《My Father Is the Enemy of My Past Life?》 CH 1 I guess today will be the last day of my life. The suffocating feeling of death was weighing down my chest. Looking back, my existence was just as a family sword. What lingering feelings did I even have for them? However, it was sad to think that all the hard work I¡¯d done so far was to kill the man in front of me, and that too, went to waste. After all, I eventually failed, and of course, my father would be disappointed. In that dark dungeon stood a man; my lifelong target, staring down at me with cold gray eyes. At first glance, the man¡¯s hair seemed to be golden. No. I shook my head lightly. The man was the silver-haired Halias. Grand Duke Alseid Halias, the influential figure of the Viant¨¦ continent, the puppet of the royal family. The low voice of the Grand Duke sounded cool, over the damp stone floor. ¡°Last question. What about your parents?¡± I cleared my mind and parted my dry lips. ¡°I don¡¯t have any information to give you, so if you want to kill me, kill me quickly.¡± I squeezed out my voice with all my might, but there wasn¡¯t a single change of expression on Halias¡¯ face. Instead, the bell rang and a man wrapped in chains was thrown into the room. I opened my eyes wide. ¡°Father!¡± I forgot that I was going to die just a moment ago. I twisted my body with great effort. But my limbs tied to the chair didn¡¯t budge. ¡°Father! Father!¡± My father was strangely quiet. Although he was trapped, he didn¡¯t seem hurt. He laid down in a curled position. ¡°What did you do to my father?¡± I asked, looking at the Grand Duke. Then, I called my father anxiously again, ¡°Father, father! Are you okay?¡± I heard a weird sound from father, who had started to wriggle on the floor. He was laughing, but also crying. ¡°Father¡­?¡± My father rolled his body and turned to me. Only then, I could see my father¡¯s face right away. He was laughing as if he¡¯d lost his mind. Was he tortured? I had lived a harsh life, but I was also a part of his family, the child he raised up till this day. Flames were seething in my heart. However, the force that restrained my limbs was so strong that I couldn¡¯t lift a finger. At that time, the Grand Duke, who hadn¡¯t even made a breath until now, suddenly ordered. ¡°Uncover his disguise.¡± Then, his eldest son, who stood next to him, threw something that looked like a small glass bottle toward Father. Crunch! The bottle broke, and strange-colored smoke rose sharply. ¡°What are you doing!?¡± I moved my body in a fit of fear that the smoke would poison my father, but it was useless. The next moment, something unbelievable happened. My father¡¯s red hair was gradually turning black. ¡°Wh-what is this!?¡± The fiery red hair was a symbol of the Merdy family. My father, who lost his ability against Halias, lost his precious hair¡­ but, my father was still laughing and giggling. He looked like a madman, stuck at a stage worse than death. ¡°F-Father¡­¡­.¡± At that time, Father had been tightly clenching something in his hand, which slowly fell to the floor. He was far from me, but I recognized what it was at a glance. The locket pendant with a portrait of my child self, treasured by my father. Father¡¯s precious pendant rolled over the dirty stone floor several times. Then it finally stopped and snapped open. Faint images filled the room. ***** First of all, I saw a beautiful, colorful castle. Through the window of the castle, I saw a red-haired woman reading a fairy tale to me as a child. ¡­Mother? My mother didn¡¯t have red hair¡­ No, why would she? What just made me think she was my mother? My head suddenly hurt. The next image was from that night, when everything was in flames. On the night when the large castle was burning, someone rescued me and escaped from the castle. No, that¡¯s wrong. That ¡®someone¡¯ set the castle on fire and took me away without my parents¡¯ permission. He was running with me tied to the man¡¯s back. He didn¡¯t seem to care if I cried or bit, as long as I was still alive. He stayed up all night, running until dawn. Then, he got on the boat when the sun set. When he arrived at an island looking like a corpse, a nanny, who recognized my face, clicked her tongue and accepted me. ¡°Merdy¡¯s poor princess, give all the bad memories to this Bahel. This baby will grow up healthy. This selfish old woman promises you that one.¡± Nanny Bahel¡­ It was only then that I realized that the images the pendant showed were not illusions. It¡¯s a memory. The memory of my first meeting with Bahel. Bahel took the pendant I was wearing. So¡­it was originally¡­ mine? A strange scent rose behind me. I wasn¡¯t afraid all of a sudden. Since Bahel used the scent of oblivion. ¡°Now the island of Lausanne is Merdy. Merdy is where the Princess of Merdy resides.¡± What? What on earth was that pun? So, the high castle on that small island I¡¯ve been thinking of all my life wasn¡¯t Merdy? Then, what about the real Merdy? Don¡¯t tell me, is that the burning castle I saw earlier? Memories skipped time. About two years later, a wandering sorcerer came to visit. ¡°She¡¯s the little Merdy.¡± ¡°She¡¯s of my blood.