CH 10

“…Princess? Lilith? What are you sorry about, my princess?” 

I heard my father’s bewildered voice.  I couldn’t even lift my head for fear of seeing Grandfather’s scary eyes, so I grabbed Dad’s pants. 

“Father, please relax your face. She’s scared.”

“Noisy.”

However, Grandfather only answered coldly. Soon, a shadow fell over me as I bowed my head. When I lifted my eyes, I could see my Grandfather’s face with his knees bent right in front of me. 

Then he reached out to me with an expressionless face.

‘D, don’t tell me, will he hit me?’

He approached me slowly to the point that I could have avoided it, but I just closed my eyes tight.

‘…Huh?’

Then I opened my eyes again with the warmth that gently touched my cheek.

‘W, what is it?’

Pinch.

I looked at Grandfather with a stupid face and blinked at the pinch on my cheek, which didn’t hurt. 

Grandfather stood still and stopped pinching my soft cheeks. He was trembling for some reason, even though it was a very small movement. 

“Ah…”

As I looked into the blue eyes of my Grandfather, who looked just like my Dad, I realized. 

These eyes, and these trembling—.

I knew it! 

When Jimmy’s tricolor cat gave birth, this was the response that made my body tremble as I looked at the adorable kittens! 

“Ugh.”

I could hear my dad’s little laugh above my head. 

‘Ha, does Grandfather think I’m cute?’

I quickly cleared my throat when I finally regained the sense I had lost because I was nervous.

“G, Grandpa!”

Grandfather, it’s a tongue that’s matured enough to pronounce things easily, but— I purposely twist it cutely.

“I am Lilith! seven years old!” 

I greeted him shyly.

Grandfather swallowed his saliva. His neck was seen to be shaking very loudly. I smiled shyly, approached my grandfather timidly, and dug into his arms. 

“Grandpa…nice to meet you.”

“….” 

Grandfather, who had become stiff, finally hugged me and helped me slowly get up.

My Grandfather, who was as tall as my Dad, gave me a big hug, looked at me closely, and said.

“…Yeah. I’m your grandfather.” 

I swallowed a laugh and hugged my Grandfather’s neck.

It smelled just like my dad.

* * *

After seven years, the three people got together again and talked for a very long time. But, maybe that wasn’t enough, so I went outside with my aunt while my dad and grandfather said they had something to talk about separately.

Now on the way to my aunt’s room.

“Whoa.”

I grabbed my aunt’s hand and eagerly followed her with my short legs until she stopped. 

“Oh my, my. I’m sorry.”

“Yes?” 

“I walked a little fast. It’s because I’m so excited right now.”

“No, it’s not true!” 

I admired my aunt, who smiled kindly. 

‘Wow, she’s really pretty… She’s not the main character, but is it the main character’s sibling buff?’

My aunt, Ordia, who married the Duke of Antrace, was a noble lady of elegant beauty and flowing grace. 

My aunt stared at me and then suddenly burst into tears and covered her mouth.

“Oh, Lilith. How could there be such angelic babies?”

“No. Aunt is much prettier like an angel….” 

“What?” 

My aunt rubbed my cheek with her hand and smiled at me. Then she mumbled bitterly.

“You know, actually, I worried about you more than Enoch. Such a small, cute, and weak child—” 

“….” 

“…I can’t believe you had a hard life. From now on, wear only good clothes in good places and eat only good things. you absolutely have to. Because you’re Rubinstein.”

No, I mean— living in a hut in a small mountain village with my dad wasn’t that bad. It’s because my dad said that I did the laundry for nothing.

It seemed that my aunt thought I was chewing grass in the corner of the countryside and working hard. 

“Ah, look at my mind. Let’s go, Lilith. Let me introduce you to your cousin brothers.”

“Brothers?” 

“That’s right, my two sons. They’re twins. I’m worried because they’re so playful, but they’re still good kids. They always talk about wanting Dongsaeng. They will like you very much.” (T/n: 동생 here means younger brother or younger sister.) 

The moment I heard the word twins, I stopped walking in surprise. 

‘T, that’s right. If they were my aunt’s sons, they would be the Young Master Antrace.’

The twins of the Duke of Antrace. 

They are Enoch Rubinstein’s nephews, one Paladin, and one Magic Swordsman.

‘And…’

I gulped down my saliva as I glanced at the happy aunt’s face. 

‘…In this novel in which people die every now and then, both of them are going to die.’

The twins were one of the few people to whom my dad’s adopted son, Cheshire, opened his heart. So when people who followed him, like his own brothers, died, Cheshire almost went crazy.

“Well, our Theo is a bit weak, so I’m worried.” 

“Ah, I, I see.” 

When my aunt added that she was worried, I was dazed.

Theo. Theo Antrace—.

It was the name of the one who died first.

“Everyone, look who’s here!”

My aunt, who arrived in the room, opened the door wide. Then the two boys, who had been lying on the table as if bored, raised their heads. 

‘Huh, it looks like it was actually copied and pasted.’

Although I expected it because it was often explained that it was a look that the naked eye could never distinguish. 

