CH 75

Verndia squatted down in front of Psychke but she didn’t look at her, so he poked her chubby cheeks with his index finger.

“Get lost.”

She frowned at what he did, turning her head away from him. Verndia looked down at his fingers.

Her cheeks felt soft and chubby. He wanted to do more.

So, he did.

Poke.

“Sichap [Stop].”

Poke.

“Sichap.”

Poke.

“Sichap…”

Poke.

“Hhhngg….”

Oh, she’s about to cry again. Is she a rat or a crybaby? He gave her the necklace that slipped out of her hand, and after living six years, he spoke in the most affectionate voice.

“Don’t cry, rat-bean.”

“I’m natch a rat-bean….”

He comforted her, but why did she end up crying?

Verndia stared blankly at Psychke, grabbed her by the wrist on the side that wasn’t holding the necklace, and swung it toward him.

Tak, there was a light sound when Psychke’s hand and his head met.

He repeated the same thing several more times, pretending to be in pain.

“Ouch, ow. Ouch.”

Psychke’s eyes, which were sparkling with tears, were filled with curiosity. The kid who was bullying her was in pain!

“Do you want more?”

“Yes!”

With a vigorous nod, Verndia let go of her hand.

He grabbed her necklace and tried to wield it, so she didn’t forget to snatch it away.

Psychke vigorously waved her fern-like hand.

“Bad.”

“Okay. I’m bad, rat-bean.”

“I’m natch a rat-bean.”

“Then what are you?”

“I don’ch know.”

“Ah, a Rat-bean Silkisia.”

“I’m not a rat-bean!”

Hit, hit, hit. Strength went into her feeble hands.

“You are really strong. Later, you will use a sword very well.”

“Yesh, I’m shtrong.”

“You are a rat-bean.”

“I’m natch a rat-bean!”

“Yeah, Rat-bean Silkisia.”

Enraged, Psyche swung her fists wildly. He feigned pain and returned every one of his cotton-bat-like punches. Despite the fact that it was his first time being hit by someone, it doesn’t feel bad.

“You are really cute.”

“Yesh, I’m cute.”

“Do you know what it means to be cute?”

“What?”

She only knew that it meant well because her mom, dad, and employees laughed whenever they saw her. Her slapping hand weakened hearing that certain word since she was blown away by his praise.

In the meantime, Verndia held her hands tightly so that she wouldn’t hit him again, and asked with a subtlety that was not appropriate for her age.

“Rat-bean, should I give you something good?”

“Good?”

When he said that it was good, the words she was trying to say went well.

Her blue eyes shone brightly.

“What ish it?”

Instead of answering, he took something out of his pocket.

A pair of silver rings shone beautifully under the bright sunlight. It wasn’t Lestir’s heirloom, but it was a ring with a similar meaning to an heirloom.

“Oh my, look at him!”

The noisy kids became quiet because they were watching something.

Surprised by her son’s unexpected behavior, the Duchess of Lestir came running in fright.

“Where did you learn all this?”

She took the ring her son was holding.

Fortunately for her, it was before he could put it in Psychke’s ring.

“Duke is six-years old, right?”

Leas, who followed belatedly, asked dumbfounded.

No matter where you look at that, he’s six years old. Even if he’s twenty-six wearing a six-year-old guy, she was in disbelief.

“I can’t believe it either.”

The Duchess of Lestir has denied her son’s age.

“Mom, Mom.”

Only Psychke, who had almost been promised a future, pulled the hem of her mother’s skirt in the clear sun while pointing at Verndia with her other hand.

“He wanched to give me someching good but he didn’ch.”

“Shall I give it?”

“Yes.”

“Verndia!”

Embarrassed, the Duchess threw her face away.

She stopped her son from taking the silver ring through her inattention.

“My apologies. My son is immature.”

“It’s not that I don’t have it, but I think it’s because I heard too much.”

Even then, Psyche always gave her nice things, staring at Berndia with sparkling eyes.

he shrugged her shoulders.

“I can’t, sorry.”

“Hhhnngg-”

“Stop crying. I’ll give it to you later. If you cry, I won’t give it to you later.”

“… When?”

“Well, when you’re not a rat-bean anymore.”

“I am not a rat-bean.”

“Then what are you?”

“What am I? I don’t know.”

“So you’re a rat-bean.”

“I told choo am not…!”

Hit, hit, hit. After releasing the hem of her mother’s skirt, Psychke hit Verndia.

Leas was surprised to see her daughter’s violent turn.

“Rielle! You should not do that!”

“I cannot?”

“Yes. You must not hit oppa [Pertaining to Verndia. Used to say when a male is older than you for a few years].”

“No?”

“Yes, that’s bad. Can you say, ‘I’m sorry’ to oppa?”

“I’m chorry-”

As her mother ordered, Psychke bowed her head towards him and made short tongue sounds.

Verndia pretended not to know that he didn’t know she was going to hit him.

“If you’re sorry, then tell me your name.”

“I don’t wanch.”

“You’re not sorry even though I am hurt.”

“I’m chorry.”