¡± The black-haired man insisted. I was blank, looking at the scene in the smoke. Then, I saw him. This was the first time I¡¯d met my father. My father had black hair¡­ I had forgotten and lived without knowing it. The sorcerer gave a gruesome smile. ¡°Marquis Dehan. At this rate, it won¡¯t be long before the baby knows the truth. It¡¯s not something that can be done by Bahel alone.¡± Marquis Dehan? Did you mean Dehan at the southeast of the continent? The sorcerer mocked my father. He grabbed my hand, and put it on his chest. ¡°Descendant of Merdy. Open your eyes and light up the world.¡± Probably from then on, whenever I closed and opened my eyes, I could see fireworks. In the next memory, Marquis Dehan¡¯s hair turned red. The words I heard from someone I knew as my father were always the same. ¡°Liana, do you know how our Merdy family, the greatest noble on the continent, was evicted to such a rural island? It was all because of the cunning Halias¡¯s scheme. Near the capital, a whole large, prosperous castle was burned.¡± I saw a room of meditation in the smoke. It was an underground solitary room where I was confined for betraying his faith and having doubts if I accidentally asked about his words in detail. Each time, Bahel borrowed my father¡¯s locket pendant and comforted me by showing me a portrait of my childhood. ¡°Your father was naturally a warm person. Just that deep resentment changed your father. You have to build up your strength and avenge him. Then your father will smile again. Like the young days in this happy portrait.¡± As Bahel said, my eyes fell on his eyes painted in the portrait, full of joy. My nanny, who was saying so, shed tears as if she felt sorry for me. When I met her eyes, my heart was weakened, and at some point, my worries and anger melted away. In the end, nothing remained. I saw a lot of training and practice in the scattering memories. I practiced over and over again, and on the day I made a mistake, I was confined in the mediation room. I saw the night when I was 15. On the day I received my first mission, I finally got on a boat and went out to land. When I first stepped on the continental land, the thrill of the first time came to my mind again. Compared to the training and my ability, the mission was easy. It was only to burn a small castle on a deep winter night. It didn¡¯t take much effort to burn the small country castle, but after returning, I somehow suffered from a nightmare. I felt like I had done something bad. Bahel comforted me as if she had read my heart back then. ¡°My kind miss, there was no one in that castle. It was a castle where the plague returned and everyone disappeared. Miss did a good job. If the disease remains, the animals on the land also become sick.¡± I believed everything. After talking with Bahel, I was always at peace. If I smelled the scent that revolved around her, all my fears disappeared, and all I had was my will to avenge my parents. All the rest of my emotions were taken away and sealed inside my little locket pendant I remembered. The only one who was sweet to me in the past, nanny Bahel, was an oblivionist. ***** All of the images had disappeared. And yet, I couldn¡¯t take my gaze out toward the air. Hot tears ran down my cheeks. Father, no, the man who I thought was my father, giggled. I had no choice but turned to him and asked. ¡°Are you¡­ really?¡± He laughed his head off, then stared at me with the eyes of a madman. ¡°Why do you look like this is unfair? The one who had to suffer is rather my side! I¡¯ve lived in that rural island for decades because of you alone¡­ and you are a failure! Merdy¡¯s blood, my foot, they just pretend to be noble, and all it¡¯s worth is a penny.¡± ¡°Penny¡­ That much.¡¯ I rattled my arms tied to the chair, but I couldn¡¯t let out any power because of the magical armor that wrapped my hands. Really. At this moment, it was not as useful as wintry. Thousands of questions came to my mind, but I asked only one of them. ¡°My real family¡­ Where are they?¡± He burst into laughter even more. ¡°Haha, hahaha¡­ Dignified Grand Duke Halias, will you please answer that? Here she asks, where are all the remaining Merdy?¡± The only thing that rang in the somber underground was the man¡¯s laughter, and the Grand Duke didn¡¯t say anything. My heart jumped and my throat was dry. I looked up at Alseid Halias. ¡°Answer me.¡± But there was no answer from him. Another drop of tear fell from the glands that I thought had been dry for a long time. What kind of delicate girl I am? Crying doesn¡¯t make me look more pitiful. The Grand Duke¡¯s gaze seemed to shake for a moment in her blurred vision. No, it couldn¡¯t be¡­ But, it was easier to beg the Grand Duke than to a fake father who had been deceiving me for a lifetime. ¡°Please be generous¡­¡± My life didn¡¯t matter. I just wanted to know the truth. I said earnestly, curling my head. Halias looked down at me and was silent for a moment. Then he replied as if spitting out. ¡°All the rest of the Merdy¡¯s¡­ are dead.¡± At that moment, something shattered in my burning heart. The man shouted as if he had been waiting. ¡°He killed them! He killed them! Your family¡¯s enemy is Halias! I¡¯ve been telling you your whole life!