《I Raised My Childhood Friend as a Tyrant》 Chapter 1 Dozens and hundreds of eyes were looking at me. I was on my knees, bounded in front of them. ¡°Is it true that you murdered the former Emperor?¡± I wanted to raise my head and check his face at the voice coming from a close distance, but I couldn¡¯t afford it. My whole body was clamoring in pain, and the blood that was leaking from the torn places here and there was dried up. But the eyes that were glaring at me were more gruesome than the blood. I was like a cow that was brought to the slaughterhouse by these guys. ¡°I asked if you had murdered him!¡± With a voice close to a command, I finally guessed that he was a duke. The Duke of Cherte Persia. He was the right hand of the former emperor. A man who could be full of poison. The tip of his sword passed by my gaze which was on the chilly marble floor. I thought I could cut off my neck without his effort. I had mixed feelings in my head. Soon, laughter leaked out. The first thing I thought when I was about to die was, ¡®finally, this is it.¡¯ It felt like I had finished a game. In fact, I was an ordinary Korean office worker possessed as an extra in a novel. Viche, the daughter of the Amelia family who secretly protected Jade, was expelled from the palace. She was a close friend of his and was framed and executed on behalf of Jade, who murdered the former emperor. Jade, who thought of her as family, was devastated by the incident and turned into a tyrant. An extra who expressed only a few lines in the novel. That was my duty. I have endured life in this novel with the vague hope that if I do my part, I will return to reality. And today is the day. The day I return to reality. The day Viche dies. Finally, when I lifted my head to catch the sight of this place, I saw a man running from afar in a hurry. Jade. Jade¡¯s face turned pale. He didn¡¯t even blink when he killed his father. His rushing appearance made me laugh somewhere. Today¡¯s the last time I¡¯ll ever see that kid. My death will be a great shock to you, but you will let the world continue to flow through this novel. Please, the ending of this novel should be a happy ending. Too bad I don¡¯t know the ending. I¡¯ve been with him for 10 years, and this body¡¯s age now is 20. Happy days, good days, and boring days were all with Jade. I¡¯ve always been with him and tried not to be warm to him. He¡¯s the one who¡¯s going back anyway. I¡¯m the one who¡¯s going to die. So when you took a step closer, I had to take a step back and look away from your cute face smiling at me. But after 10 years of hard work, I couldn¡¯t help but feel that way. My efforts ended up with us being friends like family. I¡¯d rather care for you as much as I could when you were young and scared. The cold times that I pushed you away remained in my heart. ¡°¡­That¡¯s right.¡± As my eyes met with the approaching Jade, I smiled softly and gave a late answer to the Duke. ¡°Stop!¡± Jade shouted, who was getting close before I knew it. ¡°I did kill him.¡± I said it again and again. Jade¡¯s eyes were still on me. I¡¯m glad I got to see your purple eyes for the last time. ¡°Viche!¡± Guards blocked him from running in front of me. Don¡¯t let him come to me. ¡°No. Say no.¡± His eyes were shaking with anxiety. ¡°I killed him.¡± But the same answer came from my mouth. ¡°You¡¯re lying! Are you talking behind my back? Can¡¯t you get out of here?¡± ¡°Please be happy.¡± I said my final words to him. Jade, who had been hitting hard against the guards at my words, came to a standstill. ¡°Are you going to die on me? Don¡¯t do that¡­ Don¡¯t do that. No. I¡¯m, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Jade flopped to his knees. What did I do wrong¡­ Perhaps he¡¯s surprised by the current situation where it doesn¡¯t seem to be a normal accident. His friendly purple eyes were moistening with transparent teardrops rolling, and soon, it poured down like a flooded river. ¡°Don¡¯t kneel. Didn¡¯t you become an emperor for that?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not the reason¡­ So stop what you¡¯re about to do.¡± ¡°Your Highness, no¡­ Jade. Don¡¯t kneel down anyone. Be a strong man.¡± Yes. Be a strong person, a strong emperor, and live happily ever after meeting the female lead. ¡°Now my role is over. Bye Jade.¡± I gave Jade my last smile. Jade¡¯s wet eyes were constantly pouring out questions. Why, why are you doing this? ¡°Duke, what are you doing? You have to take down the felons.¡± ¡°No!!!!¡± At my words, the Duke raised the sword from his hand. I closed my eyes tightly. Soon, there was a burning pain in my abdomen with a creepy sensation coming through the flesh. I got choked up. The sound of people responding and Jade calling me grew distant. Death is still. That was true. ¡°Che¡­¡± There was a familiar voice in my ears. Maybe it¡¯s Jade. ¡°I¡¯ll take the sins, and¡­ you go live happily ever after.¡± I certainly spit out the last word, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to get to him. Please, be happy¡­ Eventually, I succeeded in turning my friend into the original tyrant. ~?~ I remember the first time I saw the kid. Neat looks, glossy black hair, and mysterious purple eyes. When our eyes met, I felt like I was going to cry for some reason. It was unbelievable that the disgraced prince was more noble and dignified than anyone else. Just from a touch or a glance, he attracted people¡¯s attention. When I found out about his existence, I realized where this world was and was in shock. ¡®My name is Viche. Who are you?¡¯ ¡®¡­¡¯ I thought he was timid, for he hesitated and barely said his name. It was stupid, I didn¡¯t dare to imagine how hard it must¡¯ve been for him to tell me his name. Jade. When I called you like that, you looked at me with your round, purple eyes. ¡°Viche.¡± ¡°Viche.¡± ¡°Viche.¡± The more times you called me, the more you relied on me, and the more I felt that I had to stay away from you. The clumsy push only left you with a scar from the useless effort. Let¡¯s come back next winter. ¡°We can do it next year.¡± Let¡¯s do it when we¡¯re adults. I shouldn¡¯t have promised tomorrow, the next season, the next year, or the distant future. I didn¡¯t expect those trivial words to end up digging into my flesh. I shouldn¡¯t have caught you when you were weak, shining, and blooming. ¡®When this is over. Yes, talk to me then.¡¯ But, I¡¯m sorry, Jade. I¡¯ll make the same choice even if I go back. This is not my world. It¡¯s your world. Amelia Viche. Maybe I was a little too happy while living as you. Maybe it¡¯s because of the kid. Now I have to leave. If I get lucky and go back to the original world, I might meet you again in a small paper book. Then, I wish my dear friend happiness. Chapter 2 Is this a dream or a nightmare? I thought it would be all over if I made you the emperor and died. Why are you back to ten years old in front of me? ¡°Jade¡­?¡± The place where I opened my eyes was a familiar room. My room as a child with a nostalgic scent, the canopy with a frill, and the gold leaf-patterned wall map remained in my memory. And there, little Jade was sitting on the bedside chair looking down at me. He had neat black hair and glowing purple eyes. He looked like a 10-year-old. I lifted myself up frantically and looked at my hands and body. As expected, it was small. Don¡¯t tell me this is¡­? This familiar feeling is¡­ ¡°Hey, can you give me a mirror?¡± At my words, Jade lifted himself up and took out the mirror in the drawer and handed it to me. In the mirror, I was a 10-year-old with creamy curly hair and golden shining eyes. My eyes widened. ¡°¡­Oh, my God.