CH 74

11-14 minutes

Author: Lioness

FAKES DON’T WANT TO BE REAL

~ 74 ~

With the sight, her sense of smell, and touch, she felt like her head was going to burst.

Her hazy eyes toured around her surroundings and the speed of what just happened felt dizzying.

Where is this?

‘Who is this person hugging me?’

“Go after that dog.”

Familiar cusses poured from above her head. It was a voice so familiar that she felt empty without hearing.

“Duke?”

With no energy, she managed to squeeze her voice out.

He changed the way his eyes looked ferocious before looking down at her.

The way his fluctuating blue eyes stared at her felt strange. Is she really out of her mind that her vision turned blurry?

He stared at the woman he almost lost again with a face full of emotion, then he let out a relieved sigh and asked,

“Are you okay?”

If the case was that the Wizards gathered a bit later, he would have blown the association up.

They couldn’t figure out why the door caused the error or where Psychke had gone.

However, they calmed down the rampaging mad dog and summoned Psychke back, saying that it was possible to reverse summon because there were traces left.

However, even if she came back intact, she was with trash.

They were called back together because they were in contact with the body during brainwashing.

His hands tightened as she embraced her fiancée. Verndia called out to Psychke again, who did not answer.

“Are you okay? Rielle?”

He was anxious because he did not know how far Siona’s brainwashing had progressed.

He was in much distraught that he even called her with her real name, which he found out from the forbidden magic.

To alleviate that anxiety, Psychke responded with all her might.

Likewise, she didn’t know that he called her ‘Rielle’ because she was losing her mind.

“Yes, I am all right…”

She badly wanted to get up but her eyelids were closing on their own. Memories buried in darkness poured down like a waterfall.

‘And Logan, you’re in charge of this child.’

‘They say that her ability won’t manifest unless they’re in a normal environment.’

‘Her ability only needs manifestation so, other than that, I won’t get involved in anything.’

It was an unintended result, but the magic hanging over Psychke was completely broken.

It was Verndia who attacked Shiona, who brainwashed Psychke, then forced her to dispel the magic.

As a reaction, the faded memories were running in reverse.

‘… Run, nanny. Don’t ever get caught!’

‘Run away, young lady!’

‘Ahhh!’

Her mother, who went to the birthday banquet of Her Highness, the Crown Princess, never returned.

Her father, who had gone with her, ran into her mansion covered in blood,

Her nanny ran away with her, but was attacked and killed by an assailant.

So she knelt and begged for her life to the person who killed her nanny.

‘Sa, save me. Please, help me…’

Her tears flowed out of her eyes.

“Wake up. Riyel, Riyel!”

“Aagh!”

Psychke fell into a deep sleep, leaving behind her cries in reality, not knowing whether it was Verndia or Shiona.

* * *

“Princess, where are you!”

“Madam is looking for you. Come out quickly!”

It was a summer day when roses of various colors were in full bloom in the green flower garden.

A child who was hiding in the grass of a flower bed, avoiding those who were busy searching for her, slightly and slowly lifted her head. Her finely braided silver hair was stained with leaves nearby her.

Adding to that her dress was crumpled with dirt.

At first glance, it was Psychke, a cute three-year-old girl who seemed to have been loved and raised.

“Hehe.”

Little Psychke came out of the grass, babbling, as if it she was in so much. In her hand contained a teddy bear half her size. She toddled in the opposite direction where her employees had disappeared.

She became tired of walking, so she took the teddy bear’s hand as if it was her friend’s hand.

The dragged part of her doll’s bottom started to get dirty, and she didn’t even know it.

On the way, Psychke stopped in front of a flower bed with many roses. She was entranced by its beauty then stretched her hand to pluck the red rose.

Fortunately, she didn’t catch the thorny part of it, but the stem was tough, and she couldn’t take it no matter how hard she tried which made her groan in frustration. Just then, something purple flashed in front of her eyes, and that flower part burned in an instant.

“…?”

No matter how many times she rubbed her eyes, and checking the rose, the burnt rose didn’t return. Where did it go?

“It’s all gone.”

Psychke blankly stared at the rose, with the only stem remained. She then turned her head to the sound of her voice coming from the side.

“Hi.”

He had black hair and purple eyes. He was the first boy she had ever seen.

It seemed that the clothes he was wearing were quite classy and noble.

The boy was embarrassed as if he had done something wrong.

But she didn’t catch Psychke’s eye.

She blinked only a few times in her enlarged eyes, turned her head around, and reached out for another rose from that plant.

Burn!

The purple sparkled and the rose was burnt again. Psychke blinked and reached for another rose. Then burn! The boy burnt it again.

“Waah…”

Psychke didn’t know what it was but it felt so much fun so she opened her mouth in astonishment.

She put her teddy bear down and moved vigorously, and the speed of burning the rose increased, correspondingly to her movements. Fire, fire, fire.

Frightened by the smell of something burning, the employees started running, but without knowing it, they fell in love with burning roses.

She stopped doing that after all the roses she could touch had disappeared from where she was now.

‘I should go somewhere else and do more.’

Wanting to change her place, Psychke picked up the teddy bear she had put down.

She was about to pick it up.

Burn! The teddy bear turned to ashes and disappeared.

“…!”