¡± So, there was no such thing as family in this world. Maybe I lost them on that burning night. What a waste of life. I had devoted my whole life to them because I thought it was for them, who didn¡¯t have it from the beginning. The heat of my anger turned into flames. At last, flames began to spread from the heart. I took a big breath. ¡ºPrabash, come to me and burn them. The only one remaining of your descendants, Merdy, will become a sword here. Burn generously and devour them all.¡» ¡°Ahahahaha! Ahahahaha!¡± I heard the sound of a madman¡¯s laughter mixed with the old castle infested with fire. Everything was burned to the ground. As the last Merdy wished, they all became a handful of ashes. CH 2 Even after everything became ashes, the flames didn¡¯t go out. It burned like an eternity. I wondered if this was hell. In the burning pain, the unfortunate past roared in flames. The sorrow and loneliness of childhood, the pain and frustration of growing up¡­ Which of these could have been my fault? I regretted that I died without knowing where and how it went wrong. The second memory of the pendant flashed over the flames. The night when the Merdy Castle was on fire. Dehan kidnapped me that day, so it must have been his plan to set the castle on fire. It wasn¡¯t Halias. But what could Dehan do? Every time I questioned my past life, my memory was erased. But Merdy¡¯s flame wasn¡¯t something anyone could handle. ¡­if it weren¡¯t for the flame user, they would need a very powerful sorcerer. But Bahel Saha couldn¡¯t handle the flames. Was there anyone else? The sorcerer who came one day and awakened my flames? Could he handle the flames? I had a sharp headache all of a sudden. Some of my lost memories were found. But it was a mess because it¡¯s mixed with the experiences of my past life. No matter how many times I wandered through the web of memories, the answer didn¡¯t come close. As I wandered for so long, I heard a voice. My last daughter. I opened my eyes, but all I could see was a fire. Does the flame speak? There¡¯s a famous story in the founding mythology of this country. Prabash, the fire spirit, was said to be the first ancestor of the Merdy family. So, when the Merdy¡¯s users called for a big fire, they used to borrow Prabash¡¯s name¡­ Was that really real? Without hesitation, the voice asked. Do you think it¡¯s unfair? I didn¡¯t care if he¡¯s my ancestor or not. Even if it was a hallucination, I wanted to answer. ¡°It¡¯s unfair! I was only three years old when I met the Oblivionist!¡± Then the voice asked again. Would you like to try it again? What do you mean ¡®again¡¯? Don¡¯t tell me, do you mean I can come back to life? I was afraid that I would miss the opportunity if I hesitated, so I responded urgently. ¡°I¡¯ll do it again! I¡¯ll do it again! Over and over again¡­!¡± The answer didn¡¯t return for a long time, and the flames hadn¡¯t died down. But I didn¡¯t give up. Until the time came, the memories that came back with smoke were engraved one by one. I am Liana Le Merdy. I am the last remaining flame user in the kingdom of Zantar who served the god of fire. Merdy¡¯s flame is only Merdy¡¯s. I will never forget or forgive those who made me a puppet. The fire raged like waves. I didn¡¯t collapse until the very end. As far as I could remember. ***** How much time had passed? The view, which I hadn¡¯t seen for a while, opened up blurry. The pungent smell of smoke clouded the thought of waking up. Am I still in the fire? After a moment of thought, I realized that it was no longer painfully hot. As I moved my limbs, I felt the touch of a thin, soft blanket. My eyes became a little clearer, but I still couldn¡¯t see anything properly. Was it night¡­? Or was it still hell¡­? ¡°Shhh.¡± It was the moment when I finally got up. ¡°Argh.¡± There was a thumping sound of someone falling with a scream. As I looked around nervously, my eyes became more accustomed to the darkness. As soon as I realized I was on the bed, I saw incredibly short legs and tiny feet. Then I raised both hands in front of my eyes. They¡¯re small. ¡­do I become a baby? The voice I heard in the fire rang in my ears again. Would you like to try it again? That¡¯s what the flame asked. Did he mean going back to being a baby, not just coming back to life? I groped the nape of my neck and grabbed the necklace with a locket pendant. So I¡¯m still Liana¡­ Am I back in the past? I wanted to get out of bed to check myself in the mirror, but both my legs were ridiculously short. There was so much noise outside, and what I only could do was stomping my foot on the bed. The burning smell was also getting worse. I had an ominous feeling, but first I had to get out of this bed. I had no choice but to lie on my stomach and put my hands onto it. It would be a big deal if I fell off the bed and broke my short legs. It was only when I managed to put my feet on the ground. The big black boots came before me without a sound. Argh¡­! I was startled at the face of the man looking down at me with his head bowed down. ¡°Red hair, red eyes. Liana Le Merdy.