¡± I¡¯m sure I did my part and died, but why did I come back? Suddenly, I became afraid that I might have been trapped in this time. As I look in the mirror in bewilderment, Jade hands me a cup of cold water on the table. In a natural act, I took the water and drank it. First of all, let¡¯s calm down. It¡¯s not the first time this has happened. ¡°But why are you here?¡± Did you wait for me to wake up? But since when has Jade and I become this close? Even after my question, Jade just stared at me without saying a word. His mysterious eyes were only looking at me. ¡°How long have you been waiting?¡± How long has Jade been watching me sleep? ¡°¡­For a long time.¡± ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you wake me up?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for a long time.¡± Jade¡¯s reaction was somewhat strange. Has he always been this calm and eloquent? As far as I can remember, the ten-year-old was a passive child who was hurt after being kicked out of the palace. I think he used to swallow his mumbling words in front of me because he was careful when talking. No? It was so long ago that my memory¡¯s blurry. Furthermore, I¡¯m in a state of confusion right now. ¡°Jade, I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m not feeling well today. I can¡¯t play with you.¡± Jade, who¡¯s 10, craved affection like a child of his age. He wanted to play with me, get close to me, and it was cute when he tried very hard to make friends. Maybe he came because he wanted to hang out with me again today. But now I need time to think. ¡°¡­Take a rest.¡± Contrary to my expectations, Jade obediently left the room. He didn¡¯t have a pathetic look to push himself away or asked me to play with him. Uh¡­ Was it always like this? Was Jade a precocious child more than I remember? Did I remember Jade¡¯s childhood as such a cute little boy? Looking at Jade¡¯s exit, I rose to my feet and waved the bedside bell. Soon, Sophia, the maid, opened the door and came in. ¡°Yes miss, are you awake?¡± ¡°Sophia, what¡¯s the date today?¡± ¡°Today is June 14th.¡± ¡°What year?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the 519th year of the Empire.¡± I¡¯m back to the age of 10. The time Jade came to our mansion was a cold winter day in January. 5 months have passed since then. ¡°Give me paper and a pen.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I sat down at the desk with the paper and pen that Sophia brought me. Now, let¡¯s get this straight. First of all, I failed to get back to reality. I certainly heard someone talking to me when I was possessed in the novel. No, more than hearing it, just a sentence being engraved in my mind. ¨C If the content of the novel goes as it¡¯s originally supposed to go, you can return to reality. It was as if someone had given me a guideline that I could return to reality only when I played the role of Viche Amelia. And a few lines of explanation that come to mind. ¨C It was the end of the extra, Viche Amelia. So as long as I die as the original, I thought everything would be solved. But the result is this state. Presumably, life before regression must have gone awry. Damn it. At this point, I need to organize the original work. The original title is ¡°The Saint Who Educated The Tyrant¡±. Jade was a child abandoned by the imperial family who killed his father and became the emperor. In the original, Jade lacked humanity. Disillusioned with the emperor who abandoned him and the forces that tried to take advantage of him somehow, this person, Viche Amelia, was the only one who gave him affection. When she died, he became mad. He waged random wars and killed his enemies with the power of magic flowing through the blood of the imperial family. For generations, however, the magical powers of the imperial family have been passed along with the curse. The curse is a terrible madness. Only slaughter could relieve the madness. He was going crazy. But he didn¡¯t have to, nor he couldn¡¯t stop his madness. Because as the war continued, the country grew bigger. Then, he, who thought he was the only one who destroyed himself, met the female lead. Cecilia, she was a saint who could lift the imperial curse. Well, isn¡¯t it obvious after that? They must have had a good life. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± An unspoken sound came out of my mouth. No matter how many times I think about it, I died according to the story. I¡¯m so frustrated that I don¡¯t know what happened after I died. There must be a problem, but¡­ Why on earth did the original fail? What am I going to do if I know why? Did I write this novel? Someone might think I¡¯m a director, not an extra. So I just plucked my hair until sunset, and found no clue. ~?~ And the next day, the day after, the day after, the week after, I was still the same. ¡°Viche, drink the milk too.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah.¡± Even casually enjoying a picnic with young Jade. ¡°I will never forget this beautiful garden when I return to reality.¡± I think I thought of that before I went back, why? I¡¯m hanging out in this rose garden again. Why do you like the taste of snacks lying down under the warm spring sun? In fact, by this point, I¡¯d say I have half given up. ¡°Come on, wipe your mouth.¡± Jade held out a handkerchief to me. I glanced at the handkerchief and swung my hands from side to side. Why waste your precious handkerchief? Jade, who was looking at me like that, smiled and wiped the bread crumbs around my mouth with his hands. It was not a childlike touch. ¡°Do you want some cookies?¡± Jade asked gently. Why would you ask me that? I opened my mouth instead of answering, and Jade split the cookies into edible pieces and put them in my mouth. Over the past few days, Jade has visited me every day. Then he took care of me like this and served me very well¡­ There were two reasons not to push Jade away like I did before my regression. First, I¡¯ve already experienced it once that it¡¯s no use pushing away. Second, it was because Jade, a 10-year-old who I¡¯ve met again, was so cute. Yeah. Actually, it was just because he was cute. However, it¡¯s not that I didn¡¯t think it was okay to call a child and a prince like this. But Jade seemed to be enjoying this. Is it good that I play with you? ¡°Don¡¯t you feel bad when I do this?¡± At the moment, I wondered if Anne was so happy that she claimed to be my subordinate. ¡°No.¡± Why are you being so nice again? It makes me feel guilty. Still, he¡¯s a tyrant in the future, and you¡¯re so¡­ hmm? Oh, wait a minute. My body, which had been lying down, sprang up. My eyes are on Jade. At the moment, I had a very creepy thought. ¡®Can a child become a tyrant and be this nice?¡¯ Come to think of it, Jade was too kind and nice. In the original book, it said he lacked humanity, but is it because I¡¯m the only one who gave him affection? I looked at Jade with my eyes narrowed. Why does Jade enjoy serving me? Oh, my God, now I know! I must have raised Jade too nicely in my previous life! Maybe that¡¯s why he failed to blacken out? Looking at Jade pouring milk into my glass in front of me, my hypothesis gained more strength. ¡°Do you want lunch in your room?¡± ¡­I ruined you. Why do you even take care of my meal? I raised my hand and swept my face. Maybe it¡¯s just a one-line explanation to die. It¡¯s my job to raise Jade to become a tyrant and make it flow according to the original. ¡®If this happens, I¡¯ll raise you hard in this life.¡¯ I made up my mind. ~?