TYHL 85

~Chapter 85~

He stroked his chin, then suddenly raised his head. Something felt within reach but slipped away.

“Come to think of it, isn’t there a festival around this time in northern Vamilon?”

“Yes. Probably.”

“A festival where… many children gather, I think.”

A sly smile spread across the Demon King’s lips.

“It’s worth looking into.”

“What should we do?”

With a deliberately stern face, he commanded:

“Tell the Tracking Magician… my ‘Fourth’ child. I’ll make sure he passes through the northern gates somehow, so he must bring me back my red jewel.”

“Yes, Father.”

The Demon King, with a gentle expression, pulled something from his robes and handed it over.

“Here. Send this along with him.”

“What is it?”

“A teleportation artifact.”

The female magician’s eyes widened.

“That… existed?”

Teleportation magic required enormous mana. Only places like the Magic Kingdom or a few regions of the continent could sustain it.

‘And he made it into an artifact?’

The king’s lips stretched into a grin.

“For my precious child, I must give him a hole to escape through.”

“….”

“Leviathan Zebret is there. Tell him to use it only in danger.”

His greed-drenched eyes gleamed.

Soon, a blue magic courier bird flew above Arcadia, heading straight toward the Vamilon Imperial Palace.

Chirp, chirp. Morning dawned.

Well, the sun hadn’t risen yet, so I was still in dreamland when—

“Time to wake up, Rubian.”

Smack, smack.

Soft lips touched my cheeks and forehead, and my eyes opened on their own. Blinking at the dim lamp light, I saw the woman standing nearby.

Rosetta smiled faintly as she tugged down my blanket.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Because… the alarm was too sweet.”

“Ahaha. Cute.”

Do other kids also get woken up like this by their mom?

I thought again how much I liked it.

As I sat up with a rustle, Rosetta smoothed my messy hair with her hand.

“But the sun’s not even up yet…”

The sun was just barely peeking out.

“You need to wash and get ready for the prayer gathering, don’t you?”

Blink, blink. With each movement of my eyelids, my foggy mind cleared.

That’s right—today was the start of the Verdant Festival!

Rosetta stood, offering her hand.

“Let’s go! If we want to soak in the hot spring and prepare, we’ll be tight on time.”

“Gasp. Hot—”

I kicked off the blankets, rolled across the huge bed, and landed on the floor.

“-spring!”

A perfect landing.

Rosetta clapped like I’d scored top marks in gymnastics.

“My daughter is amazing…”

“Hurry, hurry!”

I urged her eagerly. Since it was now known I was a girl, I could finally go to the hot springs anytime I wanted!

‘I’ve already made sure my branded scar is hidden well!’

Humming without realizing it, I grabbed Rosetta’s hand, and together we left the duke’s residence for the hot spring.

The open-air bath, steaming with white mist, was exactly as I remembered.

“Careful.”

I quickly slipped into the warm water.

A hot spring bath at dawn was even more refreshing than I had imagined. This really was paradise!

“Who cut your hair? Hazel?”

Rosetta played with my damp hair as I splashed around.

“No, Father did.”

“Leviathan?”

She looked genuinely surprised.

“Yes. Later, when I earn lots of money, I’ll open him a hair salon…”

“Wow, it’ll definitely go… bankrupt.”

“Huh?”

“I mean, it’ll definitely succeed. Come here. Blow your nose.”

“Pfft.”

Actually, Father wasn’t bad at it.

‘Though with that scary face, maybe service jobs don’t suit him.’

I nodded in agreement with myself.

Rosetta lathered my hair and carefully washed it.

When she looked down at my towel-wrapped body, she hesitated.

“Rubian, I heard you had scars on your body.”

“….”

“Is it still hard to show me?”

I shook my head slowly.

The scars I had hidden “just in case” were already visible again. After all, I had used them as an excuse to cover myself. Without them, it would’ve been suspicious.

Rosetta looked nervous.