¡± I couldn¡¯t remember what I answered at this time in my previous life. But I knew it wasn¡¯t the time to stand still. ¡°Kkyaaaaaag!¡± I screamed like crazy. A loud sound that even an adult couldn¡¯t make, I screamed until my whole body exploded. The man was Edifa Sischel. My former kidnapper and a martial arts teacher. If I was caught by him and taken to Lausanne island, I would meet nanny Bahel. Then all my memories would be gone. Again. ****** ¡°Kkyaaaaaag!¡± I lost my flame and my limbs were short, I had no weapon to fight against Edifa. But if I got caught helplessly like what happened in my previous life, it¡¯s over. I screamed for help, but unfortunately, no one came. Edifa gently lifted me over my shoulder. ¡°Aaargh! Lif mi aone!¡± Leave me alone, you b*st*rd! Even my pronunciation didn¡¯t work out the way I wanted it to. I bit his shoulder with all my might, but Edifa, of course, didn¡¯t budge. ¡°Aaaargh!¡± I swung my small fists wildly and stretched out my feet. He threw me down on the bed and rolled over the blanket. I was rolled into a cocoon in an instant, with a big, ugly hand. ¡°Aaaargh!¡± With my scream, he wrapped me around his wide back and tied me tightly with a large black cloth. I couldn¡¯t believe the ¡®again¡¯ of the word ¡®try again¡¯ started here. D*mn voice! You¡¯re Prabash, right? Sending me back to this night, do you have no sympathy for me? ¡°Kkyaaaaaag!¡± Even though Prabash had no sympathy for me, I had my voice. But no matter how much I screamed like a crazy baby, no one in the burning castle came into my room. Damn it! Edifa climbed down the rope that was hanging from the window while carrying me. In my previous life, I might have already passed out, but the second time in my life was different. ¡°Euaaaaaag!¡± I screamed with the determination to rip either my throat or Edifa¡¯s eardrums. But why was no one coming to my rescue? Edifa, who got on the horse, swore softly. ¡°Haa, you d*mn kid¡­¡± Who the h*ll are you talking about? ¡°Ssi! Editta yu wicki bassat! (Edifa, you wicked b*st*rd!)¡± My tongue was terribly short, but he finally flinched once. ¡°What, what¡­?¡± Ah, I see. I couldn¡¯t say it right, but I didn¡¯t care. Edifa would be horrified seeing a three-year-old know his name. I clenched my teeth, and then I screamed again. ¡°Euaaaaaag! Edippa, yu bassat! (Edifa, you b*st*rd!)¡± But Edifa no longer flinched. Just like in my previous life, my head shook hard on the back of the horse that was running like crazy. It¡¯s midnight and it¡¯s in the woods. Let¡¯s save my strength. There was only one figure in this place when I was taken to Lausanne in my previous life. Just before going to the island, we go to Naru to get on the boat. [T/N: Naru : A certain place where a boat crosses in a river, in a river, or in a narrow sea.] I wasn¡¯t going to faint, I was going to hang in there and asked for help somehow. I was Merdy with red eyes and red hair Anyone would know that I was Merdy, so I had to get off this man¡¯s back and catch someone¡¯s eye. I had to. ***** ¡°Ug, Uweeeg.¡± However, it¡¯s impossible to control the physiological phenomenon. Shortly after throwing up for the second time, the words stopped. Edifa got me off his back and wiped my lips with the back of his rough hand. Then, he threw away the blanket, which was covered with vomit, and watered me. Seeing the bottle of water reminded me of a piece of my previous life. At that time, I had a hard time drinking that water and throwing it up a little later. So this time, I drank two sips and only moistened my lips. Edifa looked down at me with strange eyes the day when I stopped crying at some point. If it was my previous life, I would have collapsed from crying, but in my second life, I asked without hesitation. ¡°Yu, do yu kwill my mwother twoday?¡± There was nothing to be afraid of. Edifa couldn¡¯t kill Merdy¡¯s precious princess. Because Marquis Dehan wanted a flame user to fight against Halias, and only Merdy was gifted with fire magic. Dehan wouldn¡¯t forgive Edifa for killing such a precious flame user. He smirked. ¡°You, are you going to keep being creepy? How the h*ll did you know my name?¡± ¡°Jus anwer mwe! Do yu kwill my mwother? Hou abwot my fwather?¡± I wanted to sigh because of my pathetic pronunciation, but Edifa managed to understand and replied. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I heard Merdy is such a strong family. What, descendants of Prabash? Do these extraordinary people burn to death even by their own flames?¡± In my previous life, I was burned to death by my flame. ¡°Ewishh!¡± Sitting on the trunk of a tree, I jumped up and stuck my foot to Edifa¡¯s belly. Of all the three-year-old body parts I had, my short legs looked the most useful, but Edifa only smirked. I was angry, but there¡¯s nothing I could do about it. Edifa was my martial arts teacher in my previous life. There¡¯s no way I could fight him when I¡¯m still a baby. He lifted me up again, put me on his back, and spoke as if consoling me. ¡°You¡¯re going to throw up anyway, so I can¡¯t give you food. You¡¯ll be hungry but hang in there until you meet Bahel. Because it¡¯s just around the corner.