The two were identical.

“Wow! Are you really here?”

“What is this? Why is she so small?” 

The two of them got down from the chairs, came up to me, and tilted their heads with wide-open eyes.

One to the left, one to the right.

‘The behavior is the same—’

With blonde hair like honey and blue eyes similar to mine. 

The twins, dressed in fine clothes, looked elegant and like nobles even though their face was full of mischievousness. 

“They really look like each other, right? It’s embarrassing to say, but if the kids are determined to deceived me, I can’t tell the difference even as their mother.” 

My aunt shook her head and introduced me to the twins.

“Leon, Theo. Your uncle came back a little while ago. This cutie is your cousin. She says her name is Lilith.”

“Wow, Lilith? Nice to meet you. I’m Theo Antrace. I’m 12 years old.”

Theo, wearing a blue earring on the left, put his face close to me with a rather excited expression. 

‘So it’s you….’

Theo, a Paladin (to be), had a friendly personality as described in the original. Theo, who was angry like it was his own business whenever someone talked about Cheshire’s unclear origin— and whenever Cheshire was depressed, Theo noticed like a ghost and gently comforted him—.

‘Even if you were like me, you would have no choice but to follow me like an older brother.’

Theo died of a rare congenital disease in the spring of the following year when he was appointed as a knight. So in terms of the number of years, it’s probably less than four years away. 

“Nice to meet you too, brother! I am seven years old, Lilith!” 

I grabbed Teo’s finger with a small hand and greeted him kindly with pity. 

“Ah… hmm.” 

Theo looked at my aunt, who was standing next to me, and wiggled the corners of his mouth as if he was both embarrassed and happy. 

My aunt nodded with a smile, and Theo patted my head awkwardly. 

“Whoa, it’s pretty—” 

“Ahahaha.” 

“Whew…Leon, you should say hello to Lilith too, right?” 

My aunt, who was happy to watch Theo and me, said.

Leon, wearing a red earring in his right ear, was half hiding behind my aunt and looking at me curiously. 

“…She’s seven and she’s very small. Stupid. I was really big when I was seven.”

“What? Are you calling your sister stupid?” 

Leon pulled my aunt’s skirt for no reason, maybe because he was embarrassed. 

“Lilith, your older brothers look the same, but their personalities are completely different. Theo is sweet and kind. I’m worried about Leon because he’s playful.”

“What about me? Ouch!”

Aunt gave the naughty boy a light hit on the head and rubbed her forehead like she was tired. 

“Leon, be quiet. Please say something nice. How many times did Mother tell you that Ladies doesn’t like you?  How many days has it been since you caught a spider and made fun of Young Lady Valerin? Do you want to get in trouble again?” 

“That’s because Erica Valerin said she likes spiders.” 

“She said that because she wanted to get close to you because you said you liked insects, but there’s no Lady who really likes furry giant spiders!”

It must be hard to raise a son—.

I smiled awkwardly as I watched my aunt sigh deeply. 

Leon, a Magic Swordsman (to be), was playful and talkative, so he fought with Cheshire in everything.

Of course, he doesn’t mean it because Leon cares more about Cheshire than anyone else.

Leon glanced at me in the middle of being scolded by my aunt. Our eyes kept meeting.

‘Phew, this crazy novel that kills half of the characters is now a true story….’

When I saw Leon, a mischievous 12-year-old boy, I couldn’t help but think of one corner of the original story. 

「Blood was constantly pouring out of the wound. Cheshire held Leon, who was breathing heavily, in his trembling arms.

“L, Leon. Brother…you can’t die like this. Please wake up.” 

“Ugh. you idiot. Are you crying? Don’t cry…You’re such a loser.” 

“Haa, ha. P, please hang in there. Brother, please…” 

“This punk, you call me brother when I’m about to die. You bastard, I saved you… Don’t die like an idiot.”

“B, brother—!” 

“…Please, you must come back alive.”

With the last request, the light of life faded from Leon Antrace’s eyes.」

‘Wow, I think I’m going to cry again.’

A large-scale beast subjugation battle that appears in about two volumes of the original.

Leon dies there. 

While blocking the front of Cheshire, who was about to be attacked, he was attacked instead.

The part was written so well that I remember using two rolls of toilet paper as I read it. 

‘A crazy novel with no happiness to the supporting role!’ 

Before I knew it, I approached Leon and grabbed his pants.

He seems like a nice and pitiful brat. 

“Brother…I’m really happy to meet you. Let’s be friends. Let’s catch spiders together.” 

“….” 

“Hehe, I like king spiders….” 

I shyly grabbed Leon’s hem and said. I want to be friends with him. However, for some reason, Leon just stared blankly at me who approached me first.

“B, brother?” 

Then. 

Leon, who was looking at me with a dangerous expression on his face for some reason, suddenly stretched out his hand. Then he grabbed my chubby cheeks and—.

“….?”

—Pinch!

“Ah, ack!” 

Hard enough to make me cry!

“O, oh my! Leon!” 

“Ugh! Hey, Leon! What should I do if you pinch her so hard!”