Chapter – 41
“Kyuu!”
The culprit behind the noise was none other than the silver fox.
“Were you playing well, Ris?”
“Kyuu!”
The baby silver fox had been named Ris, short for Lisianthus. It was a common enough name—no one would guess it was a nickname derived from Lisianthus.
Following Ted’s advice that it would be safer to raise him in a limited space while he was still young, I was keeping him in my room for the time being.
He hopped lightly onto my lap and pushed his head forward, clearly asking to be petted.
“Were you bored? They said you can go outside in about a month, so just wait a little longer.”
As I stroked his soft fur, the tension in my stiff shoulders melted away.
Ris purred and flopped onto his back, exposing his belly. I gently rubbed the especially soft white fur there.
“Kyuuuu.”
The little one blinked slowly as he rumbled, then soon drifted off to sleep.
Careful not to let him fall, I didn’t change my posture and instead checked the stack of papers beside me. I turned the pages one by one with care. They were filled with ancient script and incomprehensible drawings.
“It would not be an exaggeration to say that all who live in this world know nothing of the ‘Center of the World.’ Even if they have heard related tales, they do not believe them…”
I had come across these papers purely by chance. I’d infiltrated Blue Bird’s gambling den—also one of their branches—and happened to catch the bundle as it fell to the floor, reading it afterward.
It was fortunate that I had been studying ancient script at the time.
On the very last page was information about the “Mirror of Truth”—how to use it, its hidden functions, and even what was needed to summon a map.
I could read all the ancient text, but several of the drawings remained impossible to interpret. That was the problem.
What if there were clues hidden in the parts I hadn’t been able to analyze yet? I couldn’t just give up.
“There are still sections I can’t read…”
I would have preferred to handle it alone, but it couldn’t be helped.
I made two identical copies. One I kept for myself; the other, I gave to Ted—only the parts I had difficulty deciphering.
“Please look into the meaning of those drawings.”
“They appear to be related to magic… but is this something illegal?”
“I’m not entirely sure, but it might be.”
When I answered calmly, Ted blinked.
“You can’t even use magic yourself. Where in the world did you obtain something like this?”
“There are ways.”
“So—”
“Kyuu!”
As if to say that was enough explanation, Ris let out a loud cry. Ted burst into laughter.
“Understood. Ah, and the craftsmen introduced by the Grand Duke’s son will be arriving at the estate soon. Would you like to meet them personally, or shall I convey your instructions?”
“Hmm… I’ll see them myself. It would be better if Prince Stein comes in person to introduce them.”
“Very well. I’ll make the arrangements accordingly.”
After bowing respectfully, Ted left the room.
“Good afternoon, My Lady.”
“You’re here!”
When I went to the training grounds, the family’s knights welcomed me warmly.
I began training to build basic stamina.
Honestly, this was all a waste of time.
But I had decided to take it seriously, feeling guilty toward Lexian, who had been injured protecting me.
If I could, I would’ve gone straight to the Lisianthus ducal estate—but since I couldn’t grow closer to him, I sent flowers as a courtesy instead.
His wounds had nearly healed by then. By now, he was probably completely recovered.
I calmed my fluttering chest with that thought.
“Sister.”
Calvin, having learned of my training, stepped forward enthusiastically. It seemed the incident at the hunting competition still lingered in his mind.
“Let’s warm up first and start with some light running. We’ll also do strength training today.”
He had even prepared a full curriculum and was more dedicated to my training than anyone else.
While he ran circles around me at incomparable speed, he occasionally corrected my posture.
“If you’re tired, stop running and walk slowly. Someone with weak stamina like you can easily get hurt if you overdo it.”
“I think you’ve said that more than a hundred times.”
“Have I? Haha.”
After laughing awkwardly, Calvin sped off again.
After two laps, I was exhausted and started walking. By the time I’d completed about three more laps, Calvin came up beside me.
“Cal, I went to the boat outing Pony hosted today. Something big happened.”