¡± Of all the words he had ever said, it was the scariest. Bahel? No! I couldn¡¯t help it if I met Edifa a hundred times. But not Bahel¡­ Little by little the dawn came. Edifa wasn¡¯t even sleepy. I¡¯d rather go to sleep. There¡¯s no way to meet anyone on this forest road anyway. Now that I was hungry, I should sleep for a while. ***** ¡°Hey, you. Are you alive?¡± How much time had passed? Edifa asked, still carrying me. I couldn¡¯t see anything. I was wrapped in a black cloth, but I didn¡¯t feel the rattle like before. The sound of the horse¡¯s hooves that had been heard tirelessly disappeared. ¡­we got off the horse, huh? When I didn¡¯t answer, Edifa asked again. ¡°Hey, red hair.¡± Come to think of it, he¡¯s such a cheeky guy. He knew my name, he knew that I was a princess, yet he called me ¡®hey¡¯. I didn¡¯t like it, but I didn¡¯t say anything and held my breath to understand the situation. Edifa was annoyed. ¡°Baby, did you faint?¡± I got a hint from those words and, rather, relaxed my body and drooped. He then said in a slightly worried tone. ¡°Hey, you can¡¯t die.¡± Of course, I will. I closed my eyes and focused on the sounds around me. Have we arrived at Naru? I hadn¡¯t heard anyone¡¯s voice yet. Prabash. I apologize for swearing earlier, so don¡¯t send me to Bahel. Please. I, I will live a good life. I¡¯m not going to burn anything like I did in my previous life. I just closed my eyes and waited for someone¡¯s presence around me. The sound of other horses¡¯ hooves, the sound of wheels rolling, the sound of humans¡¯ voices, and anything else. Then, something like a murmur began to be heard. I waited and waited until they got close enough. I finally opened my eyes. He took a deep breath and inhaled again. Then he shouted with all his might. ¡°Help me! Help me! Oh, please. Merdy, answer me!¡± CH 3 [T/N: The last two paragraphs from chapter 2 should be like this. I¡¯m sorry for the mistakes. I took a deep breath and exhaled again. Then I shouted with all my might. ¡°Hep me! Hep me! Bed wan cetch me!¡±] I felt that Edifa was in a panic, but it took time for him to get me down and cover my mouth as I was tied to his back. I gave up the words that were too hard to pronounce. ¡°Euanggg! Hep mee! Yu bed wan! yu evil wan!¡± Edifa murmured lowly. ¡°Hey, do you want to die? Can¡¯t you shut up?¡± But not far away, I could hear people gossiping, so I screamed more fiercely. ¡°Euaggggggg! Hep mee! Hep meeee!¡± ¡°D*mn it¡­¡­¡± It was the moment when Edifa finally untied the knot on his shoulder. I struggled swiftly on his back and fell to the ground. There¡¯s a burning sensation from my knee being scratched, but I didn¡¯t care. I screamed as I ran away with my bare hands on the rough dirt ground. ¡°Euaggg! Heppp me! He¡­¡± Of course, Edifa lifted me up and covered my mouth in an instant. But, it wasn¡¯t fruitless. Someone from afar shouted with a terrifying voice. ¡°You, what are you trying to do with the child?¡± Edifa squeezed my mouth tighter and hugged me close to his chest. Then he covered my eyes and my hair with the black cloth from before. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s not a big deal. My sister is not feeling well, so I¡¯m looking after my niece. She¡¯s looking for her mother a lot.¡± Several footsteps were heard. This time, a younger voice asked more closely than before. ¡°Tell me which family you are and where you are going.¡± Edifa was furious. ¡°Who do you think you are, interfering in someone else¡¯s way? Do you think all nobles are allowed to do that?¡± A clear voice answered calmly. ¡°I am a student at the Royal Academy of Zantar. With the grace of the royal family, we receive a higher education, so we have to protect the children, the nation¡¯s assets. Show me that the child is safe.¡± Chaeng. It seemed that Edifa was pulling out the knife with his other hand. I felt truly sorry for the child who was a student. I couldn¡¯t believe there¡¯s a student nearby. I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry¡­ However, I could feel Edifa faltering as he tried to unfold my aura. Ah, if you¡¯re a master who uses the aura properly, you must have an identity. But Edifa wasn¡¯t in a position to reveal my identity right now. The youthful voice of the student was mixed with laughter that didn¡¯t fit the situation. ¡°¡­using an aura? What kind of family scoundrel dares to use an aura while holding a child the size of a forearm in his arms? Are you really trying to protect the child or are you trying to harm her?¡± Why is he laughing in the midst of this? Edifa squeezed his hand that covered my mouth tighter. The brave student continued. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t want to say kind words. I warned you again. My name is Theodore Halias. Show me the child.¡± ¡­who? Did he, did he just say Theodore Halias? Ahh¡­ I hope this was a hallucination. Halias, the person I had been chasing all my life and tried to kill in my previous life ¨C his son to be exact. Of course, it was because Dehan made me, but they didn¡¯t let me go. At the last minute, if Prabash¡¯s flame hadn¡¯t exploded, I would have died at their hands. Prabash, you crazy ancestor¡­ Why don¡¯t you just leave me in the fire if this was the case¡­ You¡¯re not trying to test something like a hundred ways to die to the last Merdy, right? I wrestled with the hem of the cloth for a long time and finally succeeded in removing the black cloth. As soon as I did, I met Theodore¡¯s gray eyes. The second son of Alseid Halias, Theodore Halias. You, who was called the ghost of Halias, had all these innocent youthful days¡­ Theodore¡¯s eyes widened when he saw my red hair. ¡°¡­Merdy¡¯s child?