Before he gave his heart and turned back time, Raphael Kronhardt's childhood was dark even before he was cursed.
He almost died today too.
Raphael, a 12-year-old boy, thought indifferently. He wondered why this month was just passing by, but there was poison in the food.
As soon as he noticed something strange, he put his hand on his neck and vomited it out.
Although he felt chills and fever all over his body, perhaps because of the poison he hadn't been able to vomit out, he pretended to be fine and attended the dinner party.
That was the way to survive in the Grand Duke's household...
His father, Grand Duke Kronhard, was a man with three wives and five mistresses.
Among them, his mother was a former maid and was the most powerless government official.
She drank tea sent by his second wife while she was pregnant, and her health rapidly deteriorated.
After giving birth to Raphael, she closed her eyes immediately, and he was thrown into the silent battlefield bare-handed and without a shield.
The Grand Duke was an irresponsible man for a man with so many children.
He irresponsibly tolerated what women did to each other in their quest to make their children heirs.
There was an unfounded belief that only the child who survived such ordeals should inherit the Grand Duke's family.
Maybe it was just a hassle...
Of course, Raphael had no sympathy for that belief at all.
He didn't have a mother to protect him, and he was too young.
But the other children didn't think so and were just eager to reduce the number of competitors by one.
Until now, Raphael's survival could only be explained by his innate beast-like intuition and luck.
Since he couldn't sleep deeply, dark shadows naturally appeared under his eyes.
As he was on guard at every meal, his body became very thin, and as he couldn't go out often, his skin became increasingly pale.
Raphael was sick and tired of that routine. He didn't think he could bear it any longer.
'I'd rather go out on the street than stay in this crazy place any longer.'
Even if he had to do dirty work every day, go hungry, and sleep on the hard floor, it would be better than enduring this danger.
Anyway, Raphael never had any attachment to the Grand Duke from the beginning.
As time passed and his body recovered from the poisoning, Raphael finally carried out a long-held idea.
After informing him that he had some business to attend to in the city, he rented a horse from the stable.
He rode his horse bare-handed without taking any luggage.
He felt so good and relieved.
***
At first, he thought about doing odd jobs like delivering newspapers or doing odd jobs at a restaurant.
Go to a place that provides food and a place to stay, learn a job, and eventually you'll start saving up some money, even if it's just a little bit.
Let's save that money and live a peaceful life.
Raphael intended to live like that.
But now that he's out in the open air, he feels like he wants to see the world first.
One of his goals was to make him feel a little more of the freedom he had.
He rode a lot during the day, going down to the village to see the bustling streets, and going further into the forests on the outskirts.
Perhaps it was because he had successfully overcome the assassination attempt just a few days ago and because he had finally escaped the Grand Duke's care.
He calmed his nerves, which had always been tense, and let his guard down for the first time in his life.
So. It never occurred to him that someone from the Grand Duke's family would be after Raphael.
Raphael, who had entered the deep forest, took a deep breath on his horse's saddle.
The fresh, cool air and the scent of grass seem to reach his lungs.
He felt free and at the same time lost.
Raphael was also a boy who lived only twelve years.
It was only when he came to the quiet forest where there were no people that he fully realized the reality of his situation.
Even as he buried his face in his hands and sighed, he didn't realize that someone was slowly approaching him from behind.
"Ugh!"
It was just then.
A noose, used when hunting animals, caught Raphael's neck.
It was an assassin sent by someone. He felt a strong impact that made his head fall back, followed by a feeling of being strangled.
As soon as Raphael fell off the saddle, the horse he was riding ran away. He felt pain as if his whole body was being torn apart.
Raphael instinctively resisted by grabbing the branch next to him.
He struggled, kicking his legs to avoid being dragged away.
"Sa, ugh, sa, save me!"
Raphael shouted with all his might, taking advantage of the slight loosening in the rope.
He wonders if anyone will hear his voice in this remote forest.
"Sa, save me... Ugh, save me!"
He heard the man with the noose around his neck laughing.
The laughter was so evil that it made him scream even louder.
His face turned red and his pronunciation became slurred, but he somehow managed to get his voice out loud.
