Time passed quickly.
After a brief escape from city life, they began a wandering life in the forests and mountains with no one around them.
Aila, who was born in the fall, had already passed her birthday. No one celebrated her birthday.
Of course, if you add up the age from her past life that she remembered, her mental age would be older than that, but if you count her physical age, she was thirteen.
“...Well done.”
Aila stared at Cloud's face as he complimented her. Every time she saw him, he looked unfamiliar. The long scar on the right side of his face.
It felt strange because it was a scar that didn't exist in her past life. It was the most noticeable thing she had changed by turning back time.
This is evidence that makes her realize that time has really turned back and that something has changed drastically.
"Miss?"
When Aila didn't respond to his compliment and just stared at him, Cloud asked with a puzzled look on his face.
“...Huh? Thanks for the compliment.”
Only then did Aila wake up from her reverie and blush shyly smile. It was a compliment she always got, as she had been showing remarkable growth recently.
How foolish of you both, Cloud and Byron.
She was already at the highest level they wanted, but she was hiding it and pretending that her skills were improving. They were just happy about it.
He just said, "Well done," bluntly, but she knew how surprised Cloud was at how quickly her skills were improving. It was because she had overheard his conversations with Byron a few times.
They say things like, "She's truly a genius." They praise her by saying, "She's a gift from heaven." While they brag about it to Byron behind her back, she pretends not to know anything about it in front of them.
“Then let’s stop here for today, Miss.”
"...already?"
There was still a lot of training time left. At the words that it was already over, Aila blinked blankly.
“Yes. The remaining time is... free time. Since I have permission from the master, you may make yourself at home.”
Free time? Her mouth fell open at the thought that she had even received permission from Byron.
It was the first time in her life that she had free time, but she had no idea what to do.
She couldn't be completely free, since she would be watched anyway. But the time given to her was so unfamiliar to her.
'What should I do?'
She was deep in thought. If there was anything she wanted to do, it would be to sneak into Byron's room and eavesdrop on his conversations or get information.
Isn't this something that can't be done in this bright daylight?
After Aila entered the studio, she sometimes had free time to read books and such.
There were no books here that a child would be interested in reading, other than gruesome books about assassination.
“Can I... go for a walk?”
“As long as you don’t go too far, it’s okay.”
To her question, Cloud nodded. Being able to roam freely? It was truly unbelievable.
Of course, she wasn't alone. Cloud had assigned one of his men to her. Whether it was to protect her or to watch over her, I don't know.
Although the sturdy knight followed her quietly from a distance, it felt strange to be walking around the fortress freely.
Because in her past life, she had never had the freedom.
Was it a problem of skill? If she had learned everything at once, like she does now in her past life, would she have been able to have this much free time?
‘...What’s the point of thinking about this now?’
Aila turned her head to the surrounding scenery to shake off the thoughts that kept bothering her. It was now full-blown autumn, and the autumn scenery was truly beautiful.
The forest full of broadleaf trees was full of trees with leaves dyed yellow and red. The fields were full of nameless autumn flowers in full bloom.
'It's pretty, though.'
As autumn deepened, Aila's worries deepened.
Because winter was coming soon.
‘When winter comes... What should I do?’
For a while, she roamed freely every night, gathering information.
The reason she can now hide and move around is that she can climb up a tree with thick leaves and hide herself. It is also because she is less visible when she wears dark-colored clothes on a dark night.
But when winter comes, things are different.
The leaves would all fall, and the naked trees would not be able to hide her body.
Besides, when the snow piles up, black clothes stand out. Since they work outside all day in the dust, they don't have any brightly colored sportswear.
However, the winters in the Peles Empire were so harsh that it was difficult to walk around in just thin white pajamas.
And leaving footprints was also a problem. No matter how quietly and lightly she walked, she couldn't help but leave footprints in the accumulated snow.
It would be nice if the snow kept falling and erased her footprints, but the problem was that it would also leave traces of her walking around in the snow.
‘...We can’t stop winter from coming.’
Even though she went back to the past against the laws of nature, she could not stop the passage of time.
She sighed as she watched the red dragonflies flying among the pink cosmos.
It was when Aila returned to the fortress after her walk.
With a “Wajangchang,” something fell in front of her. It was a silver goblet. Startled, she looked around. She saw that the window on the second floor was broken.
