IMBSM 9

Chapter 9

The talking crow drew so much attention that it overshadowed them, but the other two people also had quite unusual appearances.

One was a burly man who looked twice the size of an average person, and the other was a child who barely reached his waist.

It was a rather strange combination.

Even more so because the former looked visibly intimidated, while the latter was glaring at the grown man as if he found him pathetic.

“I’ll introduce them in order from the left. This one is Levi. As you can see, he’s a crow. He’s our master’s pet. He can speak, but he never says anything worthwhile, so you can just ignore him comfortably.”

“I’m the pet! You’re the slave! I’m the pet! You’re the slave!”

“Thank you for helping with the explanation, Levi. You see? There’s no need to engage with him.”

Dismissing the matter, Guillermo took a step to the right and stopped in front of the large man.

He was wearing metal armor that was rusted and broken in several places. The sight was so miserable that it made one wonder why he had even bothered putting such a monstrosity on.

Unless his goal was to kill enemies with tetanus, but in reality, the fatal drawback was that he himself looked far more vulnerable.

“This is Sir Maximilian Hark. He’s a knight who boldly trespassed into our castle three years ago and was captured. He is repaying his crime through labor instead of with his life.”

“Yes… you may call me Max.”

So that was why he seemed so timid—he had been an invading trespasser who surrendered.

Ibnia recalled the furious shouting she had heard from Guillermo when she first arrived here.

Apparently, ignoring that warning would lead to a fate like the man standing before her.

Having reached her own conclusion, Ibnia nodded, and Guillermo stepped further to the side.

Lowering his hand far down, he pointed at a boy with a delinquent-looking face.

“This is Seven. He has fairy blood, so he already ages slowly, and he’s also under a curse that stopped his physical age entirely, which is why he looks like this. Despite appearances, he’s older than both our master and myself, so you must not treat him like a child.”

“If you speak to me informally just because I look young, I’ll kill you.”

With both hands shoved into his pockets, Seven issued the warning in a rebellious posture.

He looked no more than ten years old, yet he was apparently older than Ram, who was already over four hundred.

Her attention had been captured by the crow earlier, but the truly remarkable being had been hiding here all along.

Guillermo, who had known him for a long time, seemed more concerned with Seven’s rude behavior than his age.

He scolded Seven on Ibnia’s behalf.

“Seven, regardless of age, you should speak respectfully to my lady.”

“My lady? She’s not even the real Nina, so why should I bother?”

As Seven retorted in disbelief, Hanna and Sir Max glanced toward Ibnia, watching her reaction.

It was a moment that clearly revealed who was human and who belonged to another race.

‘So the late wife’s name was Nina.’

Ibnia quietly understood.

Though she was being treated like a worthless fake, she didn’t feel offended. It was the truth, after all.

Not wanting to make the atmosphere more awkward, Ibnia gave a small bow in greeting.

“My name is… Ibnia. It’s nice to meet you all. I’ll only be staying for a short while before leaving, but I hope we can get along during that time.”

She deliberately omitted the name of the Hesen family as she introduced herself, then slowly raised her head again.

Hadn’t Ram left any instructions regarding her situation?

She could feel everyone looking at her with puzzled expressions.

“If you’re going to leave, then leave. If you’re staying, then stay. What do you mean you’ll stay for a bit and then leave?”

Seven, the eldest among them, asked on behalf of the group.

Hanna, snapping back to her senses, cried out with a desperate expression.

“Do you not like it here? I’ll do better, so please don’t leave, Lady Ibnia!”

Hanna looked to Guillermo for help, but he merely stood there with his arms folded, stroking his chin with an intrigued expression.

Murmuring in surprise, Guillermo said, “This is a development I’ve never seen before.”

“Don’t act like this is some unexpected outcome, you fish head! I told you your little scheme wouldn’t work out so well!”

Seven suddenly raised his voice, berating Guillermo.

Startled by the sudden shout, Ibnia took a step back. Seven frowned and turned to her.

Because of his cute appearance he wasn’t particularly frightening, but there was certainly an undeniable aura that came from his long years of experience.

“Hey. If you want to go back to your family, don’t worry about anyone’s feelings—just go now.”

“Pardon?”

“You got dragged here because of this fish head’s nonsense, didn’t you? Don’t worry about getting hurt—just go wherever you want.”

Because of his sharp tone, it took Ibnia a moment to understand his true meaning.

On the surface, he didn’t look considerate at all, but judging from what he was saying, this was probably…

‘Concern…?’

The problem was that telling her to go home was practically the same as telling her to go out and die.

Not wanting to be driven out of the castle, Ibnia hurriedly answered.

“Oh, it’s just that my relationship with my family isn’t good. We practically cut ties when we parted… Since I had nowhere to return to, Lord Ram said I could stay in this castle for a while. So I was thinking of living here for a month or two… I won’t stay long. If you could just bear with me for a little while…”

After listening to her desperate explanation, Seven let out a deep sigh.

He shot Guillermo a reproachful look.

“This is obvious at a glance. You thought you were being sold off to some strange guy and got dragged here against your will, didn’t you?”

Ibnia said nothing and kept her mouth shut.

The hidden circumstances were more complicated than that, but she didn’t think it necessary to let everyone know that she was like leftovers no one had touched.

If she spoke badly of Emilia or her family, it would also put Ram in an awkward position between them.

No—more than that, she didn’t want to see the man who had been so kind to her turn cold because of her sister.

She had already experienced enough of that in the Hesen territory.

“If you’ve got nowhere to go, just stay here. Even if you live here until you die, that guy Ram will just laugh and say, ‘You didn’t leave today either. Are you leaving tomorrow?’”

“No, I couldn’t possibly impose that much.”

Ibnia shook her head awkwardly.

She couldn’t deceive them forever and take her sister’s place.

The Count and Countess of Hesen would not recklessly reveal Emilia’s survival immediately after offering her as a sacrificial bride, but considering Emilia’s future, she would need to return to high society within a year or two at the latest.

It would be much cleaner for Ibnia herself to reveal beforehand that her sister was alive.

Emilia, who had been suddenly brought to Ritberg, might despair briefly, but before long she too would inevitably come to love this place.

After all, the castle was filled with nothing but kind people.

Moved by the unexpected warmth and consideration, Ibnia blushed slightly and bowed her head.

“Still, thank you for worrying about me.”

At that moment, Sir Max—who had been quietly watching the situation—seized the opportunity to speak.

For some reason, the way he looked at her was filled with desperation.

“Um, my lady. If you truly intend to leave this place… may I ask where you plan to go?”

“Well, I haven’t decided that yet…”

“My goodness, do you mean you intend to depart for an unfamiliar place where you have no connections? And all alone?”

“I mean, I haven’t yet decided where—”

“For a young lady to move to a foreign land without a guardian—who knows what might happen. You absolutely need a reliable escort, would you not?”