CH 2

“All done, Miss!”

“Thank you, Sasha.”

Once out of my pajamas, I headed straight for the dining room, where Father was waiting.

The large table in the dining room was filled with extravagant dishes.

A premium steak exuding the savory smell of charcoal, a freshly grilled turkey billowing with steam, even refreshing herbal tea to wash them all down…

Staring down at the food, I sat in the chair opposite Father, who was beaming at me, and I opened up a conversation.

“Father, I think this is too much food.”

“Today isn’t an ordinary day. It’s the day you, Aren, were born. This is the least we could prepare.”

My father replied with a pleased smile. Seeing my father’s smile, which I thought I would never see again, made my eyes well up.

“Eat all you want, Aren. And tell me if you need anything else.”

“Yes, Father.”

“Why are your eyes so red? Are you feeling ill?”

I’ve just managed to come back, so I shouldn’t worry Father like this. Shaking my head, I picked up a piece of steak and shoved it into my mouth.

“Ill? I’m perfectly healthy, Father.”

“Well, that’s a relief, but…”

“Wow! This meat is so delicious! The chef must have put in extra effort today.”

It was only when I ate another piece of steak that my father finally seemed to relax and started eating.

My father, who had been silently eating the grilled turkey, held a teacup filled with herbal tea in his hand as he asked me,

“Do you want anything for your birthday? I bought various gifts, like jewels or dresses, but I don’t know if you’ll like them.”

“When did you ever give me a gift I didn’t like, Father?”

“Haha! How much you’ve grown, saying such mature things.”

Father’s happy laughter filled the dining room. Now that Father was in a good mood, I decided to bring up the main subject.

“Actually, Father, there is one thing I want for my birthday.”

“Anything you wish.”

Could I really say anything? No, I had to. So that I would never lose this peace again.

“However, what I want isn’t an object but a person.”

“…A person?”

“Yes.”

Father, who blinked several times at my words, opened his mouth as if something came to his mind.

“Don’t tell me, do you have someone you are in love with?”

Father brought the teacup he was holding to his mouth, about to take a sip. I opened my mouth again to correct his assumption.

“No, I want a younger brother.”

-Pfut!

Father spat out the tea he was drinking when he heard what I said. As a result, I, who was sitting right across from him, was thoroughly baptized by his saliva.

“…A-Aren? A younger brother? What does that mean? Are you asking your father to remarry…..”

“No. You don’t have to do that.”

I wiped off Father’s spit with a napkin and continued talking.

“I plan to bring the younger brother myself.”

“What… What does that mean? You will bring a younger brother… I can’t understand what you’re saying at all.”

Father leaned back in his chair and wrapped both his hands around his forehead. He seemed quite flustered, and his hands were shaking noticeably.

“Father, do you trust me?”

In response to my question, Father lowered his hands from his forehead and looked at me. As if weighing the gravity of my words, Father squinted his eyes a little, then soon loosened his expression and responded.

“The only person I trust in this world is you.”

“…..”

“So I would appreciate it if my smart daughter explained what exactly she meant. I’m very confused as to why you suddenly declared an adoption of a younger brother.”

Despite how strange it sounded, Father was trying to understand me. That was even more the reason I couldn’t tell him the truth.

How could I tell my precious father that, ‘In the future that I’ve seen, you died on the battlefield, and I was used by my fiancé and was stabbed in the heart by him.’

I couldn’t say it, regardless of whether he would believe me or not. After all, even I don’t know how I had returned to the past.

So what I told my father was pure deceit. However, even if it meant deceiving my father, I wanted to live with him for the rest of my life.

It was only after I died that I realized how precious this small peace really was. I don’t care if someone blames me for being selfish.

“I’ve always wanted a younger brother who can protect me since I was little.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to employ a few knights for that?”

“A knight can’t become a family member. Haven’t you ever thought that it would be nice to have another son?”

“I’m content with just you, Aren.”

Father spoke in a firm tone as he stroked his chin. Then I cast my eyes downward, as if I were sad.

