Chapter 8

It had definitely been the child’s presence.

Even the faint aura lingering around it unquestionably belonged to Cecilia.

In the first place, hadn’t he vaguely seen Cecilia when he opened the door earlier?

Then why?

Why was this bizarre object tucked neatly under the blanket instead of Cecilia?

“Why are you just standing there…? What the ♬♩ is this?!”

Kyle, who had entered right behind Derek, also cursed the moment he saw the sight before him.

In other words…

“This is the Prototype Project Slacker.”

Kyle immediately recognized the object and widened his eyes.

“Wow, this thing still works. I made it back at the academy because I didn’t want to attend classes.”

“…”

“Sure, it looks small and crappy as ♬♪, but the performance was actually pretty decent. It could temporarily create illusions, imitate everyday habits, and even emit the owner’s unique mana. At a glance, even professors would walk right past without noticing… Wait.”

Kyle, who had been speaking excitedly, suddenly trailed off.

“Why is something that should be in my lab here?”

“Idiot.”

Derek muttered and picked up the sheet of paper neatly placed beside the pile of scrap metal.

Several sentences had been written in crooked handwriting.

…Going with Mom?

With Yuria?

“♬♩.”

After reading the note, Kyle immediately turned toward the window with a stunned expression.

There was already nothing left outside.

The imperial palace soldiers who had surrounded the house.

That annoying count.

Harzen Walker, who was even more annoying than the count.

Yuria.

Cecilia.

All of them were gone.

“♪♬…”

Once again, Kyle’s dumbfounded string of curses echoed through the room.

Then…

“No, what kind of ♬♪ ♪♬♩♪♩♬♪—!”

This time, an even more colorful symphony of musical notes roared throughout the room.

Though all it could do was echo through a room whose owner was already gone.

* * *

‘My dads have probably found the letter by now.’

I intentionally misspelled a few words so it wouldn’t look suspicious if my spelling suddenly became perfect overnight.

Anyway.

Me, Cecilia Miller.

Code name, Cece.

Initial mission complete.

I shrugged while looking at the window floating before me.

Hehe. To think things would be resolved this easily just because I got involved.

I’m a genius!

‘Though this probably isn’t the end. I’ll need to keep making plans.’

I’ll think about that after safely arriving at the imperial palace.

After taking my eyes off the scroll, I looked around at the scenery that had changed in an instant.

The first thing I noticed was the countless soldiers in steel armor.

‘I must’ve hidden myself a little too deeply.’

I quietly slipped out from between the silver-colored legs.

Unlike the wide plains in front of our house, a dense forest stretched out around us.

‘Magic really is amazing.’

A spell that could teleport every living creature within a certain radius.

I’d heard that nobody except Daddy Harzen could cast magic on this scale.

And not only could it move living creatures, it could even transport carriages and luggage along with them.

That was nothing short of a revolution in the history of magic.

“I swear I can still hear Blake’s swearing ringing in my ears.”

Daddy Harzen eventually muttered while rubbing the back of his neck, looking slightly tired.

Well, he had just transported this many people all at once.

It made sense that he’d be exhausted…

“And I seem to have consumed more mana than expected.”

You can even calculate that?

I tightened my grip on the invisibility cloak and widened my eyes.

Daddy Derek and Daddy Harzen alike.

Dads are scary.

“The imperial capital is protected by a barrier, making teleportation impossible. I believe it would be best to continue by carriage from here.”

Count Leonard bowed his head and spoke.

Daddy Harzen arrogantly lifted his chin.

“You mean that barrier that wouldn’t be surprising if it shattered at any moment.”

“Duke Einhart.”

“There’s no need to be so wary. I have no reason to break it at the moment.”

“…The two of you should proceed by carriage.”

In the brief span of that exchange, Mr. Leonard somehow looked ten years older as he gestured toward the carriage.

I hurried after Mom and Daddy Harzen.

A short while later.

A magnificent carriage came into view over their shoulders.

‘A white carriage!’

Maybe it was because it belonged to the imperial palace, but it looked extraordinary from the start.

If I’d seen this carriage before remembering my past life, my dream would’ve become becoming an imperial palace carriage.

“Cece would’ve loved seeing this.”