'That's... Byron's room?'
The noise didn't stop there. There was a constant, loud crashing and crashing noise.
What on earth is going on? Byron used to be a violent man who would act out without thinking when he got angry, but it didn't happen very often. But she thought it was happening more often these days.
Aila swore to herself that she would find out what was so upsetting about Byron tonight, staying far away from the window in case something else came flying at her.
‘...How should I convey this again?’
It was just after Aila went out for a walk. Cloud noticed that a messenger had flown in and quickly checked the contents.
After checking the contents, he froze in place for a while, lost in thought.
This was because the information that had been hastily delivered using the magic messenger was very difficult to convey to Byron.
Byron's nephew, now Crown Prince, after a failed attempt to kill Winfred.
He expected him to be scolded harshly when he returned after a few days.
Byron had been treating Cloud so well since then that it was almost creepy. He hadn't gotten angry or thrown anything at him.
Moreover, since Aila's performance had been very satisfactory recently, Byron's mood seemed better than ever in the years he had observed him.
But.
Cloud was worried that the wound around his eye, which had only recently healed, might burst again.
Because it was news that Byron could not possibly throw things away.
'I can't not tell you that.'
It was really awkward. To the point where he couldn't help but think that it would have been better if it had been someone other than him who had confirmed this transmission.
But the only one who could handle this level of information was Capella, if not him.
'Yeah. I'm better than you, sister-in-law.'
Cloud, who thought so, took steps that he could not bring himself to take and went to find Byron.
And just as he expected.
“...What did you just say?”
Byron was terribly angry.
“It is said that Lady Hailing... has had a child.”
Cloud, who once again delivered news that would make Byron uncomfortable, closed his eyes tightly, for the glass in Byron's hand was sure to fly towards him.
But the glass didn't fly, and suddenly a loud clanking sound was heard.
Cloud opened his eyes in surprise and realized that the glass Byron had thrown had broken through the window and flown outside, not at him.
It didn't stop there. Unable to bear the boiling anger, Byron swept the items on the desk with his arm and threw them all on the floor.
Byron, who had been expressing his anger for a long time, walked quickly towards Cloud.
When he silently held out his hand, Cloud realized that it meant he was asking for the letter, so he politely placed the letter in Byron's hand.
After reading the letter, Byron, unable to contain his anger, crumpled up the letter and threw it into the corner of the room. Then, he gestured to Cloud to leave.
Cloud let out a sigh of relief as he left Byron's room. He was so nervous that he couldn't even breathe properly.
‘...I have to tell other people today too.’
Don't come near Byron's room until he calls you first.
He shook his head and went down the stairs.
Byron, left alone, picked up the bottle of alcohol on his desk.
The glass he had thrown had already flown out the window, so he had no choice but to drink the whole bottle.
But no matter how much alcohol he swallowed, the fire burning in his heart would not go out.
They said that she was the type of person who would not have children easily. They said that Aila would be her first and last child. But he was suddenly upset when he heard that she had another child.
He couldn't believe it, so he opened the letter he had thrown in the corner and read it again.
No matter how many times he checked, there was no way that the contents he had already read would change, and Byron became so angry that he tore up the letter and burned it.
He knew it in his head. Roderick and Ophelia were officially a couple. And they even had a daughter named Aila.
But his heart couldn't accept it.
The fact that Ophelia was in the arms of another man. Roderick, that traitor. That son of a bitch, was in the arms of Ophelia.
The fact that Ophelia, whom he loved so much, was pregnant with that man's child again.
He didn't want to accept it.
Byron threw the empty bottle of wine. It hit the stone wall and shattered into pieces. It looked like Byron's heart, wounded by love.
“Ophelia. Oh, my Ophelia... Why on earth? Why!!!”
He collapsed on the bed, crying out for Ophelia, but it was a call that could not possibly reach her in Venator, thousands of miles away.
After struggling in pain for a while, he let out a sigh.
“And yet, I love you, Ophelia.”
I love you so much for being hugged by so many different men.
Byron confessed his desperate love.
Even if a newborn baby were to be killed, that would be the end of it.
I will kill Roderick with his daughter's hands. I will kill his son with Aila's hands.
And Ophelia, who was left alone, would be placed by Byron's side.
Thinking of the beautiful Ophelia who would one day wear the crown of Empress, Byron went to sleep.
