Chapter 9: Chapter 9

“Father, It’s Aaron.”

‘Hearing that soft voice made my heart pound.’ (Erita)

Aaron Krovachatz.

The heir to the Grand Duke and Erita’s only brother.

For now, all other thoughts have disappeared except to meet my new family.

“Come on in.” (Aslan)

The big door opened at my father’s permission. And my hand sweated along with my crazy beating heart.

“…”

As soon as I saw Aaron walking in the door, I couldn’t help but recognize him at a glance.

He looked a lot like our father… But a child version of him.

Aaron looked two heads bigger than me. I heard he’s five years older than me.

Aaron, who made eye contact with me, paused for a moment, then slowly continued to walk towards us.

The smaller the distance between us, the louder the sound of my heart ringing in my ears.

Aaron, who had been staring at me quietly for a long time, trembled. His pupils were also shaking.

The air felt dry and no one said a word.

For a moment, it felt like an unknown force was pressing down on my whole body.

My body was trembling against my will.

In fantasy novels, it was common that whenever the main character’s angry, their magical powers manifest. This was exactly what it was.

‘The magic I actually felt felt heavy.’ (Erita)

“Pfft- hahaㅡ!”

My legs felt weak and my body wobbled. It was my father’s arm that supported me, as I almost fell down.

As a strong arm wrapped around me, my heavy body felt light again.

“Aaron, if you can’t handle your emotions, come back later.”

“…I-I’m sorry.”

Aaron, who looked very surprised by his father’s words, bit his lips.

Then Aaron turned his gaze on me and apologized with a sad expression.

“I’m sorry.”

And Aaron, who looked at me with trembling eyes for a moment, bit his lips.

Then, as he pursed his lips again, I couldn’t easily understand how he felt.

As I looked up at him with a slightly anxious feeling, a gentle voice finally came through his open lips.

“Erita, could I come over there even for a second?”

Everything had calmed down by the time he called my name. A slightly quivering cold voice. I guess I was simply startled earlier.

It didn’t hurt and it wasn’t really scary, so I nodded my head slightly.

Then Aaron, who walked slowly again, lowered himself to my eye level.

He looks like his father, but has a softer face.

“…Co-could I give you a hug?”

I was hesitant for a moment at his friendly voice, but soon nodded.

He carefully embraced me, his arms were bigger than I expected but it was very warm.

Aaron, who was quietly holding me in his arms, gently stroked my hair.

“My sister. I’ll never leave you alone again.”

My brother’s little whisper was like a promise to himself.

✿

After I got out of Aaron’s arms, I looked around the room for nothing in the awkward atmosphere.

I don’t like this kind of atmosphere.

I wish the two of them could say something, but my father and Aaron just stared at me without saying anything.

He was also curiously concerned about how I kept fiddling with my fingers, so I stopped.

“Erita.”

“Yes!”

Erita answered quickly to her father’s call when they were having such an awkward time.

Aaron laughed quietly at my response, but tried to ignore it.

“Aaron and I are leaving now, so would you like to take a look around the room?”

“…Look around?” (Erita)

“Yeah. Wouldn’t it be better to change to comfortable clothes?”

This was comfortable enough for me.

But I thought it would be a hundred times better than this awkward situation, so I agreed.

“Then I’ll do that!” (Erita)

“Yes, I’ll tell Mary, so feel free to look around and come to the Office.” (Aslan)

I nodded bravely and answered, my father, who stroked my hair, got up from his seat.

“Erita, see you later.”

Aaron, who smiled at me quietly, also followed in my father’s footsteps.

Thud-

The large door closed as they left.

Finally, I could lay down on the bed I was sitting on earlier, and stare at the ceiling.

The Grand Duke of Krovachatz…

Naturally, the face of Aaron I had seen earlier came to my mind.

I thought he might be cold, but rather, my brother smiled softly at me like a rabbit.

‘Aaron also seemed to miss Erita a lot…’

The sadness I felt when I first saw myself and the obvious joy that I couldn’t hide.

I didn’t know if it was a good thing I possessed Erita’s body.

Because I’m not the real Erita that father and Aaron loved. It’s hard to deceive them as I saw how happy they were.

‘Was it fortunate that even the body of Erita they loved remains, or was it unfortunate that only the body remains and the inside wasn’t Erita but me?’

I was filled with selfish greed. I hope Erita could say that she was happy that I was alive.

So later, very later, I hope they don’t hate me even if they caught me, that I’m not the real Erita.

I lost my desire to look around the room, and stared at the ceiling incessantly until Mary came.

✿

Thud-

The heavy door closed behind Aaron, who followed Aslan into the office.

“Aaron.” (Aslan)

“Yes, Father.”

Aslan sat on the sofa and looked at Aaron, who sat upright with a complicated mind.

The aftermath of the one-time departure of his mother and sister to young Aaron was greater than expected.

His son has lost his smile since the accident 7 years ago.

However, when he saw Erita earlier, the thing that came to his mind was definitely a smile.

‘He definitely smiled.’

Aslan thought it was a relief.

“You must know that I’ve been looking for Erita for the past seven years.”

Aaron nodded his head at his father’s words.

Since last year, Aaron, who had finished his succession class earlier, has been well aware of some of Aslan’s duties.

“But there was something unclear about the process. So I don’t think I’ll let you know that I got Erita back for a while.”