As though she had the same thought, Mom quietly murmured while climbing into the carriage.

I stuck close behind her and carefully climbed the steps.

Good. Once again, I’ve gotten this far without being noticed and everything is perfect—

“Then I’ll close the door.”

Oh no!

The door slammed shut with force, knocking me forward.

I rolled all the way into the carriage.

Pressing down on my spinning head, I awkwardly straightened myself up.

At least the invisibility cloak prevented any loud thumping noises.

I almost ruined everything right at the finish line.

“Didn’t I just hear something strange?”

Mom tilted her head slightly and asked.

Daddy Harzen replied casually.

“Perhaps the carriage is old.”

Apparently he still wasn’t pleased with the situation.

I settled into a corner of the carriage and hugged my knees.

No matter how I looked at it, this was an incredible carriage that ordinary people would never get to ride.

And he called it old.

This is what royalty is like!

“Old? It’s actually been quite a while since I last rode in such a fine carriage.”

Mom gently ran her fingertips across the velvet seat.

“When I left the imperial capital, I never imagined I’d ride in a carriage like this again.”

“You swore you’d never set foot in the imperial capital again.”

At her words, Daddy Harzen slowly closed his eyes and opened them again.

I rolled my eyes around and listened carefully to their conversation.

For some reason, it felt like an important conversation for the future that was coming.

“…Things weren’t good back then.”

Mom looked out the window and continued quietly.

“Leaving the imperial capital was the best choice for us at the time.”

“And it still is.”

I nodded as I understood what they meant.

In the original story, the “Yuria Miller” before Mom possessed her body had been a notorious villainess throughout the imperial capital.

Of course, she hadn’t actually been a villainess.

You know the type.

Someone people avoid simply because she doesn’t fit their standards.

‘That was the Yuria Miller from before Mom possessed her.’

Someone glamorous and eye-catching, yet very different from society’s expectations.

Though honestly, she was still like that afterward too.

Anyway, after defeating the demon king and saving the world, she gained the support of the people.

‘Which only made her an even bigger thorn in their side.’

The people who spread rumors that Yuria was a villainess were the jealous nobles of the imperial capital.

Then she went on to achieve great accomplishments and earn the people’s admiration.

Naturally, their jealousy only grew worse.

That was why Yuria had chosen to leave the imperial capital.

‘Still, I thought it would’ve ended with “and they lived happily ever after.”‘

From my perspective, it had been a pretty happy ending.

Who would’ve thought things would turn out like this?

“Still, things are much better than they were a few years ago. Shion returned to the imperial palace knights and…”

“He wasn’t returned. He was dragged back.”

Daddy Harzen let out a cold sneer.

“The hero who defeated the demon king. The greatest Sword Master of this age. The fact that he’s still working as the Emperor’s dog makes for excellent propaganda.”

“If that were truly their intention, they would’ve summoned all five of us…”

“If all five gathered together, the glory of that esteemed Emperor would be overshadowed. How could he possibly allow us to assemble in one place?”

“…”

“Shion Owen. The reason they constantly send him to barren borderlands is much the same. They likely hope he’ll die a glorious death there.”

How could they do something like that?!

This was something that had never appeared in the main story, so even I hadn’t known.

I stared in shock.

‘Why is everyone so obsessed with tormenting our family?!’

Daddy Harzen always spoke negatively whenever the imperial palace was involved, so I couldn’t take everything he said at face value.

On the other hand, there was probably nobody who understood the imperial palace better than he did.

‘Even if that’s true, Daddy Shion won’t die.’

You have to stay alive before you can destroy the world, don’t you?

Besides, who in the world could even kill Daddy Shion?

But Mom was a different story.

Of course, Mom was incredibly strong too.

Still, she had a softer heart than the dads.

If someone manipulated her emotions and exploited her vulnerabilities, even Mom would struggle.

“Anyway, I hope we return without incident.”

A faint smile appeared on Mom’s lips.

“Cece will be waiting for us.”

Mom, stay strong.

Cece is right here.

Literally right beside you.

“We’re almost there.”

Soon, a gigantic castle came into view through the carriage window.

Ding!

At the same time, a scroll suddenly appeared before my eyes.

I knew it wouldn’t end here.

But this soon…?