After a brief escape from city life, they began a wandering life in the forests and mountains with no one around them.
Aila, who was born in the fall, had already passed her birthday. No one celebrated her birthday.
Of course, if you add up the age from her past life that she remembered, her mental age would be older than that, but if you count her physical age, she was thirteen.
“...Well done.”
Aila stared at Cloud's face as he complimented her. Every time she saw him, he looked unfamiliar. The long scar on the right side of his face.
It felt strange because it was a scar that didn't exist in her past life. It was the most noticeable thing she had changed by turning back time.
This is evidence that makes her realize that time has really turned back and that something has changed drastically.
"Miss?"
When Aila didn't respond to his compliment and just stared at him, Cloud asked with a puzzled look on his face.
“...Huh? Thanks for the compliment.”
Only then did Aila wake up from her reverie and blush shyly smile. It was a compliment she always got, as she had been showing remarkable growth recently.
How foolish of you both, Cloud and Byron.
She was already at the highest level they wanted, but she was hiding it and pretending that her skills were improving. They were just happy about it.
He just said, "Well done," bluntly, but she knew how surprised Cloud was at how quickly her skills were improving. It was because she had overheard his conversations with Byron a few times.
They say things like, "She's truly a genius." They praise her by saying, "She's a gift from heaven." While they brag about it to Byron behind her back, she pretends not to know anything about it in front of them.
“Then let’s stop here for today, Miss.”
"...already?"
There was still a lot of training time left. At the words that it was already over, Aila blinked blankly.
“Yes. The remaining time is... free time. Since I have permission from the master, you may make yourself at home.”
Free time? Her mouth fell open at the thought that she had even received permission from Byron.
It was the first time in her life that she had free time, but she had no idea what to do.
She couldn't be completely free, since she would be watched anyway. But the time given to her was so unfamiliar to her.
'What should I do?'
She was deep in thought. If there was anything she wanted to do, it would be to sneak into Byron's room and eavesdrop on his conversations or get information.
Isn't this something that can't be done in this bright daylight?
After Aila entered the studio, she sometimes had free time to read books and such.
There were no books here that a child would be interested in reading, other than gruesome books about assassination.
“Can I... go for a walk?”
“As long as you don’t go too far, it’s okay.”
To her question, Cloud nodded. Being able to roam freely? It was truly unbelievable.
Of course, she wasn't alone. Cloud had assigned one of his men to her. Whether it was to protect her or to watch over her, I don't know.
Although the sturdy knight followed her quietly from a distance, it felt strange to be walking around the fortress freely.
Because in her past life, she had never had the freedom.
Was it a problem of skill? If she had learned everything at once, like she does now in her past life, would she have been able to have this much free time?
‘...What’s the point of thinking about this now?’
Aila turned her head to the surrounding scenery to shake off the thoughts that kept bothering her. It was now full-blown autumn, and the autumn scenery was truly beautiful.
The forest full of broadleaf trees was full of trees with leaves dyed yellow and red. The fields were full of nameless autumn flowers in full bloom.
'It's pretty, though.'
As autumn deepened, Aila's worries deepened.
Because winter was coming soon.
‘When winter comes... What should I do?’
For a while, she roamed freely every night, gathering information.
The reason she can now hide and move around is that she can climb up a tree with thick leaves and hide herself. It is also because she is less visible when she wears dark-colored clothes on a dark night.
But when winter comes, things are different.
The leaves would all fall, and the naked trees would not be able to hide her body.
Besides, when the snow piles up, black clothes stand out. Since they work outside all day in the dust, they don't have any brightly colored sportswear.
However, the winters in the Peles Empire were so harsh that it was difficult to walk around in just thin white pajamas.
And leaving footprints was also a problem. No matter how quietly and lightly she walked, she couldn't help but leave footprints in the accumulated snow.
It would be nice if the snow kept falling and erased her footprints, but the problem was that it would also leave traces of her walking around in the snow.
‘...We can’t stop winter from coming.’
Even though she went back to the past against the laws of nature, she could not stop the passage of time.
She sighed as she watched the red dragonflies flying among the pink cosmos.
It was when Aila returned to the fortress after her walk.
With a “Wajangchang,” something fell in front of her. It was a silver goblet. Startled, she looked around. She saw that the window on the second floor was broken.
'That's... Byron's room?'
