Chapter 28

“Haa.”

Demius let out a breath of relief and smiled faintly again.

‘Miss Lili.’

I’ll return soon.

Please choose your own gift when I arrive.

Thinking of the one dearest to him, Demius swung his sword at the approaching monsters.

Slash.

* * *

What was this?

“So simple.”

Natalianne tilted her head and scoffed.

The purpose of her return had been resolved so easily that she actually felt bored.

That old man Linburton must really be getting senile.

If it was this simple to handle, why call me back at all?

‘Did he do it on purpose?’

Her brow furrowed at the thought.

Linburton had always hoped she and Demius would mend their strained relationship.

But.

‘What a joke.’

She snorted coldly.

Foolish hopes like that should have been buried long ago.

Melissa was already gone. Once she rested for a few days, she would leave this place and never come back.

‘A mansion without my nurse or Asellion.’

With a smirk on her lips, Natalianne strolled through the garden, her steps unconsciously drifting toward an area she rarely visited.

Then, suddenly, a bright voice rang out.

“Oh my, fancy meeting you here!”

“…?”

A cheerful tone, far too bright for her liking.

Did anyone in the household even speak like that?

Even the butler never greeted her with that much enthusiasm.

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously as she turned her head.

“You…”

Melissa.

The very woman she had thrown out not long ago was now weeding in the garden.

Melissa straightened her back with a soft grunt, dusted off her hands, then plucked a fresh sprout nearby.

She smiled shyly and held it out.

“Would you like to try this? It’s freshly picked, very crisp!”

“What are you doing here?”

Natalianne’s voice came out sharp without her meaning to.

“How did you get in?”

No.

Who dared to defy my order and let her back in?

Her teeth clenched tightly. Natalianne pressed her thumb and forefinger together and shaped a circle at her lips.

Fwee—

A whistle cut through the air, carried by the wind to somewhere unseen.

“I just called the guards.”

Her red lips curled coldly.

“Whoever let you in will be beheaded on the spot. In front of everyone.”

“Oh my.”

Melissa widened her eyes for a second, then smiled sweetly.

“Don’t worry. I came in alone.”

“…What?”

Natalianne gave a short, disbelieving laugh.

“If you’re trying to protect someone, it won’t work. There’s no way you climbed over that wall—”

“That’s right!”

Melissa clapped her hands together and nodded with bright energy.

“Thanks to that, I got to relive some old memories. It was fun!”

…She climbed the wall?

She’d done it before, too?

Natalianne’s eyes widened, but Melissa only smiled and extended her hand again.

“These taste really good. Even Mr. Bamel, the head chef, was surprised.”

“Nonsense.”

Natalianne gritted her teeth.

“So the guards have all gone soft while I was away?”

“Pardon?”

“Whoever let you in, however many there are, I’ll kill them all. And you.”

She turned sharply and glared at Melissa.

“Get out. Right now. And don’t ever step foot in this place again.”

“What?”

“Linburton told me not to kill you, but I’ll say this once.”

Her tone dropped low.

“Idiots aren’t worth keeping alive.”

It came out like a bitter murmur.

Melissa blinked, her expression softening into one of quiet guilt.

“That won’t do. I have a promise to keep.”

“…What?”

Natalianne’s lips twisted.

A promise?

Her eyes rolled slightly, and then it hit her.

‘So that’s it.’

You want the title of the next Grand Duchess, don’t you?

Of course. For even Linburton to lose his patience with her, she must have been determined enough.

Well, at least that would make driving her out more satisfying.

Natalianne smirked faintly.

“You’re saying you won’t leave on your own, aren’t you?”

Whoosh.

A sudden gust of wind blew through, whipping Melissa’s skirt.

“Oh no, the crops!”

Frost began forming on the plants, cracking the leaves with a sharp sound. Melissa winced.

The wind grew stronger, forcing her to shield her face with both arms.

Watching her, Natalianne’s lips curved upward coldly.

“Get out.”

Boom!

A massive pillar of ice erupted beneath Melissa, hurling her away.

Her body vanished in the rising wave of jagged ice. Natalianne turned, letting out a short, cold laugh.

How foolish.

Finally, it was over.

At least until she heard something faint behind her.

“Ahhh!”

A scream?

…No.

She snapped her head around.

From far away, she saw a woman with bright orange hair sliding down the frozen waves like a child at play, arms raised in the air.

“It’s been so long since I’ve done this!”

Kyaaaa!

Melissa cheered as she slid down the icy slope, then leapt off one wave and landed perfectly on the next.

Natalianne’s jaw dropped.

Was that… a person?

The sight of her leaping from one frozen wave to another looked more like a circus act than anything human.

Natalianne’s pupils trembled, but she quickly bit her lip and thrust her hands forward.

“Get out. I said get out!”

“Oh my♡”

Boom! Crash! Crack!

Ice burst from the ground in a wild storm. Melissa’s cheeks flushed as she raised both arms excitedly.

“This is amazing!”

“Shut your mouth!”

Natalianne’s eyes flashed white, and a wind stronger than before roared to life.

Her robe whipped violently as she yelled.

“Just disappear already!”

Boom!

A massive snowstorm erupted, pushing her back several steps.

A faint metallic taste filled her nose.

Her head spun. The world tilted.

Damn it.

She recognized this feeling.

It was just like that day, five years ago.

…No.

Her vision blurred, her stomach lurched.

The smell of blood. The red-stained snow. Memories flooded in.

And then, a soft voice echoed in her ears.

“Mother once told me.”

Her head snapped up.

From above, the small figure of the orange-haired woman was falling toward her.

“Magic,” Melissa said with a bright smile,

“is a game that ends when you take down the caster.”

“Yap!”

Melissa shouted, full of energy.

“Prepare yourself, Miss Mimi’s little sister!”

Natalianne’s eyes widened as Melissa plummeted toward her. She tried to raise her hands, to cast ice, but her dizzy vision and nausea betrayed her.

‘Too late.’

Biting her bloodied lip, Natalianne braced herself.

Then—

Warmth.

Something soft and warm enveloped her, and they both tumbled to the ground.

Thud. Roll. Roll.

They rolled together across the grassy patch until finally coming to a stop.

Melissa, still holding Natalianne protectively as if shielding her head, opened her eyes and smiled.

“Surprise!”

She threw her hands up cheerfully.

“Did I scare you? Your head isn’t hurt, right?”