CH 106

She had almost seen and done everything, so she didn’t think anything would surprise her.

However, this was an unimaginable situation.

Serdel, who was deeply shaken, dropped the invitation.

As she forced herself to swallow the dry saliva, her mouth, which was already dry as a desert, felt like it was getting tighter.

After blinking several times, Serdel bent down to pick up the invitation.

Then she looked at it again.

‘There’s nothing—’

The small text she had just seen had disappeared like a dream.

She tried to touch the part out of curiosity, but there was no special energy or anything else when she did.

‘What is this? Is this foresight?’

There is not only one way to read the future.

This was learned before by being forced to deal with different situations in the slave market.

Serdel kept looking over the invitation. No other phenomenon happened.

Eventually, she folded the invitation with a sigh and remembered the short and intense phrase.

‘It says, ‘do you know about my death?’.’

It was foresight that the Emperor couldn’t appear without remembering his past life.

‘Does he have the same power as me? Since when? Did he ever go back—’

She didn’t let her mind wander.

‘The fact that I saw something like this means I will hear something similar from the Emperor sooner or later.’

It felt like a tingling sensation was riding up from her toes.

What did the Emperor think when he saw her walking a completely different path from the previous life he remembered?

Every time she went to an audience, her heart beat like crazy at the thought that he would pay close attention to her.

‘Let’s calm down.’

“Whoo.”

‘At times like this, I have to calm down.’

Maybe the Emperor thought she was one of his own kind.

And by the time he said those words, he likely had already decided that she was reliable or useful.

In other words, it was like an opportunity for her. 

‘Of course, it could be more dangerous, but.’

Serdel buried herself in the backrest and held up the invitation again.

The dinner party is in 10 days.

Before that, she had to think about how to treat the Emperor.

Knock, knock. 

“Lady, it’s Monem. The Duke of Blendard has sent a man.”

“Let him in.”

After a while, the door opened, and an old man older than the butler entered.

The old man with the walking stick took a deep breath,  and bent his waist even more toward Serdel.

Serdel straightened her posture. For some reason, she felt like she had to approach him and give him some support, so her butt shook for nothing.

“It is an honor to meet the new successor of Count Robbesta. But, unfortunately, the master said that communication is not working well, and he asks you to join us for dinner tonight. Cough!”

On the day he returned from the subjugation, Belters left a message saying that he would contact her separately, and he sent a letter two days later.

Serdel turned down his offer to meet up if she had time, saying she was too busy.

Since then, she has been contacted more than once but has refused to answer.

“The dinner will be accompanied by the knights who participated in the expedition, so it won’t be too much of a burden. Dame Addis will also be there, and he told her in advance that Young Lady would be there, so he asked you to come.” 

There was no justification to refuse.

She became wary when she tried to meet someone who was relieved when they were on the same side.

Moreover, it was strangely burdensome to explain what happened that day.

Falden kept the powers that she and Dell showed during the expedition to a complete secret. Most of them were his subordinates, so it wasn’t difficult. 

Nevertheless, she obtained a magic contract to restrict him from discussing it with his subordinates, which he showed over the communication channel.

Belters didn’t tell anyone about her either, but because she was found directly using her power, it was true that it was more burdensome than with Falden. 

The old man crept up on Serdel while she was pondering.

As if he won’t move until she says she’s going.

“The master even sent a wagon. He said it is okay to come in comfortable clothes and just attend then return.”

The old man stared at Serdel with the most pitiful expression in his eyes.

“…I’ll attend. When I’m done with my work.”

“Yes, then I will wait patiently. Oh, there is a cat. Come here.”

Today, Dell, who has turned into a black cat, came in through the terrace.

The old man shook the jerky he took out of his arms. Why does jerky come from such a place? 

Unsurprisingly, Dell came toward the old man, drooling.

And looking for the gap, Dell swung the front foot. 

He used his brain because taking the beef jerky off the toenails would be easy.

However, the old man’s hand was faster. 

The old man who had thrown the jerky in his mouth grinned and pulled out another jerky from his pocket. 

The movement was unusual.

It was difficult to concentrate on the documents, so Serdel eventually got up.

“I will just leave now. Monem, if father finds me, tell him I have an appointment for a while.”

“Yes, I understand.”

When she opened the door, Blenn was standing in the hallway.

“Are you going out?”

She nodded instead of answering.

Then Blenn followed naturally.

Outside the mansion, as the old man said, she saw a luxury carriage with the Duke’s mark on it.

She took Blenn’s hand and gently climbed into the carriage. As she and the old man boarded, the carriage moved slowly.

******

When they got there, the Duke’s house was much bigger than the Count’s. 

This was natural, as the size of the land allowed by the imperial family differed according to their status.

The carriage stopped.

As the door opened, Serdel stared at the hand approaching her.

It was Belters. 

He must have been out in advance when he saw the carriage coming in.

“Congratulations on becoming a successor. Also, thank you for accepting my invitation.”

She had thought since the last time she saw him, but his half-formal speech made her feel awkward.

It’s the same soft tone, but when he spoke formally, he was more charming, and when he said informally, he looked funny.

“Thank you for congratulating me.”

She grabbed his hand and stepped out of the carriage, and the smell of food wafted through her.

“Dame Addis and the knights are expected to be here in an hour.”

So Serdel had no choice but to follow his gaze, asking to talk separately.

“Hand, please take it off.”

She was just about to walk with Belters, but Blenn came out. He stared at Belters’ big hand, which was holding Serdel’s hand with a cold expression on his face.

When the greeting was over, it was polite to let go of their hand. But, so naturally, he forgot about Serdel.

Serdel took her hand first.

Only then did Blenn step back.

Belters took the lead with a strange smile, and Serdel stepped back one step and then followed him.

The mansion was splendid and magnificent.

Frames hung all over the hallway, making her feel like she was in an art museum.

He took Serdel to the office, contrary to her expectation that he would lead her to the drawing-room.

The maid was waiting, and as soon as she sat down on the sofa, she made tea and left.

In the middle of a large space, they were left alone.

“It felt different from magic. What kind of power is that?”

Belters said straightforwardly.

“The leader of the Knights of the Imperial Family is not just a position to protect the Imperial Family. I have a duty to defend the capital, so I have to figure it out when I find an unidentified power.”

Serdel couldn’t immediately answer.

“It’s an unknown power. Even Dame Addis didn’t know.”

“It’s not a harmful power.”

Hmm, with a low moan, he clearly looked into Serdel’s eyes.

She couldn’t escape his gaze.

“I trust you.”

“…Yes?”

Serdel was confused by the clear answer for a contact like this to ask to meet.

“If you look into the other person’s eyes, you can tell if they’re serious or not.”

It was funny that she was nervous.

“Young Lady— no, as Lord Serdel said, I don’t think it’s a harmful force, so I’ll keep it a secret.”

She felt a little unfamiliar with her name, which was naturally upgraded.

Most people still called her Young Lady. Even the invitation they sent her to the party said Young Lady.

As she became the heir of a family, Serdel wasn’t simply a woman of an aristocratic style.

Based on her status, it would be the same as moving up one level, so it was appropriate for her to be called “Lord” instead of what she was called before. 

She felt respected.

Without realizing it, her mouth moved.

“Don’t you think I did something dangerous back then?”

“It wasn’t dangerous as a result, was it? That’s enough. It’s natural to use it when you have power. Thanks to that, you also protected Sir Redan and many others.”

It was new. 

People always try to protect her and tell her it’s dangerous, but now she’s up against someone who sees her as an equal.

It was something new to her.