“It wasn’t an accident.”

He didn’t even talk about what he found out, but Aslan smiled at Aaron, noticing the end of the story.

“I didn’t say much, but you’ve already thought that far.” (Aslan)

“Because I’m that young to not know about that now.” (Aaron)

Aslan, who looked at his son’s face for a moment, nodded with a smile at his calm answer.

“You’re right. What happened seven years ago wasn’t an accident.”

Aslan’s positivity has visibly angered Aaron’s spirits.

No wonder he reacted like this when he was young, because he cared terribly about his mother and sister.

But for a moment he was excited, Aaron immediately turned a blind eye.

“You’re guessing what’s behind that incident too.”

“Yeah.”

“That’s probably why you’re keeping it a secret.”

Aslan, who smiled with pride, continued to speak to Aaron, who plainly said what he was thinking.

“There’s no physical evidence, but it was related to the imperial family… Maybe the Empress.”

Aslan recalled what he had heard before.

‘No, ah.. a tattoo!’

‘Tattoo?’

‘Yes, I saw it at first glance, but there was a skull tattoo on the arm of the person who left the child at the orphanage.’

The director said as he trembled was something Aslan had already suspected.

‘And when I gathered the traces based on their words, it was the imperial family that they were pointing to.’ (Aslan)

They thought they had completely erased the evidence, but they were just mistaken.

Aslan couldn’t stop the outburst of laughter at the sight of the documents.

The Empress and her family, Duke of Lenosen.

They were the ones who would have dared to do such a thing.

‘If they thought I wouldn’t know,  it’s a big mistake. ‘ (Aslan)

“You’ll know for sure that it’s not the Empress, so it’s the First Prince.”

Asilla Valeria.

She was an old friend of Serbia, the mother of the Empress and the second prince, Callion Runelbert

Moreover, Valeria, the queen’s family, was also closely related to Serbia’s family, making it even more impossible.

“I think that’s the case, too, but I don’t have any solid evidence yet.”

Aaron clenched his fist in frustration.

‘Now I’ve found the culprit who dared to touch my mother and sister.’ (Aaron)

But we still couldn’t do anything with the evidence!

“Then do I have to wait until there’s evidence?”

Aaron asks after Aslan finishes speaking.

“No, we couldn’t move just yet.”

“Then…”

“Aaron.”

“Yes, Father.”

“The skillful hunter puts the cover on before he starts hunting.”

His dark red eyes flashed.

“If there’s no evidence, we’ll just have to put a cover.” (Aslan)

“…!”

“When they take the bait, it will come after. A justification that they couldn’t escape even if she was the Empress.”

A satisfied smile formed on Aslan’s face.

✿

Knock, knock~

Laying on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, I woke up to the sound of a knock.

“My lady, it’s Mary.”

“Huh? Ye-yes! Come on in!”

At the sound of the door opening, I saw Mary whom I hadn’t seen since morning.

“Lady! It’s nice to see you here!” (Mary)

Mary came to me at a fast pace with a bright smile on her face. It was such a genuine smile that made people who saw her feel good.

“Yes! It’s good to see Mary again, too.” (Erita)

In the end, I just followed Mary and laughed, leaving my worries slightly aside.

“Well, by the way, the room…”

After a brief pause at Mary’s playful complaints, I smiled softly and said.

“Lady… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say this…”

In the end, I just followed Mary and laughed, leaving my worries slightly aside.

“Well, by the way, have you looked around the room?”

“Uh, well…”

“Oh, I did…”

But it wasn’t very comfortable inside. I wonder what my father thought when he saw this clean room.

I slowly looked around the cozy interior of the room. And then a bed for children caught my eye.

I walked all the way to the window. There was a cradle probably suitable for a two-year-old child.

The father, who could not afford to throw away the furniture used by her daughter, was drawn in it, who would have put in large pieces of furniture little by little as the years passed.

“…My father must have missed her a lot.”

As I muttered a little while stroking the smooth tree that resembled it a bit, I could feel Mary restlessly following me.

I’ve been thinking a lot and was speechless for a while.

“Actually, about three years ago, I’m the one who organized this place!”

“Really?”

“Yes!”

Erita didn’t know that.

Perhaps because she was the daughter of a Serbia’s maid and nanny of Erita, Mary seemed to be in a better position in the mansion than I had thought.

“Ugh, no. I don’t even remember my father, but I’m thankful that he thought of me every day.”

I shook my head to show that I was okay and Mary, who was sullen, and broke into an innocent smile.

“More than that, I’m going to change some clothes! My father told me to come to the office.”

“Lady…”

“Mary, I couldn’t wait to see my father. So, could you help me choose a pretty dress?”

I didn’t want Mary to make a tearful face because it wasn’t Mary’s fault that made me depressed…

“Huh? Mary.”

Mary’s expression didn’t look good because I noticed that she was speaking with a more lively voice than usual, but I pretended as if I didn’t know.

“..Yes. Then shall we choose together?”

“Yes!”

“Okay, then let’s go to the dressing room. There’s a collection of your clothes!”

Fortunately, Mary led me to the dressing room so that we could choose together.

After that, the atmosphere from a while ago quietly disappeared between us.

I was terrified of clothes that seemed like they could be worn all year long, even if I wore two a day, and Mary, who was burning with desire to dress me up, as she glanced at all the clothes.