CH 65

「August 10th, 821

I can’t believe I have this feeling for my sister. 

I’m really hopeless.」

「January 25th, 822

Eva came to my room with a cake. She went in through the window. She’s been a troublemaker since we were little… She said she came to celebrate my birthday.

As I held her hand, a refreshing energy wrapped around my arm. At the same time, my vision turned white. Startled, I closed my eyes tightly. 

And when I opened my eyes, there was a new world. Water droplets gathered to form the shape of a small mermaid, a wolf, or a bird.

I was caught off guard, told Eva I was hallucinating and explained what I saw.

Then Eva said it wasn’t a hallucination. It was the water spirits.」

‘Huh?’

Keira froze.

Physical contact. A refreshing energy that flowed through the place of contact.

The vision momentarily turned white then returned to its original state. Unidentified creatures whose bodies were made of water droplets.

The bizarre phenomenon described in the diary was very similar to what Keira had experienced.

Keira hurriedly flipped to the final page.

「January 26th, 822

When I woke up after fainting, Eva and her maids were waiting for me. They said I fainted because I hadn’t eaten on time recently. 

And I had no appetite. When I refused to eat, Eva said, “Sister, you may have witnessed a spirit. I’ll explain it in detail after you eat.”

There is no case in which an ordinary person, one who isn’t a elementalist, has witnessed the spirits. What she said made it seem as if I also had the powers of a elementalist. 

I immediately got up and forced myself to empty the entire bowl of porridge.」

What followed was surprising. Keira went over it again, wondering if she had read it wrong.

‘…Resonance?’

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The two sisters named the bizarre phenomenon so and hypothesized it.

Evangeline wondered if her power would help her sister’s awakening, so she breathed the energy of a spirit into her, which might have temporarily unleashed her latent powers.

When Evangeline did the same thing to other people, nothing happened. So it was curious that such a phenomenon only happened to her, a woman of the Parvis family.

If she awakened her powers later, the hypothesis established by the two sisters would prove true.

Keira frantically flipped through the diary. She didn’t have the time to look at each day carefully.

It was more important to confirm the conclusion first.

It was more than a year later that the content she wanted came out.

「October 11th, 823

Finally, I learned what it feels like to be able to control spirits!

The manifestation of my abilities really came unexpectedly.

Eva cried with me.」

Keira sighed in relief. 

The record that followed was full of joy and delight. She, who had always been cautious, left her bedroom proudly for the first time in years.

It’s like watching a play. Keira sighed and closed the diary.

‘I saw a real spirit that day.’

That meant Keira also had the power to control spirits. 

Unfamiliar emotions rose.

The anxiety, self-doubt, and fear of the truth, which had piled up unconsciously, flew away at once.

It was delightful and refreshing. She wanted to run and scream as much as she wanted. 

Tears blurred her vision, and she quickly wiped the corner of her eyes.

If the execution had been delayed a little longer, would she have manifested her powers sooner?

‘Maybe that woman did something to advance my execution date.’

It went from detention to sentencing to execution too fast.

‘…Was it revenge against my mother’s family and me?’

Cosette’s biological mother, Rowena, came from a family that was ruined by Simon Edinburgh (Keira’s maternal grandfather).

The Grand Duke’s apathy must have also played a part in the sudden downfall of the prestigious family, but it didn’t change the fact that the leading cause was her grandfather.

Rumor has it that Rowena’s father, the previous Count of Weinberg, tried to use Ludwig in the political arena. It caused Ludwig to be angry with him, thus punishing the in-laws by example.

Only Ludwig himself would know the details, though.

The important thing was that Cosette had reason to hold a grudge against the Edinburgh family.

‘Then the reason you framed me is…’

What happened to the prophecy? There was no way she could manipulate the oracle that came down before she was even born.

The fact that Keira was able to see the spirit by resonating with Cosette meant that Cosette was also a ‘real’ elementalist.

However, the oracle prophesied that only one elementalist would be born.

‘What happened?’

Was there a story or reason behind why things diverged from the prophecy?

On the sixth day after leaving home, Keira said goodbye to Johanna.

Johanna: “You could stay a little longer…”

Keira: “Six days away from home is the longest I’ve been gone.”

Johanna: “That’s not it. I feel bad; You looked more comfortable.”

Keira: “Ah.”

She certainly was.

There weren’t many people here, and given the lack of people, it was hard to encounter people even if you walked the grounds to your heart’s content.

Two days after getting the information she needed, Keira took full advantage of her free time and enjoyed her vacation. After eating, she’d soak in the bath, then read a book in bed while munching on fruit-flavored candy.

…and it was a book she’s been interested in lately.

Whenever she found herself lounging in bed in her pajamas even before the sun had set, she’d feel a sense of shame, as if she had become the laziest person on earth. But that thought wouldn’t linger.

This was the reward for all the hard work she’s done so far. After that, she’d lean back against the headboard.

She had the urge to spend the rest of her life here, but she couldn’t.

Two months. Her grace period had flown by in an instant.

Keira only had a week left until Cosette’s debut. She couldn’t let her take control of the capital again and corner her.

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Should she say that it was fortunate that she found her ancestor’s diary before the grace period ended?

Keira: “I’ll be sure to come back soon.”

Johanna: “I don’t know what happened with your father, but if you’re upset, come and see me. I’ll help you any way I can.”

“…!”

Keira’s eyes widened in surprise, and then she smiled.

Keira: “He’s never really been friendly. In fact, most of the oldest men in the family are like that. Zeke is an exception.”

Johanna: “It seems so.”

Even the father in the diary was aloof.

Johanna: “By the way, I’m glad you’ve become more expressive.”

Keira: “What was I like before?”

Johanna: “Hmm, it was like looking at glasswork that would fall to the floor and shatter.”

Keira: “That’s a difficult analogy.”

Johanna: “You looked as if you were constantly walking on eggshells.”

Judging from the date, it’s only been a few months, but for some reason, it felt like a distant past.

If anyone told her to live as she did in the past, she would never be able to do it.

Keira: “Certainly… I don’t think I’ve ever had such a pleasant time as I did the last few days.”

She also gained confidence in her own lineage. As a result, she’s never been more relaxed in the last few years than today.

Keira smiled, and Johanna thought her expression was easy to read.

Johanna: “I’m glad you had a good rest. Go ahead.”

Keira: “Thank you.”

Keira kissed the back of Johanna’s hand – the way knights greeted ladies – and got into the carriage.

She heard the luggage being loaded in the compartment.

“Shall we go, Your Ladyship?”

Keira: “Let’s.”

The carriage departed. Keira looked out the window, and in the distance, she saw the mansion and Johanna waving goodbye.

Keira waved her hand until she couldn’t see her great-aunt, then leaned back comfortably on the backrest.

Keira: “Huu…”

The long and peaceful break was over.