“Then you have to tell me.”

“No.”

“I think it’s because the pronunciation is difficult. Rielle, can your mother tell me for you?”

“No.”

Psychke rejected his suggestion again and again.

She thought that she has to tell him that she is not a Rat Silkisia later on.

“You’re stubborn, rat-bean.”

Verndia pulled her chubby cheeks lightly.

Psychke opened her eyes wide. Even so, the problem was that she seemed cute to Verndia.

(TN: Aiya, so he’s already in love with her ever since they were young.)

“Sichap.”

He laughed out loud at the muffled pronunciation. Oh, why is she so cute?

He was thinking of inviting them to come to the north, but he swallowed the ‘Taboo of Silkisia’ he had heard before coming here and said something else instead.

“Are you going to tell me next time?”

“Yesh.”

“Do I have to study hard to say your name?”

“Yesh.”

Psychke nodded her head with a determined face.

Next time she sees him, she must tell him. So that she wouldn’t be teased as rat.

No one would have known that the next meeting would be 20 years later.

***

She was not in her right mind because she was asleep for a long time. She blinked her eyes slowly while lying on the bed in a dark room. She felt her tears run down from her cheeks to behind her ears.

A rustle of people could be heard from the other side.

As she looked towards them, she saw Verndia sleeping uncomfortably in the chair.

The twitching of his eyelids did not indicate that he was in a deep sleep.

‘Rat-bean Silkisia.’

Because he had appeared in her childhood dream a little while ago, his teasing of her lingered in her ears.

The scene was so vivid, as if it were yesterday, not 20 years ago.

She stared at him and stood up. Her nightgown had a brooch that retook her body size.

After all, it must have been difficult to take care of a small body.

Looking at it like this, the child Verndia seemed to overlap with the present Verndia.

Psychke slowly reached out her hand toward the sleeping man.

She didn’t even know why or what she was trying to do.

Verndia, who opened his eyes, took her hand.

“You woke up. Your body?”

“I feel fine.”

“I’m glad.”

With a deep voice, he caressed her cheek.

Only then did Psychke realize that she was crying.

“I’m sorry, Rielle.”

She finally remembered what she was like when she was young, what expression she was making at that time, and what emotions she felt.

Because of what happened, he took her body and hugged her tightly.

“Don’t cry.”

Like Leas did 20 years ago, he patted her crying back and comforted her.

Her memories which were locked under the influence of forbidden magic had returned so he thought her memories would have returned as well.

Judging by her cries, that guess seemed correct.

“I will help you.”

“…”

“Don’t cry, Rielle.”

A body temperature higher than that of others wrapped around her body. It felt so warm that it made her cry even more.

“Duke.”

Psychke deliberately called Verndia a title that felt distant.

It was a quiet, yet unquivering voice.

“If you call me like that, please do it when everything is over.”

“Why?”

“Hearing that name now…”

My heart hurts so much.

It’s so miserable and shabby to be called by that name without solving anything…

“When I get everything back, I’ll get that name back too.”

“… Okay. I will.”

Verndia agreed. He turned his tone down, wanting to distance her as he wanted.

However, he badly wanted to tell her this.

“I like you. I loved you at first sight. I like you, Glorielle.”

“You know my name?”

“I asked my mother that day. I couldn’t stand my curiosity.”

At the mention of that day, she burst into laugh. Ahaha, Psychke laughed along with tears of happiness.

“Stop crying. Then and now, Princess cries a lot.”

“I can’t stop my tears.”

“Because the princess doesn’t express her emotions too much…. I never said it was bad to see you cry. But it is better to laugh, if possible.”

“Haha…”

She wanted to laugh as he said. She forced the corner of her mouth to curve, yet her tears just couldn’t stop. She forced herself to smile but her body was trembling.

At that slight trembling, Verndia let out a sigh of his own.

Feelings that were not allowed to him, who lost his parents at a young age and became the family head.

However, through Psychke, he tasted the feelings without want.

Now he felt that emotion clearly through the ring that shared their emotion.

At times like this, he was grateful that the ring had the ability to share emotions.

Even if you use all the expressions in the world, there will be no words to express this sadness.

He wanted to comfort her, but he was far from being soft. So, as usual, he took his shot. When he told her not to cry because she was upset, he was really dumbfounded by his stupidity.

“Just cry. What are you holding back, like an idiot?”

“… Ugh.”

The tears she was trying to stop somehow finally burst. Psychke eventually burst into tears.

That day she cried all night.

She wept endlessly as if she were trying to let out all the emotions she hadn’t poured out in 20 years.

***

Recently, there have been three hot topics in the Empire.

The first was Verndia Lestir and his blue flame, who blew up the Magic Association out of the blue.

The second was a terrifying oracle that the emperor would change,

The third was a rumor that Glorielle Silkisia, the daughter of Leas Silkisia and a candidate for the oracle, was alive and would appear at the Prince’s forthcoming coming-of-age banquet.

(TN: THE CONFESSION FINALLY HAPPENED!! AAAHHHH, MY HEART, MY HEART!)