~ Determining to corrupt Jade, I decided to conduct a brief experiment the next day. That is: what will upset the innocent Jade. While reflecting, I didn¡¯t remember seeing him angry before the return, not to mention after the return. This was the suspicious part of a good child¡¯s disease. Is little Jade reading in the room without me knowing? I walked vigorously down the hall to Jade¡¯s room. ¡°Jade!¡± When I opened the door, I met eyes with him, who was standing by the window and arranging the collar of his shirt. Come to think of it, I opened the door without knocking. No matter how young I am, I was rude. ¡°Viche.¡± Jade¡¯s hair scattered down on his tilted head. Under his flowing hair, his purple eyes glistened beautifully with joy. ¡°Let¡¯s play!¡± I entered the room before Jade granted me permission. I don¡¯t mean to correct any rudeness. I then slowly looked around his room. ¡®It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve been here.¡¯ Jade¡¯s room was surrounded by blue wallpaper as a whole like a boy¡¯s room, but it was dark and it didn¡¯t feel bright. Moreover, it was neat and tidy, unlike a child¡¯s room. Toys and books aren¡¯t sprawled everywhere. ¡®My room is worse than his.¡¯ Still, while looking at the wooden dolls and model ships filled on the wall cabinets, I thought that a child is a child. Is that some kind of world-class X-bot? I approached the thing on the cabinet. It reminded me of a robot in the real world, with its arms and legs moving separately and it¡¯s painted in colorful colors. I raised the doll¡¯s arm with my finger and lowered it. The doll¡¯s arm moved with a squeak. ¡°Do you like this doll?¡± ¡°¡­You like it, don¡¯t you? Oh, you¡¯re saying that¡¯s right. I snuck around behind Jade¡¯s back. Crash- The doll in the cabinet crashed to the floor. However, even though it was loud, the doll was quite strong so it was fine. Step! Step! I stepped on the doll while pretending to pick it up. The doll rolled while making noises, and the limbs separated. ¡°Oh my God, it¡¯s smashed. Don¡¯t you care about it a lot?¡± ¡°¡­¡± For a moment, I wondered if it was too much for the child. There was quite a long silence between Jade and I as he looked at me without saying a word. ¡®Why aren¡¯t you talking?¡¯ Are you the type to lose your temper? No, you¡¯re not even mad, are you? ¡°Are you mad?¡± ¡°That¡­¡± ¡°Huh?¡± What are you going to do? You can¡¯t save it. Is it a limited edition? What can he say? ¡°It¡¯s yours.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡®It¡¯s yours. It¡¯s yours. It¡¯s yours.¡¯ Those words kept running wild in my head. A memory then crossed my mind. Not long ago, I looked at the toys in the corner of my room and said, ¡®What am I going to do because I have these childish things?¡¯ and gave Jade everything. This must have been one of them, stomped under my feet. No wonder it looked so familiar. I didn¡¯t recognize the toy that was rolling around in a mess because it was in the cabinet and it had a nice color. ¡°Uh¡­ Hmm. Yes.¡± I coughed and searched for the next scapegoat. I was thinking hard about what to drop while looking at the cabinet. Ugh, I don¡¯t know. I decided to throw it all away. Toss, toss, toss. Crunch. I threw toys, ornaments and everything that looked good. Can¡¯t 10-year-olds throw some toys and play? Throwing one by one relieved my stress. It felt strangely good. It added elasticity. I forgot my purpose and was really playing like a child. While throwing, I glanced at Jade¡¯s expression, but there was no response. Is it because you didn¡¯t care? Or because you¡¯re so shocked? As the cabinet slowly became empty, I noticed a model ship made of crystal and silver that had been left there because it was so big. I grabbed it with both hands without thinking. At that moment, a strong grip stopped my arm. ¡°Oops.¡± When I looked next at him in surprise, Jade crumpled his forehead gently and held my arm. Even as a child, he seemed to be a man, so my arm hurt quite a bit. ¡°Oh, was this your favorite?¡± When I found out Jade¡¯s taste was such a luxurious luxury, I thought I couldn¡¯t fool the pedigree either. Come to think of it, I think there are some jewels in the eastern pattern. Jade opened his mouth, took the model boat out of my hand, and put it back on the cabinet. ¡°Viche, you¡¯ll get hurt. ¡° ¡­Huh? I mean, it¡¯s a crystal, so you¡¯re afraid that I¡¯ll get hurt if it breaks. I was moved for a moment. And with that ending, Jade began to pick up the ornaments that had fallen on the floor. ¡­Oh my God. Why is there an angel here? What can I do in this situation? We just have to pick it up quietly together. ~?~ In fact, there were quite a few restrictions on upsetting a 10-year-old. If you¡¯re an adult, you¡¯ll get a reaction if you slap me in the face and curse at me. But, if I told a 10-year-old, ¡°Your mother is a *****.¡± Oh, okay. Let¡¯s not. It¡¯s almost inhumane to swear at Jade about his mother. Don¡¯t even think about it. Still, I¡¯ve tried a lot of things. One day I ate all of Jade¡¯s snacks that he was enjoying. He just watched me quietly and then left the room. Was he angry? No, he brought me more. He even kindly added that I should eat slowly. Well, this is funny. Then I sprayed dirt on him as if it was a mistake. In fact, when I saw Jade covered in dirt at that time, I felt sorry for him. He pushed me away as I approached him to pick up the pieces with a bit of regret. Oh, I thought he was angry that time. At this point, Jade¡¯s aptitude should be acknowledged as a priest, not a tyrant. And today. I¡¯m giving it my last shot. ¡®One¡­ Two¡­ Three!¡¯ Hwak! I poured a bucket of water on Jade, who was walking down the hall. He hardened on the spot as he was bathed in water. His black hair and white shirt were soaked with water droplets dripping. I opened my eyes proudly with my hands on my waist. ¡°I did it on purpose.¡± Come on, you¡¯re going to get mad. How could you not be mad at me like this! ¡°Oh.¡± Jade was speechless after saying a dull word, ¡®oh¡¯. Then he silently began to shake the water off his head and body. Oh, oh, oh, oh, that¡¯s it? I was in a state of anger at the sight. ¡°Hey!¡± I screamed at Jade and ran to catch him. At the moment, his eyes were dilating as he was slightly startled. Jade, who had been pushed back by too much power, hit the hallway wall. ¡®Uh¡­ It doesn¡¯t have to be this powerful.¡¯ But I already spilled the water, so I clenched Jade¡¯s shirt with my hands and shook it back and forth. ¡°You! You! Why! Why!¡± Why can¡¯t I speak properly? I took a short breath, and opened my mouth again. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you angry?!¡± The moment I shouted, Jade¡¯s eyebrows knitted with the brow. ¡°Do you want me to be mad at you?¡± ¡°People get mad, right? That¡¯s the way to live!¡± You¡¯re supposed to be angry, you¡¯ll start a war, you¡¯ll kill lieutenants and stuff! Jade stared at me and smiled. ¡­After all, it¡¯s a smile again? Then I took my hands off, which was still shaking. Jade glanced at my hand that had been removed. I pulled my hand out of the awkward situation for some reason. ¡°Viche.¡± But my hand didn¡¯t come out, rather, he held it tighter . ¡°I¡¯m not mad at you.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± ¡°Never.¡± Isn¡¯t it a strange way of saying that? What? Don¡¯t you get mad? Is this the innocence of a child? ¡°¡­Except for one reason.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± I was very curious about Jade¡¯s comment. Soon, Jade smiled while letting go of my hand. ¡°It¡¯s a secret.¡± Jade¡¯s hand snapped over the top of my head, falling off. I felt a soft touch moving from side to side. ¡®Did you just stroke my head?¡¯ I was dumbfounded for a moment. He walked past me in the gap and down the hall. I just looked at his back, dazed away from the sight. What¡¯s going on? ¡°¡­It¡¯s useless.