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“……Rest well.”
“Yes.”
“Please call for me anytime if you need anything. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
After exchanging a few more words, I decided to leave Rene’s room.
Rene didn’t stop me, as if she too thought we had talked enough.
*Click-*
As I left Rene’s room.
I tried to interpret the words Rene had left me with, a sorrowful smile on her face.
‘I’m going to pretend to believe you.’
That’s what Rene said.
I couldn’t understand why she would say such a thing, and it only served to complicate my feelings.
… ‘What’ void in her was Rene trying to fill with me?
Whose image was she reminiscing about to make such a wistful expression?
Rene’s mother.
It must have been her.
There was no one else it could be.
I knew Rene was seeking comfort by superimposing her mother’s image onto me.
And I also knew that this feeling was a far cry from love.
It was futile to seek someone’s longing in another.
Even if I disappeared, Rene’s pain would only be temporary.
And yet,
‘Why do I feel so uneasy?’
I couldn’t find peace of mind.
Someday.
I had a strong feeling that Rene would be shattered and broken, echoing in my mind.
Why?
Why are Rene and I so filled with fear?
No matter how much I pondered, the answer remained elusive.
So for the time being, I decided to stay by Rene’s side to reassure her.
If Rene were to cry again, who knows what Crete might do.
As this thought crossed my mind, I frowned.
‘Wait, wasn’t it ‘him’ who made her cry?’
What an absurd story.
If Rene wasn’t lying, then it had to be true.
But then, why did Crete threaten me, claiming that ‘I’ had made Rene cry?
The absurdity of the situation baffled me, and anger towards Crete began to stir within me.
‘…Did he just dump all the blame on me?’
Knowing Crete, it wouldn’t be beneath him.
He was arrogant enough to shift all the blame onto others, saying things like,
“I would never do such a thing.”
That damn bastard.
Once I reach the level of a demigod, I’ll make him pay.
As I was fuming about Crete,
*Thud-*
I stopped in my tracks.
After leaving Rene’s room, I headed for the training grounds.
In the past, I would have trained with Rene, but she didn’t seem to be in the mood for it, so I was going to train alone.
But to my surprise, there was someone I hadn’t expected to see in the training grounds.
‘Who is that?’
A young girl, bearing a resemblance to both Crete and Rene, was swinging a sword in the training grounds.
It wasn’t even a real sword but a wooden one.
With her small stature and lack of muscle, it seemed unlikely she had the strength to wield a real sword.
More than that, what I was curious about was,
Her identity.
‘…They look quite alike.’
At first glance, I could tell that she resembled both Rene and Crete.
Perhaps she was Rene’s blood relative, inheriting the blood of the Bares family.
But one thing that stood out was that her appearance wasn’t as cold as Crete’s; instead, she possessed a certain radiance.
A warmth that enveloped you just by looking at her.
To think that someone from Crete’s bloodline, capable of emitting such warmth, existed within the Bares mansion.
‘I don’t recall ever seeing them while I’ve been at the Bares mansion.’
As I racked my brain, trying to figure out her identity,
*Thump-*
The young girl, who had been striking a straw dummy with her wooden sword, collapsed.
My body reacted instinctively.
I dashed towards the child, my feet kicking up dust.
Why?
There was no time to dwell on such questions.
The moment I saw the girl fall, a protective instinct surged within me, like a fire igniting in my heart.
“Are you alright?”
“Uh, yes…”
I asked as I helped the black-haired girl to her feet.
She managed a nod, her head bobbing slightly.
It seemed she wasn’t seriously hurt, which came as a relief.
Wait.
Why am I relieved?
This girl and I were strangers who had never met before.
And yet, the moment I saw her fall, I was overcome with worry and concern for her well-being.
*Rustle-*
I lowered my gaze to get a better look at her.
She resembled Crete and Rene, but with a delicate beauty and aura unique to her, creating a wistful impression.
How could someone like this exist in this family?
As I pondered this, a realization dawned upon me.
‘Come to think of it…’
The next head of the Bares family.
In the original story, the successor after Crete wasn’t Rene, but another ‘male’ candidate.
Which meant,
‘…A boy?’
I was taken aback to learn that the child in front of me wasn’t a girl, but a boy.
I tried my best not to let my surprise show, but it was hard to believe that this delicate-looking child was actually male.
As I stood there, momentarily speechless,
“Thank you, for helping me up.”
