CH 2

I turned nine years old.

I, who was twenty-four years old until yesterday, have become a nine-year-old kid.

I couldn’t figure out how the hell this happened.

Obviously, I met my death while protecting my grandfather, Grand Duke Crichton.

There were still many soldiers who had not been dealt with, so after my death, even Grand Duke Crichton would have been killed.

But when I woke up, I was back in the past.

Thinking over and over again, I couldn’t come up with an answer.

However, if becoming a nine-year-old kid is my reality, there are things I should know now.

The fact that my mother will die of an incurable disease a year from now, and the fact that my mother’s trust has not been betrayed.

I stared at my reflection in the mirror endlessly, then turned my head toward my mother.

I could see the back of my mom cooking in the kitchen for breakfast.

“Mom, are you busy today?”

“No. Not busy, As you know, there is not much work these days. I think I will be at home for a while.”

Mom said it as if it was not a big deal, but she couldn’t hide her worry and anxiety.

After my father passed away, we were barely making ends meet with the money my mother received from helping out in the village.

Not having a job was an opportunity to rest, but it also meant that if you thought differently, you would have to worry about making a living for a while.

Her mother was probably the most precious lady in this empire.

She was the daughter of the Grand Duke of Crichton, whom no one could ignore, and the former fiancée of the current emperor.

My mother has done everything she can to keep me safe, without even doing the dirty work.

When I was young, I didn’t understand how hard my mother worked at the time, but now I understand.

I turned around and slowly approached my mother.

When I finally got to my mother’s back, I hugged her while she was cooking while hiding my expression.

“Mom.”

“Oh, did you have a really weird dream?” Bell, why are you so spoiled?”

“Just because I like my mom. I love you, mom.”

As a mercenary alone for 14 years, if there was anything I regretted and regretted again, it was that I didn’t tell my mother much that I loved her.

The mother’s voice that I thought I would never hear anymore, and the mother’s face that I thought I would never see again.

Now that I can see her again, I don’t want to leave any regrets.

“Mom loves you too.”

Tears began to well up in my eyes once again.

I unclasped my mother’s hand and wiped away the tears.

When my body turned nine years old, I felt like I was spoiled nine years old.

But it wasn’t this isn’t the time to be childish.

I missed my mom so much, so I’m sure the same goes for her.

My mom has a father, too.

She must have been writing a letter because she deeply missed Grand Duke Crichton.

“Mom, didn’t you say I have a grandfather?”

“Yes. Of course. There is.”

Mom laughed bitterly.

I wanted to comfort her by holding her hand.

“Let’s go see my grandfather.”

At the end of my words, I felt a weak strength in my mother’s hand.

However, my mother did not reply that she would be willing to go.

“Bell, Mom…”

I know.

Why is my mother reluctant to meet my grandfather?

Mom was afraid.

My mother abandoned her family and chose love.

She ran away, leaving everyone who believed in and loved her, so it was not easy to come back now.

Moreover, even after sending a letter of apology to Grand duke Crichton, there was no response, so the mother wasn’t able to forgive herself.

“I don’t think I can go see your grandfather.”

In the end, my mother let go of my hand and turned around.

Even without looking at her, she knows what kind of expression her mother was making.

***

I know it’s impossible, but I had to make up my mind.

As far as I know, my mother will die longing for her father, Grand Duke of Crichton.

As far as I know, my mother will end up dying missing Grand Duke Crichton.

The Grand Duke waits for his daughter, who will never return and dies at the hands of Daniel.

To change the future I knew, I had no choice but to move.

When the morning light fell, I grabbed a small bag and left the room.

The house where my mother was sleeping was quiet.

After looking around the room once, I put the letter I had prepared in advance on the table.

My mom would be surprised if I disappeared after leaving a letter like this, but this was the only way.

Even if my mother sends a letter to the Duke of Crichton, Daniel will take it in the middle anyway, so I have no choice but to meet him in person.

Besides, my mother doesn’t have much time.

A year later, my mother will die due to illness.

As a child, I couldn’t do anything while looking at my dying mother, but it would be different if the Grand Duke was here.

For my mom, I had to leave.

After taking a small deep breath, I left the house.

Yesterday, I had to leave the village in advance and since I knew the top of the capital, I had to go on time.

Looking at the gradually brightening sky, I hurried to my feet. Top employees arrive early before they go to work.

If I were 24 years old, I would have bought a horse and gone there myself without doing this, but since I’m nine, I had no money or strength.

When I arrived at the gate of the Duchy, it was full of luggage that they brought yesterday to take to the capital.

There were guards guarding things around me, but they didn’t interfere with me.