¡± Having lived 37 years combined with reality and past life, I was just petted by a 10-year-old. I think he saw the childish actions I¡¯ve tried to do to provoke his anger. Ha. Anyways, the bottom line is that I¡¯m in a position to be patted by Jade. Jade was not a fool. I¡¯m a fool, and Jade is just nice. It was natural to know adult Jade because he was smart, but I didn¡¯t know that there was a sense of dignity already. I guess there¡¯s a lot I don¡¯t know about little Jade. His actions shocked me, and I had a moment of reflection with shame over my past actions. ~?~ ¡°Jade!¡± The next day I met Jade again in the study of the mansion. He read books whenever he had time. I wonder if there was anyone who wouldn¡¯t let me read in the palace. ¡°Viche.¡± Jade, who¡¯s sitting on the window frame at my call, smiled like a flower. What kind of deadly smile does a ten-year-old have? It¡¯s an amazing sight every time. The sun was shining behind him, but Jade¡¯s cute face was shining even more, overshadowing the sun. There¡¯s no such thing as an angel with wings. I approached Jade while waving my hands. My Ivory dress flowed along my steps. ¡°What are you reading?¡± What will he read at this time of year? Maybe a fairy tale or something? Jade showed me the book in his hand instead of answering. ¡°The Little Mermaid?¡± The Little Mermaid. It¡¯s worth remembering the Little Mermaid of this world. The mermaid prince, a herbivorous man who used to eat seaweed in the sea, gets an exchange for beauty from the octopus witch, as opposed to the human princess. From here on out, what would happen to the mermaid prince who has no home and no beauty? Ding ding ding. He ends up dying instead of saving the princess from a crisis. In my view, this is not even true love. It¡¯s just a cruel death! ¡°I¡¯m reading this.¡± I slumped in front of Jade and shook my head. The story of the mermaid¡¯s desperate love was not my cup of tea. Furthermore, it was not the time to have Jade read this devoted story. ¡°Don¡¯t look at it! Wait.¡± I took the book from Jade¡¯s hand and threw it on the desk. A special and thrown book fell pitifully, showing a sheet of paper. Regardless of the appearance, I jumped to my feet. Then I ran straight to the bookshelf and scanned all the books I was hooked on. ¡¶Happiness Begins With Small Things¡· No, not that. ¡¶The Prince¡· Okay. ¡¶The good Will Prevail¡· Let¡¯s put this one back. ¡¶The devilish boss gets promoted fast¡· Well, it¡¯s okay. ¡¶Politics of Fear¡· Oh, this is it. ¡¶The Day of the Serial Killer¡· Um¡­ Should I pack this? All right. Let¡¯s take it. Just take everything that looks bad! I scraped together the sort of books that would be the nourishment of a tyrant. Some of them were thriller novels featuring bloody killers, but this also seemed to help. With my small body, I took a pile of books up to Jade¡¯s chin. ¡°Hyuk¡­ now! Read these from today.¡± My arm almost collapsed. I put the books down and Jade looked at them lying on the floor. ¡°Prince, terror, murder, politics, egoism¡­¡± Jade glimpsed the visible titles. It¡¯s too blatant to put together. ¡°I don¡¯t think these are books for a ten-year-old.¡± Jade smiled softly and picked up one of the sprawling books. The book he picked up¡­ It was ¡°The Lord of the Blood¡±. Well, is it too hard for a kid? I¡¯ve never felt a difference in the level or a lack of communication since Jade was young these days. It was as comfortable as being with my age. His precocious appearance must have made me think of him as 20-year-old Jade. ¡°Oh, if it¡¯s too hard, let¡¯s read it later when we get older! I¡¯ll get another book!¡± ¡°No, I like it.¡± ¡°Really?¡± This kid like these dark kinds of books? ¡°¡­Well, who gave it to me?¡± Jade¡¯s purple eyes, still sitting on the window frame, looked up at me, showing no warmth. The appearance raised a little question. Why does Jade like me so much? Well¡­ I am his only friend who¡¯s like family, so it¡¯s natural. He¡¯s like a baby duck following me around these days. No, is it the other way around? Jade seems to know me as a more childish, caring being than he does. Suddenly, I thought Jade must have liked me this much at this age in his previous life. It must have hurt the time I pushed him away, but it¡¯s still nice to see him grow up. What a nice guy. As expected, let¡¯s do our best in this life and make sure to live our lives to the fullest. Isn¡¯t parenting supposed to be about coming and raising them to go out and rebel? It¡¯s going to grow into a mess! Do whatever you want! Don¡¯t hide your feelings! Don¡¯t be mad at me! Jade was flipping back and forth through the books I gave him. In a picture-like scene, I sat in the chair in front of him and looked at him blankly. Jade¡¯s hair is fluttering from the wind, his gaze is still, and his breathing is soft. How can such a calm and decent child become a tyrant? ¡°What do you think? Do you think it¡¯ll be fun?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then, shall we do some reading?¡± ¡°By the way, Viche. It¡¯s time for me to have a sword lesson.¡± Maybe it¡¯s time for that already. Jade is too sincere anyway. But I didn¡¯t care what Jade said and buried my butt deep in my seat. It was a state of unity because it could not get close to the chair. ¡°Jade, you¡¯re welcome to skip class.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Jade tilted his head as if what I said was real. Wrong. Wrong. Don¡¯t you understand? There¡¯s nothing like a bad friend to put a child in a bad way. Jade has only me as a friend, so I am willing to be a bad influence. ¡°You¡¯re not going to be in big trouble if you don¡¯t go to sword lessons for a day. Let¡¯s just eat some delicious snacks and read a book here.¡± I used my ten-year-old face as a weapon to plead. A little bit, I thought it was a shame, but Jade would have worked because I was so overwhelmed by what I said. Moreover, am I not ten years old? I¡¯m pretty cute back then. ¡°¡­Lady?¡± But then, the voice from behind hardened my body. As I turned my squeaky head and looked at the door of the study, Butler Louis looked at me with a puzzled look on his face. ¡°¡­Louis?¡± Louis was always impressive as a butler of our Amelia family, dressed in a crease-free black tail suit with gray hair. His face looked like he was in his 40s, but his hair is gray, so is he a young grandfather? I thought so, but he said it was stress-counting. Then I could see that Amelia¡¯s work was not easy. ¡°What are you doing? Are you urging Jade not to go to class?¡± ¡°Huh? Huh?¡± I panicked like a child caught doing something bad. No, it¡¯s a bad thing. That¡¯s exactly what I was doing. I was embarrassed and words popped out. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s hot today, so¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s a very cool day.¡± ¡°Reading is as important as swordsmanship¡­?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll have plenty of time, right?¡± ¡°It¡¯s reading time for me now.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it time for your embroidery class?¡± Louis¡¯ defense was solid. As my body gets smaller, my spirit feels smaller. Louis crushed the spirit. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll stand a chance if I do this more¡­ At a glance, I looked at Jade and met his eyes as he was still watching the situation. He looked at me and Louis with a smile as if we were cute. Jade then opened his mouth as he watched my sweaty situation. ¡°It looks like Viche wanted to play with me.