The noise didn't stop there. There was a constant, loud crashing and crashing noise.
What on earth is going on? Byron used to be a violent man who would act out without thinking when he got angry, but it didn't happen very often. But she thought it was happening more often these days.
Aila swore to herself that she would find out what was so upsetting about Byron tonight, staying far away from the window in case something else came flying at her.
***
‘...How should I convey this again?’
It was just after Aila went out for a walk. Cloud noticed that a messenger had flown in and quickly checked the contents.
After checking the contents, he froze in place for a while, lost in thought.
This was because the information that had been hastily delivered using the magic messenger was very difficult to convey to Byron.
Byron's nephew, now Crown Prince, after a failed attempt to kill Winfred.
He expected him to be scolded harshly when he returned after a few days.
Byron had been treating Cloud so well since then that it was almost creepy. He hadn't gotten angry or thrown anything at him.
Moreover, since Aila's performance had been very satisfactory recently, Byron's mood seemed better than ever in the years he had observed him.
But.
Cloud was worried that the wound around his eye, which had only recently healed, might burst again.
Because it was news that Byron could not possibly throw things away.
'I can't not tell you that.'
It was really awkward. To the point where he couldn't help but think that it would have been better if it had been someone other than him who had confirmed this transmission.
But the only one who could handle this level of information was Capella, if not him.
'Yeah. I'm better than you, sister-in-law.'
Cloud, who thought so, took steps that he could not bring himself to take and went to find Byron.
And just as he expected.
“...What did you just say?”
Byron was terribly angry.
“It is said that Lady Hailing... has had a child.”
Cloud, who once again delivered news that would make Byron uncomfortable, closed his eyes tightly, for the glass in Byron's hand was sure to fly towards him.
But the glass didn't fly, and suddenly a loud clanking sound was heard.
Cloud opened his eyes in surprise and realized that the glass Byron had thrown had broken through the window and flown outside, not at him.
It didn't stop there. Unable to bear the boiling anger, Byron swept the items on the desk with his arm and threw them all on the floor.
Byron, who had been expressing his anger for a long time, walked quickly towards Cloud.
When he silently held out his hand, Cloud realized that it meant he was asking for the letter, so he politely placed the letter in Byron's hand.
After reading the letter, Byron, unable to contain his anger, crumpled up the letter and threw it into the corner of the room. Then, he gestured to Cloud to leave.
Cloud let out a sigh of relief as he left Byron's room. He was so nervous that he couldn't even breathe properly.
‘...I have to tell other people today too.’
Don't come near Byron's room until he calls you first.
He shook his head and went down the stairs.
Byron, left alone, picked up the bottle of alcohol on his desk.
The glass he had thrown had already flown out the window, so he had no choice but to drink the whole bottle.
But no matter how much alcohol he swallowed, the fire burning in his heart would not go out.
They said that she was the type of person who would not have children easily. They said that Aila would be her first and last child. But he was suddenly upset when he heard that she had another child.
He couldn't believe it, so he opened the letter he had thrown in the corner and read it again.
No matter how many times he checked, there was no way that the contents he had already read would change, and Byron became so angry that he tore up the letter and burned it.
He knew it in his head. Roderick and Ophelia were officially a couple. And they even had a daughter named Aila.
But his heart couldn't accept it.
The fact that Ophelia was in the arms of another man. Roderick, that traitor. That son of a bitch, was in the arms of Ophelia.
The fact that Ophelia, whom he loved so much, was pregnant with that man's child again.
He didn't want to accept it.
Byron threw the empty bottle of wine. It hit the stone wall and shattered into pieces. It looked like Byron's heart, wounded by love.
“Ophelia. Oh, my Ophelia... Why on earth? Why!!!”
He collapsed on the bed, crying out for Ophelia, but it was a call that could not possibly reach her in Venator, thousands of miles away.
After struggling in pain for a while, he let out a sigh.
“And yet, I love you, Ophelia.”
I love you so much for being hugged by so many different men.
Byron confessed his desperate love.
Even if a newborn baby were to be killed, that would be the end of it.
I will kill Roderick with his daughter's hands. I will kill his son with Aila's hands.
And Ophelia, who was left alone, would be placed by Byron's side.
Thinking of the beautiful Ophelia who would one day wear the crown of Empress, Byron went to sleep.
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