When I told him that the boat Marina had been on had capsized, his face turned pale. I expected him to dash off immediately, but surprisingly, he listened to the end.
“That’s a relief.”
Seeing the obvious relief on his face, I deliberately left out Marina’s words: “Do I really have to choose just one?”
“By the way, Cal, why do you like Marina? Because she’s pretty?”
“Hmm… I’m not sure.”
Calvin and Marina were academy classmates.
They had seen each other for years, yet in the novel, he began liking her around this time—when the story truly started.
There had never been a clear reason given.
The male leads liked her simply because she was the heroine.
I already knew that, so I had asked without much thought—but Calvin reacted differently than usual.
“I don’t know either. Why did I start liking Marina? Come to think of it… why do I like her?”
Instead of answering casually as he normally would, he began seriously pondering it.
Doing something he’d never done before—had he fallen under Blue Bird’s magic?
“Hmm…”
“Cal, what exercise is next?”
To cut off his endless contemplation, I asked. He blinked as though snapping out of a spell.
“Sister, next is strength training. Follow me.”
He handed me a beginner’s wooden sword.
“There’s a steel core inside, so it’s fairly heavy. Spread your legs parallel to balance your weight, grip it with both hands, and repeat lifting and lowering it.”
“Like this?”
“Good. Twenty times per set—five sets.”
Perhaps because the strength-enhancing potion I’d taken earlier was still effective, it didn’t feel that heavy.
Still, I lifted and lowered it slowly, knowing I’d suffer muscle soreness the next day if I overdid it.
Calvin stayed by my side until I finished.
“I worry that I’m taking up your time.”
“No, Sister. You’re my sister—of course I can do this much.”
He grinned as he took the wooden sword from me. But the muttered words that followed were far from bright.
“I need to make sure the commander doesn’t interfere.”
It seemed his competitive spirit toward Lexian was growing, since Marina had shown interest in him. The Crown Prince and Calvin had always been particularly tense around each other.
I’d briefly worried the story had gone too off course, but judging by Calvin’s reaction, perhaps things were still following the original flow.
I wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved or saddened, so I smiled ambiguously.
Though Lexian had insisted he would visit, he hadn’t shown his face for some time. More accurately, he hadn’t been able to.
“The Imperial Knights, the guard units, and even the public security departments have all been extremely busy lately.”
That was what Father said during dinner, having returned home early for once.
Well, even Calvin tried to come home diligently, but there were days he returned late.
“I heard illegal gambling dens were discovered within the capital. There’s quite a bit of rumor going around.”
“That’s right. The scale was substantial—enough to shock everyone. Recently, another large gambling house was uncovered on the outskirts of the capital, and they were able to find clues leading to an illegal organization.”
Father’s hand tightened briefly around his knife as he cut the meat.
“I will eliminate every last one of those who hurt our Roa.”
“I’m relieved they found those who threatened me. I hope the capital’s security stabilizes soon so we can move about freely again.”
“It’s nice to see you enjoying going out rather than staying in the estate all the time—but for now, be careful. Understood?”
Mother reminded me of the day I had slipped away from my seat.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
When I smiled lightly, she shook her head as if she couldn’t help herself, though there was a smile at the corner of her lips.
Fortunately, it seemed Lexian hadn’t told Father about what happened that day.
“Ah, Roa.”
“Yes, Father?”
“I ran into the Duke of Lisianthus today.”
Cough, cough!
I choked on my wine mid-sip.
“Oh my, honestly. You get this excited every time the Duke is mentioned.”
“What? The Duke may be a fine man, but Roa is too good for him. I think it would be better if Roa inherited the family. If she marries the Duke, she’ll be taken into their household.”
“That is an issue. Though a Duke of his caliber would make an excellent husband.”
“My dear.”
While I struggled to suppress my coughing, my parents began running far ahead with the conversation.
I couldn’t let them continue talking about Lexian like this.
Mother had always been fond of him. There was even a time she had bluntly asked him what he thought of me.
That could not happen again.
So I hurriedly opened my mouth to speak.
