Sezh returned safely while being carried on Raytan’s back. He laid Sezh on the bed and stood by silently. Usually, he would have reluctantly said, annoying words like, “Now go to sleep,” and then walk away.

However, Raytan was just quietly staring at Sezh for a while.

Is there something he wanted to say? Sezh waited patiently, but there was nothing. Soon enough, he left the room without even giving his usual annoying goodbyes.

“Don’t you think Brother is a little weird, Luna?”

“I’m not sure?” Luna tilted her head. “His face was a little stiff, but, well, Master Raytan is always like that…”

This time, it was Sezh who tilted her head.

Suddenly, the conversation she had with him in the banquet hall passed through her mind.

‘I will remember this moment forever. Thank you so much, Brother.’

‘If you feel like that… then it’s okay.’

For some reason, it seemed he had a subtle and sorrowful expression carved onto his face. While Luna massaged her foot, Sezh couldn’t stop Raytan from filling her thoughts.

Sezh put the flower Raytan slipped behind her ear in a vase. She placed it at her bedside in front of the window. Sezh opened the window, leaned against the window sill, and blankly stared at the petals fluttering in the wind.

It was the same flower she’d seen in her dream. The flower and what Raytan had said to her matched her dream.

“Eton indeed said that I can use the wind magic, but he didn’t say anything about clairvoyance..”,

The night was getting darker, but Sezh couldn’t comfortably sleep until dawn came. She was worried about many things, but no matter how much she pondered about it alone, answers didn’t appear. Sezh tossed for a while and eventually fell asleep.

It was a poor quality sleep, and unfortunately, she was forced to wake up as soon as the sun rose. It seems Yerena, who already heard the news of her daughter going to the debutante ball, was murderously searching for Sezh.

Yerena frowned and sipped her tea.

Like usual, Sezh, who was sitting in front of her, secretly glanced at her mother. Sezh did attend the debutante ball without saying anything to Yerena, so she already expected something like this. Sezh couldn’t even imagine how many times she would be punched or kicked today.

However, Yerena didn’t hit Sezh at all. Even when her teacup was half-empty, Yerena still stayed her tongue.

The one who was nervous about the silence was Luna. She was anticipating how to stop Yerena in case she ever wanted to harass Sezh again. Luna stood right beside the door with an anxious face,

“…Orson told me. You went to the debutante ball yesterday.”

Those were the first words Yerena finally voiced after a while,

“Yes.”

“You dare not say even a word about that to me.”

“I truly apologize for not being able to tell you in advance.” Sezh answered coldly. “I didn’t think Mother would allow it… But I wanted to go at least once.”

Sezh tried to look as pitiful as possible and bowed her head down. She wasn’t afraid of Yerena. She just pretended to be. Truthfully, she didn’t care if her mother was going to be enraged and scream at her. However, it wasn’t pleasant to be beaten like a dog,

Yerena was silent for a moment. If she’s only going to drink her tea quietly like that, Sezh wondered why she came here at all.

Sezh kept her head down, fiddling with her dress quietly. Contrary to her expectations, the next thing Yerena said was rather unbelievable!

“Alright. You’ve already been there, so it can’t be helped.”

“…

What?”

“People say you weren’t too bad. Who helped you?”

“Oh, that’s…”

“Lize?” Yerena asked sharply.

Well, it was reasonable for Yerena to suspect Lady Lize. The only people Sezh had a close relationship with at the Imperial Palace were her and Raytan. And Yerena was right.

Still, Sezh wanted to prevent Lady Lize from being unnecessarily troubled, so she lied.

“Lady Lize told me to ask permission from Mother first. I was the one who forced this to be a secret.”

“Hmph, it wouldn’t be difficult to get help from her, who’s been a favorite for years. She’s going to die soon anyway. I don’t need to mind her too

much.”

Sezh didn’t reply.

“Also, you were escorted by that cursed guy? Are you out of your mind?!”

“I’m sorry. Nobody could escort me, so he helped.”

