Chapter 21: Chapter 22

Baron Amanta.

He was a person who gained great wealth by using the mines he currently owns.

Although it is still only a small mine, Damian won the war with a sword made of minerals from that mine.

In the north, where monsters were infested, weapons were money.

‘if so…  !’

“Duke.”

The Duke glanced at my call.  I said with a light smile.

“I made a decision. I want to go to Baron Amanta.”

Then the Duke raised one eyebrow as if unexpected.

“There will be no regrets for that choice?”

“Yes,”

I looked up at him with determined eyes.

“Humm…… If you mean it, it won’t be dry.”

The Duke slowly tilted his head, whispering in a voice only heard by me.

“I’ll tell you one thing in advance. The same number just won’t work for the Baron.”

“…… What?”

The words that struck me without warning, I asked like an idiot.

The Duke said in a low bass.

“It means that your skill doesn’t work for Amanta, even though it’s through to the stupid Corbino.”

“……… .”

I swallowed my breath.

It was a voice that penetrated everything.

‘He knew it all,’

that I gave the Blue Hope back to Viscount.

How did he notice it?  Apparently, it would not have been visible because it was covered by his own body.

I bite my lips firmly.

She tricked people by making fun of her hands.  She was worthy of the name of the thief’s daughter.

‘But why…….’

Was the Duke just skipping my play?

Even if it was decorated by Corbino’s own work, it was a vassal of Shuets.  He was more right to trust him than I, the thief’s daughter.

When I was silent about my futile intentions, a breathtaking silence flowed between the Duke and me.

The Duke did not question me, nor did he ask what had happened.

I just watched.

The reason is….. .

‘……Is it because my actions benefited the Duke?’

I helped to meet Damian safely, and I found out a masterpiece of Corbino’s work.

‘I’ve been trying to find out my use.’

It seemed to know the reason why the Duke brought me.

As I kept silent in thought, the Duke opened his mouth.

“Can’t you do that?”

A voice without high and low was asking my opinion.

The only person who recognized my worth as a useful child.

When I thought about it, I wasn’t afraid as before.  I wanted to somehow prove my worth.

“No, I can,”

I said in a clear voice.

“I’ll show you that you need me.”

The Duke glanced at me for a moment and nodded.

The answer was enough.

???? ???? ???? ???? ????

A few days passed after the storm struck, but nothing else happened.

‘It looks like the Duke was pretty scary.’

Besides, the Duke must have been a little bit of a care for me.

That alone was fortunate for now.

“Duchess, Ellie, don’t you feel stuffy if you stay indoors?”

Then Ivana asked, looking at me.

“Yes, it’s okay. No, it’s not okay.”

I quickly changed my words.

The respect for me and the humble words of honor still have not been adapted.

Ivana laughed openly and opened her mouth.  She said,

“I have a new cookie and tea that I brought in today. Why don’t you go out and take a walk?”

“Can I go around at will?”

“Of course, there is no place in this castle that Lady Ellie cannot go,”

Ivana said confidently.

I felt a strange love from her gaze and her voice.

When I felt weird, I quickly turned my head.

“Well, then I and Damian will be out first!”

“Wait a minute, Ellie.”

Ivana caught me trying to get out quickly.

“Be careful because the weather is very cold,”

Ivanna put on us a thick coat.

“If you go outside the main castle, you will see an external corridor. If you go all the way along, there is a small greenhouse. There are a lot of pretty flowers, so why don’t you take a look?”

Ivana smiled gently as she wrapped her shawl over my nose.

‘I’m……. ashamed of something.’

I nodded with my face buried in my shawl and quickly exited the room.

???? ???? ???? ???? ????

As Ivana said, I went down the outer corridor and saw a small greenhouse.

The greenhouse seemed to be well maintained.  Despite the cold weather, there are also many flowers that can be seen in spring or summer.

‘It doesn’t go well with the Duke……’

“How is it, Damian?”

“You, so pretty!”

Damian poured out the greatest praise he could.

“There will be many other flowers. Shall we go back there?”

“Yes!”

Damian ran forward like a puppy running after a dandelion seed.