¡± Jade pulled himself up by patting his clothes. ¡°Viche, play next time. I¡¯m going to class today.¡± Jade said soothingly to me. What is this feeling again? This strange feeling. That guy thinks he¡¯s my brother. ¡°Louis, please take these books to my room.¡± Jade didn¡¯t forget to take the books I brought him and left, giving me an eye greeting. Louis and I were the only ones left in the room and I rolled my eyes and slid my butt off the chair. Louis¡¯s gaze fell on me with a scratching sound of a chair. ¡°Lady Viche?¡± ¡°Huh, huh?¡± ¡°Are you going to class?¡± His smile was somewhat creepy. Louis is such a scary person. Looking at his height, he was too tall. Especially these days, I was branded as a naughty girl who didn¡¯t listen to Louis because I skipped classes and went outside whenever I had time. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s go.¡± The agony didn¡¯t last too long because Louis was a little scared now. I¡¯ll rebel. Chapter 3 ¡°Miss!¡± Sophia stormed in wondering why the quiet mansion was getting noisy. As expected, we had knocking manners and all that for fear of the master and the maid. I was laying in bed and looked back at Sophia. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°The Marquis is about to arrive at the mansion!¡± The Marquis? ¡°What, Father?¡± Marquis Fritz Amelia. He¡¯s the father of Viche Amelia. Coincidentally, her father had only returned from a visit to the southern family¡¯s estate. ¡°They¡¯re almost here!¡± ¡°Oh my God! Then we should hurry up!¡± I almost fell off the bed and combed my messy hair with my hands. ¡°Did you wash up?¡± ¡°What do you think?¡± Despite my rebuttal, Sophia took a sprayer out of her pocket and sprayed it on me. I took out my comb and started combing my hair. ¡°Oh, and there are people coming with him.¡± ¡°Huh? Who?¡± Sophia took out a pink ribbon from her pocket while she was talking. ¡°Well¡­ What did you say the name was¡­ Du¡­.¡± ¡°Du?¡± Sophia, who rolled her eyes as if going through her memories, also took something out of her pocket. It was a small box. When I opened the box, a cute necklace popped out. ¡°That, Duff¡­?¡± The necklace is beautifully placed on my neck. Sophia looked at my figure and straightened out the creases of the dress with her hands. ¡°Duffrey?¡± I put my hand in my pocket again. Is that Doraemon¡¯s pouch? I feel like she keeps pulling something out. ¡°Put it on!¡± ¡°No way, Duffrey, and Benjamin?¡± ¡°Oh! That¡¯s right!¡± Duffrey and Benjamin¡­ They were her maternal cousins. The frantic twins of the author, Luichelsa Baek. This body¡¯s mother was said to have been the youngest daughter of Count Luichelsa. The beautiful Countess met the young Marquis, fell in love, and married in blessing. A few years later, she gave birth to Viche. However, her weak body deteriorated rapidly after giving birth and she eventually passed away without being able to see her beloved daughter grow up. The mother¡¯s image, which can only be seen in portraits, resembles Viche. However, her mom in the portrait did not wear heavy jewelry or fancy dresses. She was a woman who shone beautifully with only a subtle smile. A woman who was more noble and dignified than anyone else. That was how the mother of Viche felt. Anyways, the twins of her late mother¡¯s brother, Count Milken-Louichelsa, often came to visit us and stayed for a month or two. Their land was located not far south from the Amelian lands, where the Count lived on his estate, not on the Imperial Islands, so they would be placed in our mansions as if they were studying abroad to see the Imperial Islands and learn the culture. ¡°Duffrey¡­ Benjamin¡­¡± At first, I welcomed them without knowing what was going on, but it was hard to handle the naughty and bad-tempered children. Furthermore, in my past life, I could not imagine hanging out with children because my body had an adult ego even though I was a child. So I thought they were just burdened to take care of. ¡°Umm¡­ just imagining it makes me tired.¡± In fact, this life isn¡¯t much different either. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Does Jade also know?¡± ¡°Yes, you need to go quickly!¡± I then ran out of the room. *** The loud noise of the house seemed to be gathered on the first floor. Lewis and Jade were standing in an upright position in front of the crowd waiting for my father. Jade¡¯s black hair was neatly pulled back and his clothes were impeccably neat. ¡°As expected, you¡¯re shining today.¡± I didn¡¯t forget to look at Jade gloatingly in the midst of the busy schedule. I could feel Lewis¡¯ eyes telling me to come quickly and stand next to him, so I then made my way between Lewis and Jade. Everyone looked so bright, and I had a feeling that I was sincerely welcoming my father back. Soon, the wagon that arrived across the garden stopped in front of us. ¡°Father!¡± ¡°Viche.¡± Marquis Fritz Amelia got off the carriage with a kind smile. He looked like a tender middle-aged flower just as I remembered. Viche¡¯s father sadly died in a carriage accident just before her coming-of-age ceremony, when she was only 15 years old. So the last time I remembered him wasn¡¯t much different than now. ¡®If I knew you¡¯d die so suddenly, I would have treated you like a real father.¡¯ Five years was a time when even the father of a possessed body became attached. Before the regression, there was no information on the death of Viche¡¯s parents, as Viche herself was also an unimportant figure that only sparked the beginning. So, I was quite shocked by the unexpected death. I swallowed my tears and ran to my father to hug him. ¡°It¡¯s so good to see you again.¡± ¡°Haha, Viche, you¡¯ve gotten more and more humorous.¡± When I rubbed my cheek in my father¡¯s arms he gave me a pleasant scolding. ¡°Oh, Viche, look who¡¯s here!¡± My father put me down and pointed into the carriage while I was still in his arms. ¡°¡­..¡± I made eye contact with the golden-hair twins who were sitting in the carriage. Oh, do they have to step in at the time of this good father-daughter reunion? They¡¯re so tactless. ¡°Oh, um yeah. Nice to see you.¡± I waved at them with a forced smile. In the meantime, my father approached Jade and Lewis, leaving me behind. ¡°Good job.¡± ¡°Were there any troubles? Did you have a good rest? How¡¯s Jade doing?¡± ¡°Good.¡± ¡°How was everything in the estate?¡± ¡°Oh, we¡¯ll have to go in and talk about it. Actually, it was quite a lot of work.¡± Wait a minute, father? What about me? We should welcome you even more warmly. Well, it¡¯s just a month-long business trip for him. ¡°Viche, you can go and play with the twins.¡± My father patted my head a couple more times and went in greeting his employees. ¡°You¡¯ve changed a lot in a year.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? I¡¯m the same!¡± He left me with these noisy scumbags. *** ¡°Who are you?¡± Duffrey looked behind me and found Jade. ¡°Ah¡­ This is¡­.¡± I quickly opened my mouth to introduce Jade. ¡°Jade Mercian. Marquis Amelia is my guardian.¡± But Jade¡¯s self-introduction was faster. Jade is a distant cousin of the Amelia family, whose parents died in an accident. The Marquis of Amelia had been introduced to the public as his guardian. Of course, the last name was made up in moderation. Jade introduced himself in a calm manner. ¡°I¡¯ve heard from our parents.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t I remember it?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you remember? I heard they took in an orphan. They said he¡¯d live it off because he had no land or property.