“I know what I said must sound strange.”

“…”

“Father, I wish you would listen to my foolish wish just this once. Bringing in a younger brother will be a big help to our family.”

“…It will be a big help to our family?”

“Yes. I’m not planning to bring in just anyone, but someone who can be of help to our family. It will definitely be a big problem if our family’s healing ability becomes known to others, right? So how about we bring in a strong man as a younger brother to prevent such an incident?”

“Hmm…”

Father seemed to think carefully about the matter. And while staring into his eyes, I added,

“I’ll bring a strong, obedient child who can protect our family. I’m sure you’ll like him too.”

Our safest defense against a future promising only ruin was Cassadin. I had to bring him here, no matter what.

Because the person I am trying to take in as a younger brother right now would later become the greatest Knight Commander in the history of the Seville Empire and be feared by all other countries.

Cassadin.

If my memory serves me right, he should be working as a slave gladiator at this point in time. I had to get to him before the Crown Prince would find him and take him into the palace.

This was my plan.

I would take in Cassadin, who had been driven to the edge of the cliff, living as a slave gladiator, as my younger brother, feed him, and treat him with kindness.

It was going to be a hard task to turn the man with the title of slave into my younger brother, but I was prepared to take on any burden.

Then, if everything goes well, the one who would get enlisted to go to the battlefield instead of our father would be him, my younger brother.

This way, Father can live, and if Damian tries to take my life, I would at least have a temporary measure in place.

In the future that I know, the only person who could beat Damian was Cassadin, who was known to be a master of swordsmanship and became the youngest Knight Commander.

“I’ve never asked for a favor like this before, haven’t I, Father?”

“Certainly.”

Father seemed to be lost in thought, and after a while, his firmly sealed lips finally opened slowly.

“Aren, I had no idea you were burdened with such worries. I didn’t know you had such thoughts about our family.”

“…”

“Aren, as you said, you’ve never asked me for anything like this before. I trust that my daughter wouldn’t make such a request without a good reason. So you must have a deeper intention. You’ve always been smarter than most, since you were young.”

“…Father.”

“Bring the younger brother or whatnot to me first. I trust my daughter. However, bring a decent boy. If he is deemed unworthy, he won’t be able to take a single step into this household!”

“Father!”

I sprang up from my seat and hugged Father tightly. He shrugged his shoulders as if admitting defeat, patting my back as he mumbled,

“There’s no such thing as a parent who can win against their child. The old sayings are always true.”

I let out a small laugh at Father’s comment.

After the successful meal, the first thing I did after returning to my room was to change into a dress perfect for going out and one that matched my appearance.

Maid Sasha continuously praised my appearance as she helped me change into a sky-blue dress that revealed my collarbones.

“Our Miss is so beautiful!”

It did seem like my face looked brighter when I wore the sky-blue dress. Though it might have been Sasha’s fussing that made me feel that way.

“How about this necklace and earrings? I think they will suit Miss very well.”

Sasha had already put the glittering sapphire necklace around my neck before she let out a small gasp of realization and bit her lower lip slightly. I giggled at her quick actions.

“Thank you, Sasha. I love it.”

Sasha smiled brightly at my response. As I looked at the happy Sasha, I thought about Cassadin, whom I was going to meet soon.

If he became my loyal ally, there would be no stronger supporter I could ask for.

If my memory serves me correctly, the gladiator tournament should be in full swing at the moment.

Although it was over a year before Cassadin caught the eye of the Crown Prince, I had to bring him to our side as soon as possible.

I couldn’t waste this second chance at life after all. In order to bring Damian to his downfall, I needed Cassadin.

“Where is Miss going out today? It’s Miss’s birthday.”

Sasha, who had been a diligent maid and had taken care of me since I was young, tilted her head in question as she asked me.

The image of her crying when I announced that I was engaged to Damian in the past still plays vividly in my mind.

“You’ll see soon enough.”

