DTS - Chapter 33

“I opened the lid so he could eat the rock honey! I’m not the only one who’s going to say something!”

Dane wrote evil.

Felix seemed determined to reform his misbehaving son through harsh punishment rather than verbally scolding him.

Dane's face, who had already been wandering around the training ground for over an hour, was almost red.

Dorothea, who used the boy's shouting as a companion to eat the apple, was not able to introduce the boy until late at lunchtime.

With new boys in a different atmosphere.

“Come on, Thea.”

The Marchioness called Dorothea's name affectionately.

“The proud child here is Edwin, this brother is two years older than you. He is Felix’s eldest son.”

“Brother Edwin.”

The boy with a friendly smile nodded towards her, his silver eyes sparkling.

“Next is the Dane you met. It’s the second one.”

Dane turned his head as if he didn't want to say hello.

When Felix quietly raised the knife in response to his son's childlike attitude, he reluctantly nodded.

“It’s Dane.”

“Dane.”

Next to him, a boy with short hair and a strikingly fair, off-white hair was seen.

At first glance, he was such a pretty boy that it was impossible to tell his gender.

If it weren't for the outfit, she would have believed it to be a girl.

“This child...”

The Marchioness, who paused for a moment, spoke again.

Dorothea felt a strange emotion seeping into her voice.

“This child is Colin’s only son. His name is Philip, and he is the same age as you.”

“Philip.”

The boy who was sitting calmly lowered his eyes without saying a word the moment his name was called.

Aiden burst into laughter as if trying to lighten the momentarily awkward atmosphere.

“If I have a son, I want to give it to you, but I’m not married yet.”

“... I never gave her a son. I just introduced them.”

“That’s not it.”

Felix sighed and said something very common sense to Dorothea, who was looking at the boys with sparkling eyes.

“It would be nice if you had a girl of your own age among your close relatives, but it would be difficult to introduce her because she is not the right age. Forget about how mischievous Dane was. I scolded him so hard.”

"It's okay."

Dorothea smiled and shrugged her shoulders.

She doesn't really like dealing with children, but it's not bad to see them sometimes. Their overflowing vitality makes her feel excited just by looking at them.

'That's when it's the freshest.'

Aiden laughed again as Dorothea smiled as she saw the never-ending vitality in front of her, like a huge snakehead that kept fluttering even after being caught on a fishing hook and brought to shore.

“You seem quite happy to meet your peers.”

“I like young children because they are bright and cheerful.”

“...”

“I think it’s especially good that Dane is in dazzling health.”

“...Thank you.”

Felix, who had paused at the unexpected compliment, calmly controlled his embarrassment and quickly responded to the compliment that was not a compliment.

It was the moment when Ben, who heard his daughter's praise, was about to say something, not knowing what to do.

“It’s good to see the children healthy.”

At that moment, everyone present realized.

The little girl in front of them has lived with a weak body for many years due to an incorrect diagnosis.

How does she feel when she sees the lively boys?

“Thea...”

The eyes of Diana, Felix's wife, and her maternal aunt, became moist.

With everyone in a solemn mood, Dorothea raised her head and added.

“I wish Uncle Colin were here too.”

Colin was recuperating at the mansion under the excuse of being sick, but in reality, he was following Hertia and uncovering the identity of the underground forces.

“I hope you bring lots of healthy food to Uncle Colin.”

That way, the next time they meet, won't she be able to rob him of the soul power he has accumulated?

Because a clear soul resides in a healthy body.

“Yeah, sure.”

Everyone smiled kindly at Dorothea.

Their eyes were filled with admiration for their good niece, who had not forgotten her past of being sick for a long time and was trying to gift healthy food to her uncle with the hope that other people would not get sick like her.

***

“Oh, I’m annoyed.”

Dane left the meal, massaging his still-numb arm.

Edwin clicked his tongue, came over, and placed an ice bag on his brother's arm.

“Huh...”

“So who told you to touch your grandfather’s honey? It is not just an expensive gift, but it also contains the sincerity of the friend who obtained it, which is why my grandfather values ​​it so much.”

“I didn’t know it would open so easily. I don’t know how she did it, but...”

Dane paused mid-sentence.

Then, seeing Dorothea looking at him from afar, he suddenly lowered his voice.

“Bro, she’s a little weird.”

“It’s happening again. It’s hard to embrace her since she came back from a lot of hardships outside.”

Edwin clicked his tongue and scolded his immature younger brother.

Dane, who secretly sneaked into the mansion and searched the kitchen and ate as much of the Marquis's favorite honey as he could, and showed no sign of remorse, seemed pitiful.

The boy lost his temper at the glare from his older brother.

“That’s not it! She's really weird! When I walked into the kitchen last night, she...”

When his younger brother grumbled with his face scrunched up, Edwin asked him in a calm voice.

“What did Thea do? Is it Thea who put down the honey pot?”

“No, that’s me.”

“Then is it Thea who opened the jar?”

“No, that’s me too.”

“Then is it Thea that scooped up the honey?”

“No, it’s me but...”

The more Dane answered the question, the quieter his voice became.

Edwin looked at Dane, who was slightly shrugging his shoulders in bewilderment, and asked again.

“So, what is so strange about Thea?”

"Therefore...”

Dane's mouth became awkward.

As expected, Dorothea actually didn't do anything to him.