¡± What? Of the twins, Duffrey went in front of Jade and said things that might hurt him without having any conscience. No matter how much it was a made-up story, it was clear that Jade would feel bad listening to it. ¡°Aren¡¯t you some kind of servant in this house?¡± ¡°Hey!¡± I couldn¡¯t bear to see this spoiled trick any longer. How did Duffrey get away with this at home? ¡°What are you talking about?!¡± ¡°Did I say something wrong? Why are you freaking out? Do you think he would become your brother since he¡¯s been with you? Or is he more like a dog?¡± This kid¡­ Was he insolent to Jade before I came back from the regression? Looking back worried, Jade was calm without any facial changes. His face turned red due to a fever, and he looked embarrassed without a hitch. As expected, you¡¯re so nice that you don¡¯t want to get angry. He¡¯s still the Emperor¡¯s son, the Emperor! He really needs a mental education. ¡°Why are you guys looking down on people? Where did you learn all the bad things when you¡¯re just a bunch of hillbillies!¡± ¡°What, a hillbilly?¡± ¡°Yeah, a hillbilly, you must be busy with your fields, so help me. What are you doing here? Huh?¡± ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°What? Hit me? Hit me!¡± I rolled up the hem of the dress with one hand and pushed Duffrey¡¯s head. Duffrey pushed me away as my hand kept hitting him. ¡°Oh.¡± Her body was reeling in Duffrey¡¯s hands and she was even more upset by it and pushed Duffrey in both hands. Her slender wrist must have been huddled more than it looked, and Duffrey fell on his butt. ¡°This little girl¡­!¡± Duffrey tried to stand up, but she got on top of Duffrey. Then he grabbed his back and smacked it vigorously. ¡°You¡¯re not getting paid to be educated. You son of a bitch! As I smacked Duffrey mercilessly, Benjamin, who was looking at her with his mouth wide open, ran and grabbed me. ¡°Let me go, man!¡± ¡°Hey, stop it!¡± My body was being raised by Benjamin¡¯s hand. ¡°Ooh.¡± But soon Benjamin¡¯s hand fell off of her with a short groan. Suddenly, when she looked next to him, Benjamin was far away, and next to him was Jade, who I didn¡¯t even notice. ¡°Viche.¡± Even in this mess, there seems to be slow, relaxed air flowing only around Jade. Jade¡¯s face, looking down at her, was expressionless and even chilled. What, is this the main character¡¯s air? It makes her concentrate strangely even though he only called her name. So this nice guy is trying to stop her again. ¡°Don¡¯t stop me! You¡¯re such a nice guy, so I¡¯ll scold them!¡± ¡°Viche.¡± Flinch. My body went stiff. He just called my name in a plain way, but it felt strangely intimidating. I¡¯m on your side, but why do I feel like I¡¯m being scolded? ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± ¡°What, then let these bastards go?¡± I don¡¯t know how he feels, and he likes being dignified, but I want him to be angry at times like this! ¡°Don¡¯t do anything on my behalf.¡± Something¡¯s wrong with the flow of the conversation. You¡¯re telling me not to fight, right? That¡¯s the only line that¡¯s going to come out. ¡°Huh? Don¡¯t fight?¡± ¡°Anymore.¡± I didn¡¯t understand, so I stopped moving and was dazed for a moment. ¡°Come on.¡± Jade reached out to me and suddenly grabbed my hand. With my body standing up, I felt somewhat embarrassed and organized my clothes for some reason. Boy, are you a pacifist or what? Was I too excited? I must have gotten used to the aristocratic behavior by now, but whenever I get angry like this, my cheap personality would just jump out. ¡°Ugh.¡± Suddenly a painful groan came out of Duffrey¡¯s mouth. What¡¯s wrong with Duffrey now?? I looked at the mysteriously distorted look on Duffrey¡¯s face and soon found the cause of Duffrey¡¯s pain. Jade¡¯s foot was stepping on Duffrey¡¯s right hand. Uh¡­? Is this intentional¡­? No, it¡¯s not. I think it¡¯s a mistake. ¡°Jade?¡± I blinked while pointing at Duffrey¡¯s hand and Jade¡¯s foot. ¡°Ah.¡± Only then did Jade¡¯s foot press down on Duffrey¡¯s hand again, smiling faintly as if he had just noticed it. ¡­Intentional. It was on purpose, this is not a mistake. ¡°Oh, my God, I¡¯m sorry. I made a mistake.¡± To see Jade¡¯s angelic face smiling softly, I certainly witnessed it, although I should not doubt his words a hundred times. His foot was moving from side to side, stepping on Duffrey¡¯s hand. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Viche?¡± Jade, smiling brightly, looked at me in slow motion. It felt as if my head were ringing. Did I miss something? ¡°Are you all right? Now, hold my hands and get up.¡± However, Jade¡¯s tender appearance forced me to push those thoughts to the side. Yeah, if you don¡¯t get the center of gravity, you might stumble. ¡°Viche, will you take care of Benjamin?¡± See? Jade is some kind of kid. No way. ¡°You, you! I¡¯ll kill you!¡± ¡°What if I don¡¯t let you go?¡± Duffrey stood up and shouted angrily. I¡¯m not the one who stepped on his hand. It was probably a misunderstanding. ¡°Stop it, both of you.¡± Jade mediated between us. ¡°You¡¯d better behave yourself. If you get caught talking nonsense to Jade like today¡­¡± I stretched out my thumb vigorously and motioned to slit my neck horizontally. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you. Really.¡± The twins were bitten back in surprise. The threat seems to have worked. Come on, come on, come on! ¡­I was threatening the young children. *** After the little fuss with the twins, we only met again at dinner. ¡°Did my daughter become very eccentric while I was gone?¡± At my father¡¯s words,I glanced at Lewis, who was carrying the food, and he quietly avoided my gaze. What a snitch. I was in a lot of trouble. Miss some class, pick on Jade¡­ Ah. I did hit a lot. ¡°It¡¯s just part of my curiosity.¡± ¡°You hit us earlier too.¡± Duffrey, who was eating the smoked duck frantically, spoke out. A tactless guy¡­then should I say what you did to Jade? ¡°My sense of justice is on fire.¡± I replied by staring at Duffrey as if saying, ¡®if you tell anymore, I will tell them everything.¡¯ ¡°Haha, when you were younger, you grew up arguing with each other. Viche has grown up alone and tends to be a little self-righteous. You guys should understand.¡± No, that¡¯s not it. It¡¯s unfair to hear that. ¡°But it¡¯s nice to see that you¡¯ve gotten a lot brighter. I was worried when I went down to the estate.¡± The Apostle of Justice right now must be playing the hero of this era. Of course, he didn¡¯t do it with good intentions. I was well aware that the most exciting person in the event of a war would be Grand Duke Kapmel. ¡°Hmm¡­ I¡¯d like to ask you a favor, but were you able to contact him?¡± ¡°Yeah, Jade. How about finding another teacher?¡± He was against having Grand Duke Kapmel as a teacher, but he wanted to make sure Jade took the classes he wanted to take. In particular, he wanted to learn more about the magic that gave him a great sense of loss because he wants to face the painful wounds head-on, so we want to support him even more. ¡°No. I don¡¯t need anyone else. I want to be taught by the Grand Duke.¡± Jade¡¯s determination was firm. My father looked at Lewis with an annoyed expression and was sweating profusely. He probably gets sweaty when he can¡¯t make false promises to his father¡¯s upright temper, and he can¡¯t even say no. ¡°I¡¯ll try to reach out.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± It was only then that Jade showed his usual sullen smile, and my father was able to exhale. Why did it seem like both of us tend to be swayed by Jade? I didn¡¯t want to disappoint that wounded child, so my father must¡¯ve thought the same way. Anyways, father, instead of trying to get the Grand Duke, you should try to make excuses. It is expected that he may have asked for this kind of request before he returned, but it failed and he was not able to take a magic class. ¡°Ah, Viche.