¡± As he drew his sword, the perfect blue aura gracefully wrapped the blade. What¡­ You, have you been a swordmaster since I was three years old? Dehan, who pushed me into the boiling Halias when I was 19 years old, is also crazy. As Theodore tilted his head, his pale silver hair fluttered slightly. As a signal, the men standing behind him drew their swords. ¡°The last warning. The red-haired Merdy is a descendant of Prabash and a treasure of the kingdom. If you give up the child, I will spare your life.¡± I looked up at Theodore with sad eyes. Theodore, I can see your youthful innocence and loyalty. But Edifa doesn¡¯t listen to such kind words¡­ In an instant, someone standing behind Theodore suddenly threw a dagger at me. Hiigg¡­! I looked at the dagger with my eyes wide open. It was because of Edifa¡¯s lifelong teaching of looking at the enemy¡¯s weapon till the end, The dagger narrowly grazed my head and landed on Edifa¡¯s shoulder. My teacher in my previous life could have avoided the dagger, but he deliberately didn¡¯t move because he was afraid I¡¯d get hurt. For a moment, I was almost touched by this, but when I thought about it, it wasn¡¯t something to be grateful for. Edifa, this b*st*rd, had to keep me alive until he brought me to Dehan. He couldn¡¯t possibly fall down just because of a single dagger, but his arm that held me lost strength for a moment. I struggled without missing the chance. It¡¯s now. The only chance to escape from both Edifa and Theodore. As soon as I slipped to the ground, Theodore emitted his aura and rushed to Edifa. Then one of Theodore¡¯s men quickly grabbed me. ¡°Baby, are you okay?¡± The voice was full of good intentions, and it warmed me up. Ah, it shouldn¡¯t be like this¡­ I can¡¯t be caught by Theodore like this¡­ But contrary to my will, my mind gradually became dark. What a useless, incompetent body. At the age of three, I left my dark mind as it was. ***** When I opened my eyes, the night sky was shimmering. Ah, I feel like throwing up¡­ As soon as I thought about it, I threw up. ¡°Uoeeeeggg.¡± Someone rushed to me, patted me on the back, and gave me water. ¡°Are you okay, baby?¡± That wasn¡¯t the problem. The familiar salty smell of the sea lingered on the tip of my nose, and a large sail spread out in front of me. ¡°Huwaaaaa¡­¡± A cry broke out. Even if he¡¯s young, did Theodore lose to Edifa? Even though there were some of his men? So am I on my way to Lausanne right now? Not just Lausanne¡­ ¡°Huwaaaaaaaa¡­¡± I¡¯d rather jump into the sea and die. That¡¯s better. I couldn¡¯t live as a puppet of Dehan and Bahel again. ¡°Hugkhhh.¡± As I strode unsteadily on the boat, someone blocked my way. When I turned my head and looked up at the person who stood in front of me like a mountain, his silver hair shone like the moon. Theodore Halias¡­? The enemy of my previous life asked me with his waist bent halfway in front of me. ¡°Merdy¡¯s baby, are you awake? Why are you crying? Do you miss your mom?¡± ¡°Hiccup!¡± I was startled and hiccupped. It¡¯s surprising that Theodore appeared. It¡¯s even more surprising that the ghost of Halias was terribly friendly. What did I eat wrong? By the way, I thought I was going to Lausanne because I was on the boat¡­? Maybe not? Theodore bent his eyes gently and patted me on the back. ¡°Would you like some water?¡± I took the cup and looked at him while drinking water. ¡°Hiccup! I, wher?¡± When I asked secretly, the former enemy of my previous life smiled gently like the moon. ¡°You must want to go home, sorry. I have something important to do in the castle.¡± If I go back a day from there, I¡¯ll find Merdy, but I¡¯m on my way to Halias, how many days will it take? Of course to the benefactor who saved my life, maybe it¡¯s not something worth considering. As I suffered from non-stop hiccups, Theodore continued. ¡°However, I don¡¯t feel comfortable leaving you to my men. How did you get caught by someone like that? He has an extraordinary skill, have you been kidnapped?¡± I barely nodded. Then, the smile disappeared from Theodore¡¯s face. Hmm¡­ looking at his expressionless face, he was definitely the guy I knew. ¡°How dare he kidnap Merdy¡¯s princess by himself? What the h*ll with Merdy Castle¡­¡± Indignant, he looked into my eyes and sighed. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s okay now. I am the son of Halias, the Northern Territory. Halias is Merdy¡¯s friend.