Duncan realized that his master’s magic tool had failed, and covered his mouth.
For the first time, he felt sorry for his master. Now, his future was bleak, he had to bring his master back, who was obviously going to go crazy.
It was then.
Heinrich’s eyes fluttered in exhilaration.
“Sister, you were hiding on an ‘island’.”
“……!”
His eyes lit up with joy.
“It’s hidden. It’s hard to find.”
Duncan came to his senses, took out a map and found the island the girl was pointing to.
There was only one island there.
—Bayonaire Island.
Duncan shared the location with Heinrich.
Heinrich’s eyes darkened as if they were about to swallow the black night sea.
It was then. A thin groan and voice could be heard from near his feet.
“Heinrich…”
“Sister.”
The 12-year-old Annette took Heinrich’s hand and rubbed her eyes slightly.
“I am sleepy.”
In an instant, Heinrich’s expression darkened a little.
He had an intuition that the Annette, whom he created because he loved her so much, was about to leave him once again.
Magic tools had a purpose, and magic tools that usually require such high magical power disappear when their purpose was achieved, as the magical power it contained was waning.
―Again, the time for parting had come.
“Sister, you are sleepy…”
Heinrich leaned over his body and hugged her.
She, who was held in his arms, was very slender and small.
Heinrich realized again.
For a little girl like this, he waited with so much longing for the great sea to dry up and the bottom to crack.
‘You are so small. You’ve always been my world…’
With his eyes closed, he tried to inhale the body scent of the girl in his arms. Unfortunately, the magic tool didn’t contain her body scent, so he felt even more lonely.
The gracefully handsome man called out to me as usual, his Indian dimple denting his face.
“Owner. I’m glad you came.”
‘For now, he seems to be sane. There are no roses stained with blood around.’
The pot-wielding master approached, wary that this innocent stag might turn into a crazy carnivore again. It was a requirement to show my ability at the slightest provocation.
“I came here just to hear your story. And if you try to give me a suspicious gift, I won’t let it sit.”
It wasn’t a lie. Well, some things were possible.
With the power of Sordi, ‘Make the eyes blind’, and with the power of Um, ‘Oh, hot!’ To that extent, it was possible.
I even had my dagger, which I always carried with me because I was a fugitive.
But there was no need to take it out.
He immediately bowed politely, placed one of his hands on his chest and offered a sincere apology.
“I’m sorry to have startled you yesterday, lady.”
“…….”
“I’m serious.”
‘Ummm, that’s too polite…’
His ears were red, and his eyelashes were down sadly.
‘I guess he didn’t shock me on purpose.’
So, was it a gift for me?!
Well, considering that the other person was the leader of the most infamous guild in Bayonaire, maybe he thought it was a real gift (though the idea itself was crazy).
But if it wasn’t intentional—
“I accept your apology.”
“Thank you…”
An apology was received, but my vigilance was not lifted.
I asked, with my arms crossed and with a rather cold face.
“I have a question. Please answer honestly, Mr. Kine.”
“Yes.”
“You know my tastes all too well. Did you do a background check on me? What is it?”
It was one of the reasons I came here. I wanted to find an answer to a question I had been curious about all this while.
Mr. Kine gently replied.
“I think it will be a long story. Would you like to listen?”
“Sure.”
In the middle of the lakeside where lilacs were in full bloom, a pleasant afternoon breeze blew.
The man’s eyes were filled with the image of the lady.
“My real name is ‘Kyle Winston’.”
“……!”
“I met Lady Annette a long time ago.”
Kyle Winston?
Bizet Winston’s son?
My eyes widened.
‘Ah, I see, they look alike, right?’
‘I’ve only seen him once about 10 years ago, so it’s a bit hazy but now that I think about it, he looks like Marquis Winston!’
Now that I knew, I realized that he really looked like him.
‘He was 10-years-old then. Kyle.’
“Please take this flower.”
The little hand that was too shy and hiding behind the sofa holding out a white flower.
The flower that was shaking with nervousness.
“……!”
I immediately remembered everything.
I tilted my head and pointed at him, and asked,
“That Kyle Winston who proposed to me?”
“……!!!”
He was saying he’s that cutie pie?
His face quickly turned red.
“Yes.”
But he graciously admitted it.
I remember exactly how he was when he was 10-years-old, when he avoided my eyes in embarrassment and shyness.
I had the trait of wanting to tease a handsome man when he was flustered.
“Ah, remember! You said that you would come to me to propose to me again when you become an adult, right?”
“…….”
“It was my first time seeing such a cute proposal!”
I now remembered the affection I received from Marquis Winston, and so my impression of Kyle improved.
As I chirped happily, he covered his blushing face and said,
“Actually, I was in the Forest too.”
“……!”
Starting with words I never imagined, Kyle unraveled his own story.
The story of how he met me in the Forest.
It was a story I couldn’t even imagine. To my surprise, listening to the story brought back memories of that time in my head.
He was very shy.
A memory of the boy in a ‘squirrel mask’.
As I listened to each account, some things came to mind in a blurry way while some were pretty clear.
“I admired you.”
“…….”
“Because I wanted to be cool like you, I always listened to things about you.”
“…….”
“Perhaps that’s it. Why I know your tastes very well.”
—It was a reason I couldn’t even imagine.
It had been so long since he had known me.
Standing with a little surprise and strange emotion, I looked at him.
Whoo, then a breeze blew and the scent of lilac, which represented first love, tickled the tip of our noses.
Kyle carefully grabbed my hand with his large one.
Then he lowered his eyes and kissed it like a beast who had been obedient to his master for a long time.
“From that moment on, you were the only one for me.”