¡± Father called me again. Are you going to recommend a class to me too? Out of anxiety, I looked at him with a grim expression. ¡°Why are the fountain statues in the garden broken?¡± ¡°¡­¡± My gaze returned to Lewis. He no longer averted my gaze and greeted me with a soft smile. That scoundrel. Did he say all that? ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t like fish.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± My father¡¯s eyes met the fish meat on the tip of my fork. After all, this is what it is here. I gently dropped the fish meat onto the plate with a knife. The statue of the fountain was a carp statue. The reason for me destroying the water-breathing carp statue was simple. It was because Jade had hurt the back of his head when he hit the fountain in his previous life, so I neatly removed the risk factor in advance. I should have thought of an excuse earlier¡­ ¡°Every time a carp spews water, it vomits blood.¡± Of course, we know that it was just a mixture of stone powder. ¡°So I sent him to heaven to sleep comfortably. If a carp has worked that much, he should rest.¡± It was a difficult one to explain, and those brazen words came out of my mouth. Even talking about it made me feel plausible. I could see the absurd expressions of the twins sitting opposite me. Father just laughed pleasantly. Before,I wandered a lot because I could not fully adjust to reality after being possessed. It was natural for the number of words spoken to decrease, and it was a situation in which it was difficult to deal with family members and the employees. ¡°How was the Amelian estate? How are the young people doing?¡± I slowly changed the subject. ¡°Fortunately, things are running smoothly without any major problems. Come to think of it, how long has it been since you saw Dufrey and Benjamin again?¡± My father¡¯s gaze returned to the twins. ¡°It¡¯s been less than a year. Father.¡± They went in and out of the country like summer and winter. ¡°Every time I see you guys, you¡¯ve grown up, so it felt like it¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen you. Haha. Did you say hello to Jade?¡± Everyone shuddered at my father¡¯s question. ¡°That¡¯s right! We¡¯re supposed to be friends!¡± I clapped my hands with an awkward smile to evoke the chilled atmosphere. They¡¯re so ignorant. I was afraid that they would begin to say nonsense. So, I warned them with my eyes. ¡®Don¡¯t be silly, nod your head!¡¯ Dufrey and Benjamin, who understood my inner feelings perfectly, nodded their heads vigorously. ¡°Jade is my distant nephew and I¡¯m his guardian, so I want you to think that he is just like you and part of the family.¡± ¡°Well, of course!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be close to you.¡± They were like things that have no conscience. They just talked about Jade being an orphan too. Children must be children. I¡¯m stuck in the font of an adult. ¡°Jade said the swordsman had already finished his meal. He¡¯s talented. Do you want me to add a famous teacher from the Knights to be yours? If you want that, I¡¯ll do it.¡± Jade must have been more talented in swordsmanship than I thought. I don¡¯t know how Lewis¡¯ report went up, but, by looking at my father¡¯s sparkling eyes, I looked forward to it too. Jade¡¯s knife, which was cutting the steak, stopped. His purple eyes sank serenely beneath his low eyelashes. ¡°What kind of class do you want to take? Don¡¯t hesitate to say it.¡± ¡°Please get me a magic teacher.¡± ¡°Magic?¡± My father tilted his head. It probably didn¡¯t seem to make sense to him because Jade was abandoned by the imperial family since he had no mana. Of course, it was the result of his mother¡¯s humble origins and complicated circumstances from the imperial family. So he¡¯s going to learn magic? Both my father and I felt embarrassed. ¡°¡­Do you have a teacher in mind?¡± Surprisingly, father seemed to be willing to comply with Jade¡¯s request. ¡°I¡¯d like to be taught by Duke Kapmel.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The Grand Duke?¡± Cough. My father, the twins, and I reacted one after another. There was a reason why we were so surprised. Because the wandering wall of Duke Kapmel, the brother of the current emperor and Jade¡¯s uncle, was from the imperial family. He was a mysterious figure who no one even knew if he was alive in this country. More important than that, he was a¡­ Psycho. Someone out of his mind. Above all, he was a fanatical believer in magic. He was the only peculiar case in the imperial family that did not become a madman while using magic. There was a curse in the blood of the imperial family, and in the end, the emperor and the people of the imperial family did not use magic because no one wanted to use unnecessary power in a peaceful time. ¡°Duke Kapmel¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, if possible.¡± Of course it will be impossible. How can he bring him and ask him to be his magic teacher for a child? Maybe even at this time, criminals were being beaten up in a strange place. People didn¡¯t know much about this, but after reading the original, I knew roughly what he would do if he disappeared. What? What am I supposed to do? Father gave me a friendly smile that meant to be quiet and eat. ¡°I see¡­ Hmm.¡± ¡°Viche you look full of energy, how about taking a swordsmanship class together?¡± Jade, who was listening, smirked and asked, ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± Yeah, you think you¡¯re funny too? You don¡¯t even know I¡¯m your benefactor, do you? ¡°Swordsmanship? But you hate using your body¡­.¡± In fact, Jade¡¯s recommendation to take a class of swordsmanship was rejected once before. Because he hated it when it came to using his body. ¡°It¡¯s swordsmanship¡­¡± But living as a ten-year-old again these past few days, I was so bored. A child¡¯s day is long and boring, especially if you repeat the same life twice! ¡°No, I¡¯ll try.¡± So I decided to take on a new challenge. Let¡¯s focus on the things we haven¡¯t done this time. ¡°I¡¯d like Duffrey and Benjamin to join us while we¡¯re at the mansion.¡± ¡°Oh! That¡¯s a good idea.¡± I¡¯m going to beat him up and teach him personally. ¡°What?¡± It was fun to see the twins panicking over the sudden teen firestorm. Every time they¡¯d come to the mansion, they should roll around it so that they won¡¯t come here often. I was finally able to carry on a pleasant meal with a happy circuit and a pleasant thought that would justifiably afflict the twins. **** A few days later on one late night, the twins, Jade, and I were huddling head-to-head behind a bush a little way from the mansion warehouse. There was a picture of a creaky warehouse painted on the dirt floor, and I drew a guard in front of the warehouse by hand and said: ¡°Jade draws attention from here and lures in the guards.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°You look like you¡¯ve seen someone suspicious or something.¡± ¡°Well¡­ yes.¡± Jade replied with a blush in his face as if embarrassed by one of the last missions. He was too timid. ¡°Then Duffrey and I will sneak in and pack things.¡± ¡°What about me?¡± Benjamin¡¯s eyes were shining, asking for his role. ¡°You¡¯re on the lookout. You know your role is the most important thing, right?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Twins! Talk quietly!¡± Benjamin was in close spirits. ¡°What if the guards come back?¡± ¡°Kill them.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Are you crazy?