The boy spoke, brushing the dirt off himself.
His voice was androgynous enough to make me doubt his gender once more.
I quickly gathered my thoughts and responded,
“Don’t mention it. I was merely doing my duty as an escort of the Bares family.”
“Escort? Ah…!”
The boy’s eyes lit up at my words.
What was this?
Did he know who I was?
As I looked at him with a flicker of anticipation, he gave me a sheepish grin.
“Sorry, I actually don’t know your name. I heard Rene got an escort, but…”
“I see.”
Well, it was true.
Ever since I settled into the Bares family, the servants had been buzzing about me.
Rumors spread like wildfire—that I was Crete’s secret weapon, a thief who stole a night with the esteemed lady of the house.
All baseless, of course, but as an outsider, a Half-Demon, I was an easy target for gossip.
At least most of the rumors about me had become positive, thanks to my diligent work ethic.
Though, there were still quite a few young servants who were terrified of my appearance.
Anyway,
“Should I address you as Young Master?”
I wasn’t sure of his name either, so I wasn’t sure how to address him.
The boy shook his head.
“You don’t have to be so formal. It feels a bit awkward… Just call me by my name.”
“… Forgive my impoliteness, but I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure of learning your name. I’ve only been working as Lady Rene’s personal guardian.”
“Oh, right. I understand.”
The boy flashed another bright smile as he continued.
*Thump-*
His smile made me speechless for a moment.
Even knowing he was male, my heart skipped a beat.
If he were a girl, my heart would have probably exploded by now…
As I placed a hand over my thumping chest, the boy spoke again.
“Well, you can learn it now.”
“Ah, yes, of course.”
My tongue felt tied for a moment, so I simply nodded, my mouth slightly agape.
“My name is Anna Bares.”
“Anna… Such a lovely name.”
“Hehe, thanks. My mother gave it to me.”
‘Mother.’
His words made me realize who Anna resembled, aside from Crete.
Anna inherited his radiance from his mother.
It dawned on me why Crete, despite his cold demeanor, cared for his family and reminisced about his late wife.
‘…Of course, he would miss her.’
If I had a lover as radiant as Anna, I would dedicate my everything to them.
To be honest, sacrificing everything for a lover didn’t really fit my personality, but if it were someone like Anna… I could understand.
Just looking at him brought a sense of warmth.
A protective instinct welled up within me, a desire to shield that smile from any harm.
And on top of that, he had such a bright and cheerful personality, neither timid nor overly reserved.
If the mistress of the Bares family had a personality similar to Anna’s…
‘…Crete was one lucky bastard.’
Feeling a pang of jealousy towards Crete, I pushed aside any further thoughts about Rene’s mother.
Instead, I decided to ask Anna something that had been on my mind.
“But if I may ask, what brings you to the training grounds? Forgive my presumption, but I was under the impression that you were not in good health and mostly stayed confined indoors. Has there been a change in your condition?”
“Well, that’s not entirely accurate. It’s not that I’m unwell, it’s just…”
As Anna began to explain,
“Hey, Adel.”
Kyle, who had previously run away from Rene and me, approached us.
Anna immediately stopped talking.
*Tsk.*
It seemed like he didn’t want to speak about it in front of Kyle.
I’d have to ask him again later.
By the way,
“To what do I owe the pleasure? You were quite eager to escape my company earlier.”
“What are you talking about? You told me to go.”
“Hmph, I don’t recall ever associating myself with someone like you.”
“Cut it out. Anyway, the old man… I mean, the Lord is looking for you, so get going.”
Kyle quickly corrected himself after almost referring to Crete disrespectfully.
He had clearly remembered Anna’s presence and adjusted his words accordingly.
‘Looks like I’ll have to watch my tongue around here.’
I clicked my tongue internally and turned to leave.
Before heading towards Crete’s office, I looked back at Anna and gave him a small wave.
“It was a pleasure meeting you, Anna. I’ll see you around.”
“Yeah, I’ll be at the training grounds for a while, so stop by if you have time.”
“I will.”
He was Rene’s blood relative, so maybe I should offer him some swordsmanship pointers.
Who knows, maybe I’d get something good out of it…
With that thought in mind, I headed towards Crete’s office.
***
“…”
And not long after.
Thump-.
I was thrown out of Crete’s office.
…What the hell is wrong with that crazy guy?
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