As his vision began to darken and his consciousness began to fade due to lack of oxygen, miraculously, he heard a sound other than his own moans.
It was the sound of someone's carriage wheels rolling...
"What are you doing there!"
The coachman shouted loudly. Raphael saw the figure through his blurry vision.
'What's that... It's the Duke's emblem. Why is it in the North?'
The assassin who was strangling him also clicked his tongue as if he noticed it. He hesitated with a hand that seemed to have some regrets, then let go of the noose and ran away.
"Cough, cough! Whoosh, cough!"
Every time Raphael coughed, it hurt as if he had broken his ribs while falling from the horse.
"Oh my goodness, honey. Are you okay?"
A woman got out of the carriage and ran up to him, asking him with concern. Judging from her attire, she seemed to be a Duchess.
'This time it was really dangerous.'
Raphael thought and caressed his neck, which had been sleepy just a moment ago.
At the same time, he realized that he could never escape this damn birth.
The persistent Grand Dukes were not the great men who would leave him alone just because he ran away from there.
They will try to nip him in the bud, fearing that he will reappear someday and pose a threat to them.
"Who on earth did that? Did you get mugged?"
As Raphael was realizing that desperate truth, he heard the woman's voice next to him.
Although he was grateful that she saved his life, Raphael was also annoyed by the way she asked questions without knowing anything.
In fact, maybe he just needed somewhere to vent his anger.
"Yes, just go on your way."
Raphael spoke in a gruff voice, hiding his injured ribs due to his habit of not showing weakness.
But the Duchess of Wintersoar did not seem to mind his tone and continued to look at Raphael from the same spot.
"Get in the carriage. I'll take you there. The forest will soon get dark and it'll be dangerous."
Raphael raised his head and looked around at the empty surroundings. Then he realized that the horse he had brought from the Grand Duke's house had run away.
There was no way out of the forest, but for some reason, he didn't want to take the hand the Duchess offered him. It felt like he was being pitied.
"Huh? Get up quickly..."
"Ouch!"
The Duchess placed her hand affectionately on Raphael's body. It was clearly unintentional, but the injured area began to hurt.
The Duchess's hands fluttered in the air in confusion at Raphael's groan.
"You're badly hurt. I'm so sorry."
Knowing that, he wanted to tell her to disappear, but the gentle voice made it difficult for him to say any more barbed words.
How long has it been since someone has been this worried about me?
Considering the previous assassination attempts, this isn't a particularly deep wound.
While Raphael hesitated, the Duchess carefully raised her arm.
Soon, a warm white light emanated from her fingertips. Raphael's eyes widened as he saw magic for the first time.
As the light enveloped him. He felt the pain go away. Raphael looked at the Duchess with wary eyes.
"I am not a professional healer. I can't heal your wounds. I can only relieve your pain temporarily."
As she treated his wounds, her complexion became noticeably pale.
Cold sweat formed on her forehead and a dry cough came out.
It seemed to anyone that someone who shouldn't be using magic was overdoing it.
Raphael, unable to accept the exact situation, tried to get up, but the Duchess stopped him.
"Easy, just a little more... Yeah, good."
Soon the light that had surrounded his body disappeared, and the pain disappeared along with it.
"Would you like to come with me in the carriage now?"
When Raphael saw her pale face as she treated him, he couldn't bring himself to refuse her as coldly as he had before.
Raphael got up hesitantly and followed the Duchess, pretending he couldn't resist.
'Why are you doing a favor to someone like me? You don't even look healthy.'
After walking a few dozen steps, he arrived at a nearby carriage. The coachman opened the door but looked him up and down as if he was wary of the unfamiliar boy.
This was a normal reaction, and Raphael was more used to it.
As soon as the door opened, a chattering voice was heard inside the carriage.
"Mom! What happened? What were you doing outside, huh? Why did you tell me to stay inside? I said I was bored."
As soon as Raphael stepped into the carriage, his eyes met with a small girl with pink hair.
The girl's eyes widened when she first saw him, and then she smiled brightly without even covering her face.
'What is that thing the size of a rat bean?'
That was Raphael's first thought when he saw Enrica Wintersoar.
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