¡± My high-level gag didn¡¯t work for children. Such innocent kids. ¡°It¡¯s a line I¡¯ve always wanted to say in this situation. Don¡¯t look at me like that. You have to stand out, you idiots.¡± Jade was the only one smiling at my words and the twins¡¯ reactions were cold. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go. Jade!!¡± We looked at Jade with a throbbing look and Jade smiled shyly and stood up. He hid his body closer to the bushes. Besides him, Benjamin¡¯s runny nose was spewing out. ¡­I¡¯m going to get caught because of your runny nose. As Jade approached the front of the warehouse, the guard found Jade and talked to him. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°I think I saw a suspicious shadow over there while I was taking a walk.¡± Jade¡¯s words startled the guard back. ¡°A suspicious shadow?¡± ¡°Yes. It looked like something was popping out¡­.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go!¡± As expected, the guards steadily followed Jade. At the same time, I tapped Duffrey on the side. ¡®Go. Go.¡¯ He pursed his lips and crept over to the warehouse. As soon as we reached the warehouse, we carefully opened the door and entered quickly. In fact, there was no lock because this place is not a safe or a place with valuables. It was really a warehouse for storing groceries and other miscellaneous things. The reason the guards were guarding this place was simply that it was close to the back door, not because it was important. Why did we come to such a warehouse? ¡°I think I found it.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t see well because it¡¯s dark.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll bring it back. Try not to stutter!¡± ¡°Huh? Wait, I think I found it¡­?¡± In the dark, there was a faint sight of Duffrey waving something. ¡°Let¡¯s get out!¡± Obviously, we snuck in, but on the way out, we left with a loud bang. ¡°Hyuk¡­Hyuk¡­¡± As we ran, Benjamin, who had been hiding in the bushes, started running with us, and we eventually ran to the depths of the garden. Benjamin, who barely caught his breath, opened his mouth first. ¡°Is that right?¡± ¡°Are you sure you found it?¡± ¡°Look!¡± Dufrey presented the things he had cherished, and we cheered with joy. ¡°It was successful!¡± ¡°My heart was pounding!¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t do anything, did you?¡± We enjoyed each other¡¯s presence and started to dance. What we stole was firecrackers. Fireworks, a magical item, were only occasionally seen at banquets, but it all started when I happened to find out that we had some in our mansion¡¯s warehouse. ¡°Jade?¡± ¡°You think he¡¯s coming from there?¡± ¡°Anyways, what we¡¯re looking for is like a ghost. Wasn¡¯t it hidden somewhere?¡± Jade joined naturally, as if he knew we were here. ¡°Where are you hiding this now?¡± Duffrey patted my chin and said a thoughtful word. ¡°What are you talking about? Let¡¯s blow it up right now!¡± ¡°What, what?¡± This timid guy thought of stealing firecrackers, but he didn¡¯t even think of exploding them. Did you think you¡¯d save it and blow it up at your wedding? ¡°But don¡¯t you need fire?¡± Come to think of it, I have to light a fire to use this firecracker. I thought about whether I should run to the kitchen or not, but as soon as Jade smiled and waved the lamp in his hand in front of us, all my worries disappeared. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re a smart guy!¡± With excitement, we packed the lanterns and firecrackers and moved to an empty open space a little way out of the garden. ¡°Put it in?¡± ¡°Are you really going to stick it on?¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Me?¡± Benjamin, who was in charge of igniting fireworks, asked again. ¡°How many times do we really put them on?¡± ¡°Put it on!¡± ¡°You coward!¡± I took the lamp from Benjamin¡¯s hand in frustration. ¡°I¡¯ll put it on. You guys stay behind.¡± Then I proudly put firecrackers on the floor and lit up the wick. The wick burned with a thud and I rushed toward the children. My heart was pounding. Why was I shaking so much? Soon, with a roar, the firecrackers burst into the air. The night sky, which was black without a star, was filled with five colors of light. In a round circle, fireworks exploded in the shape of a flower poured down like rain. I was shaking to the point of flinching just in case it reached me. It was a strange sight. I never thought I would see fireworks like modern ones in this fantasy world. ¡°It¡¯s so beautiful.¡± I looked up at the sky, and soon, I could hear the children chattering and was buried by the sound of fireworks. Ah! This isn¡¯t the time. Looking blankly at the sky, I turned my head wondering about the faces of others, and I made eye contact with Jade, who was right next to me. Jade, why isn¡¯t he looking at the fireworks? Was he curious about our facial expressions? ¡°Why don¡¯t you watch it?¡± I asked with a pout because I knew my voice would be buried anyway. I was proud to have planned this reckless crime for no reason. Jade, who was watching my mouth shape, smiled softly as if he understood her. A cute dimple went in his cheeks. As I smiled along with him, Jade¡¯s face came closer and closer. As the slowly approaching face reached the edge, Jade¡¯s body stopped. With a little wind, Jade¡¯s voice pierced my ears. ¡°Pretty.¡± It was a bland answer. ¡°I¡¯ll remember it forever.¡± ¡­Is that too much? When he lived in the Imperial Palace, he probably couldn¡¯t see the fireworks¡­ Poor guy. Jade¡¯s intense reaction was unexpected, but once again, a sense of pride welled up in me. The firecrackers kept going off, and we laughed. This situation was so interesting and fun that I doubted my mental age deteriorated as my body was younger. The quiet mansion soon became noisy and loud. Perhaps the family was all watching in surprise at the untimely fireworks. I could hear the cheers of flower-like maids. ¡®I¡¯m happy.¡¯ In fact, I would be lying if I said I didn¡¯t feel hopeless when I returned to the age of ten. But, I was sure I was lucky to see Duffrey, Benjamin, and Jade¡­again. Let¡¯s enjoy it more. Okay. Until then. In the still pitch-black sky, the embroidered flowers of the night sky from the fireworks were more beautiful than the flowers of the day. *** ¡°Viche instigated it.¡± Lewis was angry. Behind Lewis, the employees of the mansion gathered together and giggled. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t..¡± We stood in a line and put our hands neatly together. ¡°Lying is worse, Viche.¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± I bowed her head sullenly. Naturally, we were caught right after the uproar by Lewis, who ran out to the commotion, and were immediately taken away. Lewis touched the firecracker remnants and pressed his hand to his forehead as if his head was aching. ¡°Why are you having such an accident? Don¡¯t you know how dangerous magic items are? You can¡¯t use them without an adult!¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°What are you doing these days¡­?¡± He had nothing to say, even if he had a hundred mouths. ¡°A few days ago, you said you were taking a swordsmanship class, and you beat Duffrey and Benjamin. ¡°I¡¯ll just stab or cut them the next time.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what you¡¯re saying, is it?¡± I guess swinging like a club wasn¡¯t the problem. But back then, these kids really needed a real education. Oh¡­ I looked up at Lewis with the most pitiful expression possible, and Lewis let out a deep sigh. His mouth sounds like it¡¯s chipping teeth, is it an auditory hallucination? Lewis¡¯ anxiety was deepening today as well.