In the past and before my mother died,

She gave the mercenary the rest of our money and asked him to take me to the Duke of Crichton, but the mercenary who received the request abandoned me to the neighboring village and left.

Being alone at the age of 10, my only choice of survival was begging.

If I was wrongly caught by the villagers, I had to give up begging in that village and move to another village.

I had to move to a different village every time.

I’ll hide in the carriage for luggage because I had to avoid the guard’s inspection.

Before the age of thirteen, when I started earning money in earnest, I was forced to use this kind of transportation method.

Sometimes I get caught by the top and get beaten up, but that was when I was very unlucky anyway.

Since I’ve been moving around like this for the past three years, hiding in a carriage was very simple for me.

I avoided the eyes of the guards and found the carriage.

I grumbled up onto the carriage full of luggage.

There was a place just enough to hide my little body in between the gaps full of luggage.

I whined and moved a large luggage so that I could not be seen even if I was inside, and then I sat down inside it.

It would be hard to find me because I crumpled up in such a small space, but I covered myself with black blankets just in case.

As time passed, the surroundings became noisy as the top employees went to work.

“Check your luggage before you leave!”

Someone shouted. After that, people’s footsteps got closer.

Soon the wagon shook. It seemed that someone had climbed into the wagon to check the luggage.

I crouched down as much as I could and held my breath.

I heard the sound of the paper flapping over. It seemed to be checking the inventory.

I hoped this time would pass as quickly as possible.

As I was waiting quietly, the footsteps that had approached the inside began to slowly move away.

“There’s nothing wrong!”

At the employee’s shout, I was relieved and breathed a sigh of relief.

“Okay, I’ve checked all the luggage, so we’ll be leaving soon!”

The cart began to move only after more time, perhaps they were checking the luggage in another wagon.

As soon as I was about to close my eyes after entrusting myself to the vibration of the rattling carriage, I heard a rustling sound from somewhere nearby.

I felt my body tense up and kept my mouth tight.

Could it be that the employee is still here?

It’s not…

He definitely just checked the inventory and got off the wagon.

As I was paying attention, the rustling sound soon stopped. I was relieved of tension, thinking that the sound was coming from a mouse, then I heard a voice close to me.

“Who are you?”

His voice sounds so young to be an employee at the Grand Duchy.

“I know you’re there.”

Besides, it was like someone hiding in the wagon like me, who lowered his voice to the point where he couldn’t be heard from outside.

I lifted the blanket a little and checked where the voice was coming from. There she saw something like a silver thread.

When I squinted and looked closely, it was a small boy with silver hair.

The clothes he was wearing looked shabby because it was covered with dirt as he had rolled on the ground.

I gently lowered the blanket and raised my head.

“When you ask someone for their name, you start by introducing yourself first.”

He seemed like a child hiding in this carriage, like me, but she remained vigilant and told the boy.

The boy looked surprised for a moment. Then nodded his head and said,

“I’m Jeffrey Coleman.”

“Jeffrey Coleman?”

As soon as I heard the child’s name, the face of someone with the same name passed through my mind.

The man named Jeffrey Coleman in my memory was also a person with bright silver hair and blue eyes, just like the child in front of me, with a pretty face.

Of course, I didn’t remember Jeffrey Coleman just because he had a pretty face.

Jeffrey Coleman was the most famous mercenary on the continent. He was a man of great ability and strong enough to be given the title of mercenary king.

There was even a story that the mercenaries he found were strong enough to be compared to the Lion Knights, the Knights of the Empire.

And when I was a mercenary, he was the man who wanted me to join his mercenary group.

“What? I introduced myself, so why don’t you?”

I came to my senses, hearing a voice full of irritation. I looked at Jeffrey.

“I am Mirabel. Mirabel… Hale.”

After a moment of contemplation, I eventually talked about my current surname.

The last name Hale was made by her father and mother to avoid the eyes of Grand Duke Crichton.

But for me, it was my real name.

Because I’ve been Mirabel Hale ever since I was born.’

Jeffrey muttered my name for a while after hearing it.

“It’s a pretty name.”

“Huh?”

“Oh, no!”

I was surprised and took my index finger to my lips as Jeffrey tried to shout with a puzzled face.

Shh, when the low wind blew, Jeffrey quickly realized his plight and covered his mouth.

If we get caught in the wagon, we’ll be kicked out, and in the worst case, we could be mistaken as a thief, beaten up, and dumped in the bushes.

I held my breath and paid attention to whether there was any other sound coming from outside, but fortunately, I didn’t hear the sound from outside.

She wiped her surprised chest and leaned her back against the pile of luggage.

“Be quiet. It’s a big deal if we get caught making loud noises.”

“Yes.”

Jeffrey, aware of his fault, scratched his cheek awkwardly.