I gave a vague reply to Sasha with a smile and prepared to board the carriage, marked with our family’s symbol of a white eagle. Before I got into the carriage, the coachman asked me for our destination.

“Where are you going today, Miss?”

“Take me to the stadium where the gladiator tournament is being held.”

“…The gladiator stadium, you say?”

“I heard there’s a famous gladiator stadium in the outer region. Since today is my birthday, I thought it would be interesting to watch a slave gladiator match.”

“Ah, understood.”

The coachman seemed a little surprised, but he quickly drove off without a word. Once inside the carriage, I gazed at the scenery outside, then closed my eyes for a bit.

After who knows how long, I was awakened by the coachman’s voice,

“Miss, wake up. We’ve arrived at our destination.”

Escorted by the coachman, I got off the carriage.

The moment I stepped out, I was greeted by a multitude of people who had gathered to watch the gladiator tournament. Most of the spectators were commoners, but I also saw a few nobles scattered about.

Fortunately, I didn’t see any members of the royal family, including the Crown Prince.

I breathed a sigh of relief and pushed through the crowd to approach the ticket booth. At that point, one of the people in line shouted at me in an annoyed voice,

“Hey, what’s this? Don’t cut in line!”

“…”

Ignoring the man’s complaint, I spoke to the ticket seller,

“I’ll pay enough, so guide me to the best viewing spot.”

“Y-yes, ma’am!”

“I’m sorry for cutting in line, so pay for everyone else’s tickets too.”

“Everyone’s?”

“Yes, everyone’s.”

Then the earlier complaints directed at me were quieted by my words.

After all, money was abundant in our family. This little expense was nothing if it meant acquiring Cassadin as my younger brother.

Thanks to the healing ability inherited by those of the Serkia bloodline, our family has accumulated considerable wealth for generations.

Of course, the fact that our family possessed healing abilities was a closely guarded secret known only to the royal family. After all, it was no secret that the power would be exploited if it was revealed to anyone else.

When a member of the royal family suffered a fatal injury that no doctor could treat, it was the Serkia family’s job to help out.

In return for the royal family monopolizing our healing abilities, our family received their protection. It was a mutually beneficial relationship, so there was nothing bad about it.

However, in my past life, I broke our unspoken rule with the royal family and revealed our family’s secret to Damian. All for the sake of dumb love…

Thinking back on it now, it was truly foolish.

‘I carelessly showed off my healing ability to him and was exploited by him until the moment I died.’

I will not repeat such stupid mistakes again. That’s why I’ve come here to take in Cassadin as my brother.

Then I hurried to the seat the ticket seller directed me to.

“Here you are, my lady. The seat is shaded from the sun, and above all, you will have a great view of the games.”

The place the ticket seller guided me to was the only place in the stadium that had a tent and spacious seats.

It was indeed the best view, probably because of the large sum of money I paid.

Taking a seat, I slowly surveyed the stadium.

I could see that there were a large number of people in the large circle of the stadium’s seats from a short glance.

The people sitting diagonally across from me were talking so loudly that I could hear them from this distance.

“He’s coming out again this time. Good.”

“Who are you talking about?”

“The one at the end there, the pale guy. He’s the one that I came here to see today.”

“…Are you talking about that ashy, pale slave?”

“Yes. He looks pretty, but he’s a good fighter. I dare say that more than half of the audience here came to see him just like me.”

The man pointed to the center of the stadium with his chin.

Following his gesture to the middle of the stadium were the slave gladiators, who were standing in a row as they faced the scorching sun with heavy shackles on their hands and feet.

Among the gladiators, which easily numbered more than ten, I immediately knew who the man was pointing to.

Among the tanned, muscular slave gladiators, there was one person who didn’t look like a slave gladiator at all.

One man had a strange aura surrounding him. His skin was pale enough to make me think he was immune to sunlight.

‘Cassadin.’

At almost the same time I mumbled Cassadin’s name to myself, he raised his bowed head.

His deep purple eyes, which revealed nothing about him, met mine in the air.