanted to praise her, sweet and nice words couldn’t come out of his mouth due to his old habits.
“It’s not that usual for someone to like it just to get the right meaning of this word.”
“Is… Is that so? Did I get too excited for no reason? Was this really easy?”
Lestia smiled bitterly and became a scared rabbit. Knowing that he was wrong, Lysian tried his best to give her a compliment.
“But you still did a good job.”
“Re, really?”
“Yes.”
His words were true.
‘It seems like the interpreter can really learn quickly when it comes to reading and writing.’
That just went to show how enormous Lestia’s learning ability was. Enough for Lysian to draw such a conclusion. The way she absorbed knowledge was akin to a dry sponge sucking in water.
Perhaps, Lysian would have nothing left to teach her in the future and they would need to find her a new teacher. Although it was going to be the natural course of events, Lysian still felt disappointed at the thought. Once Gerald returns, they would need to discuss a lot of things about this little girl’s future.
Lysian glanced at Lestia as he reorganized his thoughts.
“Uhm…brother Lysian.”
Lestia carefully raised her head once again and asked him a question. Lysian, not wanting to be caught staring at the girl, quickly returned his face to indifference as he answered her deftly.
“You have a lot of questions today. What is it?”
Oops. I accidentally answered her sharply.
Lysian subtly felt guilty after seeing Lestia flinch as if she was terrified of him. However, Lestia, just like a brave little rabbit sacrificing itself for the greater good, expressed her intentions firmly.
“Can I read the magic book today too?”
“……”
Lysian couldn’t help but click his tongue.
Before he knew Gerard’s decision and took on this matter, he couldn’t allow her to read the magic book for the time being. But Lestia was always trying to read the magic book as if she was possessed by something. Thankfully, most of the magic books were placed on the highest bookshelves, the bookshelves that Lestia couldn’t reach on her own… But Lestia wandered around Verchester’s library and discovered three magic books that were laying around as if they had been thrown away.
―How did you find it?
If he asked her that question then…
―I think the book is calling for me.
Is what she would answer.
If that was the case, then it was completely useless to stop her.
“Alright. You can read it. However, you can’t read the contents out loud. Otherwise, the magic will be activated. Do you understand?”
“Yeeees…!”
Lestia’s gray eyes brightened significantly as she nodded her head repeatedly.
What’s so good about reading one book?
As soon as Lestia received Lysian’s permission, she ran to the bookshelf where she found the magic book the other day and started to read quietly. Just like he expected, the magic circle did not appear in her eyes because she did not read them out loud. However… her eyes still sparkled as if a magic circle was being drawn on them.
Does ‘The One who Interprets’’s eyes shine like that?
It was quite strange. When he first met her, he thought that she was just a child who rolled around the mud and that her gray eyes were dull and filled with dark clouds.
“Uhm…Brother Lysian.”
Lestia suddenly looked up and saw Lysian staring at her. Lysian felt a bit embarrassed when their eyes suddenly made eye contact. However, he was still able to naturally take the lead in their conversation.
“Huh? …Why? Is the magic book strange?”
“No. That’s not it.”
Lestia shyly covered half of her face with the magic book before opening her mouth and speaking as if she had finally made up her mind.
“That, uhmm…”
“What is it?”
“That’s… Today’s dinner…”
“What? What’s with dinner? What’s taking you so long to say it?”
“Wo… Would you please have dinner with me?”
“What?”
“That… You don’t have to if you’re busy. Just… I just wanted to ask you.”
Lestia’s voice was trembling softly.
‘What the hell. Why does she look like a scared rabbit again?’
Lysian knew that Lestia’s behavior was strange in just one glance. He realized it when she had a lot of questions for him today but it seemed like she just wanted to ask him to eat with her.
“…Ah. What’s so hard about asking that? Alright.”
Although that was all that he said, Lestia looked happy as she smiled brightly at him. Her appearance left quite a deep impression on him.
‘Does it feel a bit unique since ‘The One who Interprets’ is smiling at me?’
He couldn’t help but doubt it when she made a deep impression every time she smiled. Lysian , once again, had a lot of questions about ‘The One who Interprets’.
“Young Master, Young Miss.”
The sound of the heels clacking on the floor broke the silence as Butler Halo walked in the library.
“I have something to say to you.”
Halo, who usually had a stoic expression, looked even more solemn today.
“What is it?”
“The princess has a guest.”
“What? A guest? Who?”
Lestia has a guest?
Heiroc spoke when Lysian frowned at his words.
“He insisted that he was the princess’ uncle.”
Lestia accidentally dropped the magic book when she heard that her uncle had come to find her.
“My… My uncle?”
She only heard that her uncle came but it seemed like the violence and abuse that she had experienced in her past, something that she thought she had already forgotten, unfolded in front of her eyes.
Lysian’s forehead crumpled when he saw Lestia turning pale in an instant. He was sure that he promised to give up her custody after receiving a huge sum of money from Joel. He even set fire to his house and threatened him to never come to them.
But he still came to Verchester Mansion. Is he dumb, shameless or brave?
However, he was a person that was not worth dealing with.
“Send him back.”
Lysian spoke firmly. But Halo responded as if he was troubled.
“That… I have actually told him that many times but he insisted that there was something that he needed to tell the princess.”
“What does he want to say?”
“…That there was a memento left by the princess’ mother. And he was forcing himself to deliver it to her personally.”
Lysian couldn’t help but look at Lestia when he heard that it was a memento from her mother. If there was something that Lestia’s mother had left behind, then it should belong to her.
“Something my mother left behind?”
Lestia’s eyes shook. It was an expression that Lysian could determine if she wanted it or not.
Lysian briefly instructed Halo.
“Take it from him.”
Lestia did not need to meet with him in person.
Now that she had gained the status of the Verchester Duchy’s young lady, she had the power to make that drunkard do whatever she wanted.
“Yes.”
Halo bowed deeply as if Lysian’s orders were only natural. But… Lestia suddenly spoke up.
“No. I’ll meet with my uncle.”
She looked like she was determined after thinking about something. Lysian turned to look at her as if he couldn’t understand what she wanted to do.
“Why do you want to meet with that trash? Is it because of the memento? I’ll have them bring it to you.”
Lestia shook her head.
“…I want to tell him to never look for me again. I regret not being able to do so and giving him enough room to do this.”
Then, she stood up as if she had made up her mind.
She wanted to tell her uncle a lot of things before but she failed to do so. But now, she felt like she could spit out the words that she had endured and failed to do so before.
✢✢✢✢✢
Lestia’s uncle was waiting for her in the guest parlor located near the Verchester Mansion’s main hall.
Lestia headed there under the guidance of Halo but she wasn’t alone. Lysian was with her.
“You… don’t have to come with me, I can go alone.”
Lestia spoke to Lysian but Lysian was firm on his decision.
“Don’t worry. I’m just going to watch over you.”
Although he said that he would just stay there and watch over her, she felt like she had gained a strong support.
‘Phew…’
Finally, the door to the guest parlor was opened and Lestia was greeted with her uncle’s back.
It was a familiar back. But as much as it was familiar, it was also scary. Lestia recalled the times when she had to look at that back and determine if he was drunk or not. If he was drunk, she had to take care of herself. But if he was not drunk, she had to gauge his mood.
However, right now, there was no need for that.
Lestia plucked up her courage as she entered the parlor where her uncle was. Then, she spoke out a name that sounded so unfamiliar to her.
“Uncle.”
When Lestia appeared in the parlor, her uncle turned around and approached her with his arms wide open.
“Lestia! My beloved niece! It’s been a while!”
✢✢✢✢✢