To put it bluntly, he would say that she did not stop him from eating honey.

Dane realized this while answering his older brother Edwin's questions one by one.

He was the one who opened the honey jar and ate it, and Dorothea didn't do anything else, so why does he feel uncomfortable towards Dorothea?

It was that moment.

The moment Dane's grumbling eyes met Dorothea's, his eyes slightly widened.

The girl with a raised eyebrow looked at him from top to bottom, tasting him...

“Are you smacking your lips?!”

"What?"

Edwin belatedly turned his head in the direction Dane was looking.

At that time, Jane approached Dorothea just in time and opened her mouth fussily.

“Oh my, Lady. You have a fever!”

Then, everyone nearby quickly gathered around Dorothea.

Edwin, who was watching Jane carry Dorothea fussily to the room, clicked his tongue at his younger brother.

“Don’t begrudge a child who is in pain just by leaving her alone. If you have reflected, go back to your room.”

Edwin turned around with a stern scolding and caught the eye of Philip standing like a stone.

The beautiful boy did not take his eyes off Dorothea, who was supported by a maid with a pale complexion.

“Brother, isn’t it surprising that he came here?”

He was a cousin he had never even spoken to.

To begin with, Colin rarely sets foot in this mansion.

Felix had been strangely reluctant to him, and in fact, Colin and his family had little interaction with other relatives.

“Don’t you think he seems surprisingly interested in our cousin?”

This guy always had empty eyes with a face full of the world.

Edwin observed Philip in silence in response to Dane's curious question.

The boy just stared at Dorothea without taking his eyes off her for even a moment.

***

Dorothea's existence caused another uproar in the empire.

The mere fact that she had accepted the bloodline of the Marquis's daughter, whom he had kicked out, caused a stir in aristocratic society.

In order to accept the child of his daughter, who had already been expelled from the family register, the Marquis even gave her father, Ben Avery, who was just a merchant, a noble title.

When disturbing rumors about the child circulated for a while, the nobles sympathized with the Marquis but laughed at him for being foolish.

They said it happened because the Marquis hastily accepted an unqualified child because it was his only daughter's bloodline, and they quickly distanced themselves and cut off all communication.

“No matter how tight the veins are, how can it be half-hearted...”

“I heard she lived a worse life than the commoners.”

“I already noticed that she was very reluctant.”

“Maybe she came with a terrible disease that only low-income people get?”

The rumor that the Marchioness was ill was a welcome addition to their tongues.

That wasn't all. The mansion's employees are getting sick one after another, and the business being carried out at the Marquis has suffered a setback.

They excitedly connected events that could have been coincidences as if they were inevitable.

It was a time when predictions were made that the Marquess of Highclere would gradually decline.

In addition to the fact that the disease that Dorothea Highclere had been suffering from was not mana disease, it was revealed that she was actually a naturally occurring spiritist discovered in the Empire for the first time in 100 years.

A pure natural spiritist who did not receive any affinity from a teacher or manifested it using a spirit stone.

It was natural that the aristocratic society was turned upside down.

Some who were excitedly slandering raised suspicions later, but even those were quickly put to rest when the high priest himself came forward and vouched for her innocence and extraordinary talent.

“They said it was a child of a demon race.”

“The priest officially declared it.”

“Isn’t it suspicious that a child who was loved by nature would become embroiled in such vicious rumors in the first place?”

Everyone who said it was ominous changed their words overnight as if they were changing their hands.

Those who had stopped walking began snooping around again with embarrassed faces, but none of them were able to meet young Dorothea.

The mansion was closed and everyone was pushed out.

Their explanation was that the child was sick due to this incident.

Of course, no one believed that explanation.

Everyone was terrified, saying that the Marquis was preparing severe revenge on those who used their mouths carelessly...

Dorothea was ‘really’ sick.

***

Revolving light reflection.

The sky brightens just before the sun sets.

It means resisting until just before retreating and then intensely oxidizing at the end.

It seemed that the disease, which could have almost swallowed up the child's vitality, was resentful of having to disappear.

Even at the last moment of its withdrawal from the body, it displayed its vigorous and cruel force and tried to leave scars on young Dorothea's body.

Thanks to this, Dorothea, who had a high fever for several days, had to stay in bed as one.

'Is this a reaction that arbitrarily cut off other people's ties?'

No matter how faint it may be, the contract with the spirit in exchange for a fair price was forcibly severed.

Hertia was more than half entranced by the reaction, and the reaction was also conveyed to Dorothea.

It was not until the fifth day after lying in bed with a fever that Dorothea was finally able to get up.

"Ah...”

The water spirit that had been quietly sitting in the corner of the room flew into her arms as if watching her all along.

Dorothea, who was looking at the spirit body swimming freely in the air, looked at Jane who was sleeping with a tired face, and then woke up.

She was feeling hungry after eating only dried soup.

“I guess I should refrain from using my strength for the time being.”

If she uses her soul power while her body is not strong, her body, which lacks stamina, will continue to feel the desire to consume.

She looked at the soft bread and milk on the table.

She remembered what Ben had said to her as he hugged her when she went into the kitchen and brought her an apple.

'I guess I should put something to eat in your room so you don't get hungry.'

She felt the warmth of her father’s consideration for her.

She reached out and emptied the basket of snacks that had been prepared for her and, guided by the spirit, headed straight to the mansion's study.

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