Yerena grumbled alone. Disastrous kid’ and ‘His mother is going to die soon, but he didn’t even feel put-out and instead brazenly raised his head.’ They were familiar curses.

For a long time, Yerena kept spitting curses no one responded to, and then she coughed to clear her throat.

“Anyway, there was someone who found you looking good at the ball.”

There was instantly a sinister feeling creeping into her heart.

“He’s a little old, but he’s a great person. An insignificant thing like you could not even dream of him.”

Sezh then realized that the ‘great man’ Yerena was referring to was the old Duke. Before her neck was slashed and she returned, Yerena was trying to send Sezh, who had reached adulthood, to be the wife of that old Duke,

It sounded outrageous and weird, but she was going to be 17 soon. It’s the “fit” age to marry.

Not to mention, all the “great people” she knew of were already dead.

The Duke was a man with a good family name and considerable money, but he also beat his wife, daughter, and concubine.

Sezh had heard stories that his wife, who couldn’t overcome such tremendous violence, eventually ran away. There’s no way her mother didn’t know about that. She obviously knows it, but she’s still trying to sell her daughter away.

How absurd.

“You know well anyway. And be careful with your body. If a rumor spreads, the Duke may change his mind.”

Whether he hears any rumor or not, he will die soon anyway. Even before she returned, the Duke was found dead one night from an illness.

When she heard the news, Sezh didn’t know how much her heart was relieved.

Besides, he was a human being who beats women to death, so Sezh didn’t even feel a bit of sympathy that he would die soon.

No, in the first place, he was trash for having a beady eye on her, whose age is not so far from his daughter. Such a sick man.

Yerena stood up while feeling satisfied. Whether or not she had said everything she wanted to say, Sezh just wanted this to end quickly. Sezh only said that in her mind while looking down at the table, but Yerena stopped walking

“Stop that tutoring too.”

“What?”

“You’re still being tutored by Raytan! It’s also every day! And I know you’re also going today. Go there and say, ‘I’m quitting’ with your own mouth, There is nothing good about hanging out with him. Especially in this kind of situation!”

“Mother, …”

“I will check again tomorrow. If you keep playing around with Raytan even then, you just watch what I’ll do.”

With her cautious personality, there was only one reason for Yerena to speak so bluntly to Sezh. She was worried about what Lady Lize would say to the Emperor again and was scared that all the things she did would reach the Emperor’s ears.

Yerena finished her words and left the room.

“Princess…” Luna called her with an anxious face,

Sezh, with a gloomy face, only clenched her fists tightly.

Her steps were heavy as she walked toward Lady Lize’s palace,

Although Yerena already warned her, to be honest, Sezh didn’t want to quit tutoring.

If possible, she wanted to keep learning Kazaki from Raytan. It wasn’t just because Kazaki was fun. Although, her skills have improved very much, and she can easily read it without being guided by Raytan.

However, Sezh enjoyed the time she and Raytan spent together.

In the eyes of others, they might ask what’s amusing about being in the same place as an older brother who doesn’t say a word. But Sezh knew.

Indeed, Raytan didn’t love talking, but he cares about her in his own way. Although he still hasn’t been ‘kind’, Raytan hasn’t skipped classes for the past four years.

When Sezh went to the library, he always had prepared her favorite strawberry cake and hot milk. And Raytan would sit down next to Sezh just to stare at her solving questions.

Still, it didn’t completely eradicate her fear of him. He could still kill her like the other future she had seen.

So, as soon as she reaches adulthood, the only thing she can do is flee from the Imperial Palace,

But when Sezh thought about it… ironically, those warm times felt even more precious now.

No matter what the future holds, these are moments that will never come again. Anyway, he was her precious brother now. She wanted to think so.

Sezh enjoyed her time with Raytan in the library. She thinks it is like a motivating force that helps her endure the terrible Imperial life.

Her delicate shoulders drooped down.

Sezh stopped walking. She took a breath while trying to open the library door.