¡± Don¡¯t lie, you swindler¡­ I didn¡¯t learn much in my previous life, but I learned about the history of the kingdom through books. The Zantar Kingdom prospered by occupying the best land of the Viant¨¦ continent, but the power of the royal family had long since diminished. Thanks to this, in recent centuries, the three great families of Zantar: Halias, Merdy, and Dehan divided the kingdom and ruled it, increasing its power to a level comparable to that of the royal family. Let¡¯s say that Halias was an enemy of Dehan and had nothing to do with me. To be friends in a situation where we could set boundaries and cuddle with each other, that sounded peaceful. Moreover, considering the desert area on the west side of the continent or beyond the northern wall infested with monsters, the territory within the kingdom was as precious as even a small island. But to avoid Theodore¡¯s hatred, the answer had to be simple. Anyway, he was going to take me home. Even when he didn¡¯t know I was Merdy, he tried to save me just because I was a child. So, shall I lean on Theodore¡¯s innocence as a student at the Royal Academy at this point? The worried Theodore stretched out his white little finger. ¡°Do you know how to promise?¡± Standing still, I looked like a fool. ¡°I know.¡± Then he held out his little finger in front of me. ¡°When I¡¯m done with my work, I¡¯ll take you home again. I promise in the name of Halias.¡± With such innocent eyes, isn¡¯t that cheating? Of course, now that he cheated, there was no way I could escape unless I jumped out of the boat. Every time I heard Halias¡¯s name, it looked like the game was still going. But I put my short finger on his finger. ¡°Fol sur. (For sure.)¡± CH 4 It wasn¡¯t until the next day that we reached the land. We went to Chatara through Stone Age. Chatara, the very place that I burned without a trace in my previous life. Seeing the servants who welcome us warmly even in the middle of the night, Bahel¡¯s words came to mind. ¡°My kind miss, there was no one in that castle. It was a castle where the plague returned and everyone disappeared.¡± It must have been a lie. It must have been a complete lie. Chatara lord and his wife were too kind to receive such punishment as the plague. The lord¡¯s wife was delighted to see me as I reminded her of the childhood of her married daughter. ¡°My Lord, can I sleep with my baby guest? After all, the Lord must not know how to take care of a child!¡± Theodore looked at me with a troubled face. ¡°Baby, are you okay? If you feel uncomfortable, you can just sleep with me.¡± What? Sleep with you? I quickly stepped back and went to the lord¡¯s wife. I was uncomfortable with the madam because of what I did in my previous life, but I couldn¡¯t share a bed with Theodore Halias. We used to point swords at each other, and now that I¡¯m small, I¡¯m a little scared! Then Theodore whispered something to madam. ¡°But Madam, the truth is¡­¡± Seeing the madam¡¯s eyes wide open as she turned to me, the content was obvious. He must be telling her that I¡¯m Merdy¡¯s child. As I went to the madam¡¯s room, the maids brought a bathtub. The madam took off the clothes that wrapped me and fiddled with my red hair as if it was interesting. ¡°Oh my God, you¡¯re really Merdy¡¯s child¡­ Are you really Duke Merdy¡¯s baby?¡± As I nodded rather than stared blankly, the madam¡¯s face brightened even more. ¡°On the last Verbti¡¯s feast, I saw the Duke from a distance! When you get home, be sure to convey my respect, okay baby? I always pray for the Duke.¡± Respect? Pray? My conscience seemed to scream at the unexpected story. In my previous life¡­ what did I do? ***** When the morning came after an uncomfortable night, the madam looked for a small children¡¯s dress and held it out. ¡°It was worn out because my daughter wore it a long time ago. You can¡¯t go to see the Grand Duke in your indoor clothes, right? Oh, and it¡¯s so cold, so you should have a coat¡­¡± Just in time, Theodore poked his head out of the doorway. ¡°I was thinking of going to the store anyway. madam.¡± Without wasting time, I quickly bowed my head to say goodbye. ¡°Thwank you vely mwuch. And, you ale vely beautipul¡± The madam laughed as if she was having fun. ¡°You¡¯re very beautiful too. Thank you, I hear the best from the little princess.¡± I made a promise to myself in a dress full of memories of the madam. This warm little castle will never burn again. I promised over and over again that it wouldn¡¯t happen even if a knife got stuck in my throat. ***** I parted with the kind Lord couple as soon as I had breakfast. As predicted, Theodore stopped at the children¡¯s clothing store. ¡°I¡¯m on my way to Halias Castle. Is there a coat that will fit this child?¡± ¡°Of course, young master.¡± He was the son of the famous Halias, so the clothes the storekeeper showed us were all of the highest quality. When Theodore paid for one of them, I honestly thought my eyes were popping out. ¡°That¡­¡± I struggled to open my lips in a burdensome yellow cloak. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°I, I¡¯ll chalg my mwothel fol the cloes. (I¡¯ll charge my mother for the clothes.) Don¡¯t tell me my mother doesn¡¯t have this much money. When I spoke as if I wasn¡¯t confident, Theodore said an absurd thing. ¡°What? Princess, are you calling me brother?¡± [T/N : Liana said ??. This sounds a bit similar to ??, that¡¯s why Theodore said brother.