As he looked around the flowers, he stopped as if he had found something.

The twinkling snow seemed to have sprinkled even star dust.  He immediately turned his gaze and looked at me.

“Elie…….! Hey, here!”

“What’s up there?”

I approached where Damian was.

What Damian pointed to was

Li Xian Shius in full bloom.

“This resembles the color of Ellie’s hair.”

Damian said in an excited voice as if he had found even a big treasure.

“Wow, that’s really it! It’s the same color as my hair!”

Damian shyly blushed when I said in an exaggerated voice as if complimenting.

“Then shall I look for it too?”

I pointed to the blue gypsophila I saw on the way and said,

” I found, Damian color.”

Damian, who was moving his gaze following my fingers, opened his eyes round.

“Is that my color?”

” Isn’t it so pretty?  Damian it looks just like you.”

When I laughed while hitting the ball, Damien laughed ashamed. It was a pure and pure laughter.

The frustration and depression that had deeply settled in my heart were no longer visible.

The flowers in full bloom and Damian’s laughter were unbearably lovely.

As I looked around the flowers for a long time, I said something that suddenly came to mind.

“That’s right. You know, Damian. I’ve decided on a family to be adopted.”

Then there was a popping, falling sound.

On the floor, the flower that Damian was holding just fell off.

The face that looked at me blankly was like a heroine with tragedy in front of me.

“Adoption?”

The excited energy disappeared in an instant and became dark.

“Oh, where are you going?”

“I think I’ll be entering Baron Amanta’s foster daughter.”

Of course, Baron Amanta may object.  I swallowed the back words.

“then…..”

But contrary to what I expected to congratulate, Damian’s face sank a little dark.

“…..I can’t meet Ellie anymore?”

Damian, who was crying, seemed to burst into tears at any moment.  I shook my head in a hurry.

“No. It’s just a deal to put your name on.”

“Well, then can you stay with me?”

“Huh.”

Damian’s expression bloomed brightly as if when did that.  His eyes were gently bent while his tip was slightly raised.

How can I make such an eye smile already?

“Damian you hasn’t decided anything else? You went out in the morning.”

“I got training for swordsmanship.  I’m going to start training in earnest from tomorrow. ”

That’s why he kept wearing a wooden sword.

It was a good thing for Damian to receive multiple education, but I was worried that it would be impossible.

“You can’t overdo it.”

“Huh.”

“Don’t look at that. You know what I mean?”

“Huh.”

Good answer.  I smiled happily and stroked Damian’s hair.

“Because you were kind and well trained, let’s have a lot of fun today! How about getting a tag?”

“hide and seek?”

“One person is a tagger, so he catches the other.”

“Ha, I want to do it! I want to do it!”

I exited the greenhouse with Damian shining eyes.

The bare branches with a lot of snow were exhaling a negative energy, but because Damian was with her, it looked like a scene with an atmosphere.

“I catch it! One, two, three!”

“Ah! Now, wait a second!”

Me and Damian ran for a long time like that.

When I woke up, the sun was setting somehow.

Besides, as I ran around to my heart’s content, I got quite far from the greenhouse.

“It’s hard. Right, Damian?”

“Yes, it’s hard….”

“Now let’s go in. Ivana will be worried.”

“Huh.”

“Yeah, so let go of this. You’re done with the tag.”

I lifted my hand holding my back tightly, but a strong wind blew from somewhere.

Pasa Sac!

Along with the sound of the twigs grazing, I heard the sound of footsteps running from somewhere.

The direction of the sound was exactly where I was sorry for coming out.

The moment I remembered Viscount Corbino, who was trying to chase me.

‘When there are only two of us!……’

I hugged Damian in my arms, and I was alert.

It was then.

thud!

My running pace stopped and I heard a loud fall.

‘Huh?’

With a blink of an eye, I and Damian approached the place where I heard the sound.

There was an old lady in finely dressed crouching.

Unlike her clothes, her hair was dizzy.

‘Did you fall over?’

As I approached her, the murmur grew louder and more.

“It’s scary, it’s scary…….”

grandmother looked around, trembling with her whitish face.  She was halfway, and she seemed like an ecstatic person.