Honestly, I didn’t care if anyone saw them. It was just… a little embarrassing.

“….”

Her grip on the towel slackened, and she bit her lip.

“You…”

The scar on my side wasn’t huge, but it was deep enough to leave a mark, like I’d been cut by something sharp.

Her pale, slender fingers gently covered it.

When I glanced up, I froze.

“You… you’re crying?”

Because Rosetta’s tears were dripping down.

“No. I’m not crying.”

“But your tears are falling…”

She rubbed her eyes roughly.

“Who on earth hurt you like this.”

Water splashed as she hugged me tightly.

“How much it must have hurt…”

My shoulder felt damp again—whether from the hot spring water or her tears, I couldn’t tell.

I was stunned. I never imagined someone would cry just from seeing my old scars. But strangely, her tears felt like ointment soothing over them.

Her gentle pats tickled unbearably. It was such a strange feeling.

“Preparations are done, Lady Rosetta.”

When we returned from the bath, Hazel and the maids filled my room, arms loaded with fragrant items and colorful dresses.

“Gasp. These are mine?”

I was surrounded by clothes that clearly looked like they were made for me.

“Why? Don’t you like them?”

Rosetta seemed slightly nervous.

“No, it’s not that…”

They were clearly expensive, carefully crafted dresses for children.

Where had she gotten them so suddenly? They even fit me perfectly.

‘Ah.’

It struck me. Their source—
the eastern room of the duke’s residence.

Had she ordered them brought out from there?

Fiddling with a ribbon, I turned my head.

“They’re really pretty. But… I don’t think they suit me.”

The light-blue dress wasn’t overly decorated, but elegant. Short enough to move around in, with delicate embroidery and frills here and there.

“No way. Just standing beside it, you look perfect.”

“Hehe…”

Looking at Rosetta’s smile, I thought maybe she was right. I’d never worn such fine clothes before.

“Oh, the shoes—I’ll wear these.”

I pointed at the leather shoes by the bed instead of the ribboned shoes under the dress.

“They won’t match.”

“Still…”

These were a gift, after all.

When I mumbled, Rosetta straightened up.

“Well, I suppose there’s no helping it.”

She smiled brightly, and I smiled back.

“Then, my lady, young miss…”

At that moment, a huge shadow loomed behind us—Hazel.

“I’ve waited for this day. Let’s begin preparations.”

“Hazel, wait, your eyes—”

“Mwahahaha.”

The invincible maid’s eyes gleamed with madness. The other maids shut the door and laughed ominously.

“Alright. Let’s finish this to the end.”

Finish what… my life?

“All done!”

Rosetta tied a ribbon under my chin.

It was a bonnet of white lace with a sky-blue ribbon, perfectly suited to my short hair and bright blue eyes.

Rosetta admired her own taste.

“Rubian, I love you…”

Unable to hold back, she hugged me tight. I squirmed a little.

“She’s our young lady! Our young lady!”

“This is it! This is what we’ve been waiting for!”

Hazel and the servants covered their mouths, shaking with excitement.

Why buy dolls, when we have our own young lady? Hooray!

Meanwhile, I stared awkwardly at my reflection in the mirror.

“Won’t everyone laugh at me?”

My pale cheeks flushed pink with embarrassment. The dress, reaching just above my ankles, made me look very adorable.

“Who would dare?”

Rosetta answered gently:

“If anyone laughs, Mommy will shoot them all for you. So don’t worry.”

Shoot them?!

I blinked, unsure, but Rosetta ignored it smoothly.

She finished the last touches and waited as I slipped on my shoes. She herself wore a dress in a similar pale-blue shade.

‘I’m so happy.’

Almost too much like a mother and daughter.

Rosetta grinned, reaching for my hand—just as a soft knock came and the door opened.

“Ruby. It’s time to leave for the—”

It was a boy with neatly combed dark-blue hair. He entered casually, but then froze in place.