¡± No, you idiot. How can you be my brother? Ugh, I was going to die because I couldn¡¯t pronounce it. ¡°No, It¡¯s cloes. My mwothel will pey.¡± He suddenly made a sad face. ¡°Do you remember your mother? Before you go to your mother, you must go to my father first. I¡¯m sorry.¡± That¡¯s not what I¡¯m saying, you idiot. In the end, I gave up trying to make Theodore understand, and he continued to talk. ¡°So cute, like a chick.¡± When his hand stroked my head, it gave me goosebumps and I shivered. The side effect was even greater. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be cold already¡­¡± It wasn¡¯t cold at all, but Theodore hugged me tightly. I suffered for a while because of the hiccups that started again. What will happen in the next 16 years, will this bright boy become the ghost of Halias? Maybe the world wasn¡¯t harsh only to me. ***** In the end, Theodore was right. Not long after heading north, my jaw began to tremble. He opened his fur cloak and tucked me in as if to hide me. ¡°Why is the weather so bad¡­¡± I barely parted my upper and lower lips, which seemed to freeze and stick to each other. ¡°C, Cod¡­ (Cold¡­)¡± ¡°What should I do¡­¡± Theodore pulled me closer and pulled his cloak a little tighter, but it was still too cold. To make matters worse, snow began to fall. Theodore stopped his horse and got off to gather his men. ¡°The weather is worse than I thought. You all, take off everything you can take off.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°If Princess Merdy freezes to death on her way to Halias, we are worse than ruffians. I forgot that the child was born and raised in a warm place.¡± Aren¡¯t they cold? As soon as he finished speaking, he took off everything. Theodore loosened his thick fur cloak. Some took off their gloves, some took off their vests, and some took off their scarves. ¡°Bu, but the lod is cod too¡­¡± Even though I was trembling, I refused at once. It¡¯s disgraceful for the son of Halias to take off his clothes, no matter how old I was. He smiled softly, unaware of my dismay. ¡°The chick princess is warm, so I¡¯m not cold.¡± This time it was so cold that I didn¡¯t even have hiccups. I became a big ball draped in this and that over the chick¡¯s cloak. Wow, I had flames in my previous life, so I didn¡¯t know about it. Halias was a place for ghosts to live, not a place for humans to live. Hey, ancestor. My bloodline is Merdy, so I¡¯m not going to freeze to death, am I? But it felt like I was going to die even in the next moment. Theodore sat me well on his lap again, who had become a big ball and started. I fell asleep in the cold. Surrounded by clothes, I couldn¡¯t move, and I couldn¡¯t see well. The snow trip was excruciatingly long. Being close together, I woke up to the sound of horses running over the drawbridge. Under the setting sky, the spiky stone roof of Halias Castle was visible. Only then did I realize where I was going. It reminded me of my previous life where I had been climbing a rocky mountain for years with Edifa until I could climb this tall castle like a squirrel. When I was on the last mission that I worked so hard on, I met a man sitting behind me. I was so busy dealing with him that I couldn¡¯t see the trap under my feet. After being captured, I was thrown into a nonflammable noose in the middle of an icy lake where nothing could be burned and starved for days, and at some point, I lost consciousness. When I woke up, I was taken to the dungeon at the bottom of this castle and met Alseid Halias. How did he answer the last question of my life? ¡°All the rest of the Merdy¡¯s are dead.¡± Thinking about it, I couldn¡¯t help but ground my teeth. But if I didn¡¯t go into that jerk¡¯s castle, it felt like I would freeze to death right away. Then, I couldn¡¯t figure out who killed my parents, even in the flames of eternity¡­ ¡°We¡¯re here, Merdy¡¯s baby.¡± Thinking hard, I trembled in surprise at Theodore¡¯s sudden voice. You¡¯re not taking me to kill me while calling me ¡®baby¡¯, are you?¡¯ I was suspicious again, but since I had followed him all the way here, I had no choice. Whether you guys are my enemies or not, let¡¯s see this once. One of the enemy candidates whispered sweetly. ¡°When we¡¯re inside the castle, let¡¯s sit by the warm fireplace and eat soup.¡± ¡­that soup isn¡¯t poisoned, is it? As my suspicions arose, the words that followed were even more suspicious. ¡°Everyone will be happy to see you.¡± What the h*ll do you mean happy? It didn¡¯t take long for the question to be answered. *** As I climbed the stairs of Halias Castle in Theodore¡¯s arms, a little boy shouted. ¡°Father! Second brother brought the trash again!¡± Hey, what?! I couldn¡¯t argue because my lips were frozen, but Theodore replied with a straight face instead of me. ¡°Zion, it¡¯s rude to say such a thing to the princess. She¡¯s a young miss from a precious family. Go ahead and apologize.¡± Hey, are you that famous Zion Halias? Seriously, is this little boy going to be the greatest scholar on the continent? Theodore untied the clothes that were tightly tied to me. When I stared at Zion in my chick cloak, Zion was even more startled and ran away. ¡°Argh! Father! Second brother picked up another living thing!¡±