Psychke’s eyes widened.

As she stared down at her empty hands, her smile disappeared in surprise, and the dark-haired child realized something was wrong with her.

She tried to help the cute kid pluck flowers and accidentally burned them. But the kid was having so much fun so he thought he should give her that fun.

But she guessed that the teddy bear shouldn’t be burned.

‘What should I do?’

The child approached the girl who looked around her in search of her teddy bear.

“Hey…”

“Bear’s gone.”

“….”

“It’ch been burnt.”

“… Yes. It’s gone.”

“Where are you going?”

“Dead. Now I can’ch see it anymow.”

“…!”

When she said that she wouldn’t be able to see her bear again, her blue eyes filled with tears.

“Hng…”

“… … .”

“Hhhnnnngggg!”

Psychke began to weep profusely, like a person who had lost the world.

Should he have said the bear went home, and not dead?

Unable to do this or that, the dark-haired child became stiff.

* *

“Nice to meet you, this is Verndia Lestir.”

“Hhhnnggg-”

Uncharacteristically for a six-year-old, her gentle voice was drowned out by whimpering cries.

“The bear-”

A white and elegant table, four chairs, light refreshments, and drinks for children.

It was a place prepared in the backyard to welcome her precious guest.

Her blonde hair was elegantly curled up, and her eyes resembled emeralds.

The gentle-looking Leas greeted him by hugging and comforting her sobbing daughter.

“Hng, hnnggg-”

“I’m sorry, Duke. My daughter is usually not like this. You’re a good girl [Psychke], right?”

It must have been quite shocking that the teddy bear disappeared in front of her eyes.

She tried bringing other dolls, but she cried even harder and didn’t try to pick them up.

Leas patted her daughter on the back as she cried her lungs out.

“I’m really sorry. I feel more apologetic because of what happened.”

Duchess Lestir let out a deep sigh.

She knew that her son had used superpowers from the smoke that bloomed and the witnesses of the employees.

“I told you not to use it anywhere you want.”

“I’m sorry, mother. Unlike the north, it’s too hot. I tried to hold it in, but it came out on its own.”

At Verndia’s excuse, Duchess Lestir’s complexion darkened.

It was because she remembered the high priest’s words during the evaluation ceremony, saying that his ability was so strong that he would be swallowed up by flames at this rate.

Just in time, Psychke’s cries subsided, and Duchess Lestir asked quietly.

She had been friends with her even before they got married, so she had no sense of distance.

“Is there any news about your daughter?”

“What news?”

“The evaluation ceremony.”

“She’s still a three years old.”

The evaluation could be received only when the child was at least five years old.

Even knowing that the Duchess of Lestir let out her impatience.

“Still, there is an if. I’ve heard that there are rare cases where the ability before the Evaluation Ceremony is released.”

“Yes, I hope so.”

A sad smile crept across Leas’s lips.

She also knew about Verndia’s circumstances.

If her ability does not appear in Silkisia, Verndia has a high probability that he will not reach adulthood and die.

“Mom, Mom.”

Psychke, who had stopped crying before she knew it, called her mother and twisted her body.

Leas bowed her head slightly towards her daughter. Then her soft fingers touched her green eyes.

If Leas hadn’t ducked, she would have been stabbed in the eye.

“He is doing it again.”

While she was ordering her lady-in-waiting to bring her something, the bewildered Duchess Lestir opened her mouth.

“Have you not broken that habit yet?”

She seems to have said in a letter she received a few months ago that her daughter kept poking her in the eye.

Leas laughed embarrassedly.

“It’s not going well.”

“Well, my Verndia….”

“What do you think I did?”

“This is so old-fashioned. If it had cute flavors, it’s delicious.”

The whining, which was lightly continued, soon became a central issue.

Duchess Lestir grumbled.

“You mean the birthday banquet for Her Highness the Crown Princess. I don’t know what to give her.”

“I’m worried too.”

Leas let out a light sigh, and her handmaid approached.

As her mistress had commanded, she held out a gold necklace with a large emerald on it.

Psychke, who even then tried to gouge out her eyes at every opportunity, calmed down as soon as she gave her necklace.

Duchess Lestir was curious about the identity of the object that made the troublemaker calm.

“What is that?”

“It’s just a necklace. She liked it because it was the same color as my eyes.”

Leas lowered her daughter from her lap to the empty chair next to her.

Psychke did not take her eyes off the necklace. Not paying attention to the chatter of her mother and her mother’s friends, she played well by herself.

However, the boy sitting across from her kept talking to her and being annoying.

“Hey.”

“…”

“Hey.”

“…”

“You little rat-bean.”

“I am natch a rat-bean!”

I don’t know what rats were, but it didn’t sound like a compliment.

She protested and jumped out of the chair. She quickly moved to a place where the troublesome boy couldn’t go.

However, she couldn’t go far and sat down on the floor at her mother’s words.

“You can’t go far.”

“Yesh.”

So, while she was playing with the emerald in her necklace, a shade fell over her head.

Psychke didn’t even look up.

And Verndia, the only son of a high-ranking duke, felt unfamiliar with the disregard he had experienced for the first time in his life.

‘What is this?’

(TN: So, when they were young, Verndia was a tease and attention seeker type? HAHA, cute.)