Hicksonâs eyes trembled blue as he continued his words. âIâm upset, Viola.â
ââŠ.â
Viola didnât understand his words for a moment.
âHe is upsetâŠ?â
What?
Still confused, she stared at Hicksonâs face and asked back.
âAre you really upset?â
She seemed to know why.
âNo. I trust you. I think youâre a good adult.â
âBut, why do you want me to go, too?â
âBecause I want to talk.â
âSo, why do you exclude me? Iâm upset.â
Hickson felt like seeing a little daughter saying, âDad, I have a boyfriend!â
âEven if itâs upsetting, I canât help it.â
âWhy are you adamant?â
âCanât I be adamant?â
âWell, I wish you didnât.â He said, finally letting out a deep sigh, and then glanced towards Tundra.
As expected, Tundra was easy.
âI canât do this. We should have a hot-bod conversation.â
âUncle. Donât vent it on my dog.â
âItâs not venting, itâs training.â
âThen, why are your eyes so bright?â
ââŠWas it noticeable? Hahaha!â
However, Tundraâs answer was more speculative.
âPlease take care of me, Master.â
Hickson was upset for Viola, and for Tundra it was a powerful shock therapy. He was constantly being stimulated.
It was like that when he met Lord Kundo.
It was still the same today.
âIf I had been a really reliable dog, I would have been here, tooâŠâ
He was thinking to himself.
In other words, she doesnât want to tell anyone else. He, too, falls into that âanyone elseâ category.
âItâs probably because I didnât give enough trust.â
Viola said she would stay by his side. She reached out to him when he lost his father and sisterâŠ
âOne day, I will reach out to you. Becoming a reliable companion dog.â
âŠSo, he had to be strong.
Deciding that, he spoke to the teacher with serious eyes.
âPlease be rough with me.â
Â
Viola was left alone with Medea.
Meanwhile, Medea gazed at her. The pale purple hair and eyes. She was still small compared to her age.
The girl in front of her looked slender and delicate.
âShe probably didnât eat too much when she was young?â
She has been told that the aftermath still seems to be lingering.
âSister. Sister said I would have died if you had been my enemy.â
âYes.â
âYou think I didnât know that?â
âYes?â
âThatâs right. I knew.â
If Viola hadnât shown her appearance as a âblack Veratoux,â these words might have sounded absurd.
However, she has already completed qualification verification.
From the beginning of adoption until now. Not only did she show a more Veratoux-like appearance than anyone else, but she even established a record of subjugating bandits in recent years.
Of course, it was actually done by Hickson and Tundra, although Medea didnât know that.
âBut why do you think I ran so recklessly?â
âWell, why did you do that?â
âBecause I trusted sister.â
âDo you have any objective facts or evidence to believe me?â
âI told you before. If sister had made up her mind, Second and Third Prince would no longer be in this world.â
It was true. If Medea had a personality like Vixen, probably the Second and Third Prince would have already been found dead already.
It would have solidified her position as the successor.
âSister.â
She called Medea once more.
Medea didnât like the name âsister.â It was because Viola said it like it had a special feeling. Medea couldnât understand why she had such blind faith and favor toward her.
âIs this a political calculation?â
Iron-Blooded Veratoux.
Veratoux knows how to wear a thousand masks. So, is she approaching wearing a mask like this?
âI always wear a mask.â
âI know. We all live in masks.â
Viola looked into Medeaâs eyes for a moment.
Medeaâs eyes are red. It was as if it had been crafted from a red jewel.
âYou know what Iâm talking about.â
âI donât know.â
Medea lives wearing a mask. In the form of the First princess of Veratoux. She doesnât want to kill her blood andâŠ
She loves Verratoux and her own family more than anyone.
Thatâs why she chose to be strong.
âIf you donât want to be honest, Iâll be honest first.â
ââŠ.â
âI donât like this.â
âWhatâŠ?â
âA war between blood and blood. Various plot tricks and dark battles to become an heir. I hate all of them. Iâve always wanted a family. The family I dreamed and admired is not like this.â
Medeaâs expression hardened.
A rich life flowed out of the ruby-red eyes.
âViola. Itâs not like Veratoux.â
âYes, Iâm not a Veratoux born because I was a very ordinary and abandoned child.â
To be honest, Viola was taken aback.
Medea was a first-class knight recognized even in the Empire. Among them, she is a one-star knight who was awarded a star.
The murderous energy that a one-star knight exuded could not even be compared with the murderous energy that Vixen exuded. It seemed as if endless darkness fell upon Viola herself and the whole world around her.
It felt like she was suffocating by sinking into a swamp made of darknessâŠ
âLetâs get our minds right.â
She knows how much influence the authorâs settings have in this world. Therefore, she wasnât discouraged.
âI am an adopted daughter.â
âThat doesnât take into account your complaints. You look like youâre regretting being the adopted daughter.â
âNo. Veratoux is a nice place. Much better than where I was. My mother died a long time ago, my father abandoned me. I had no brothers. Before coming to Veratoux, I was very, very lonely.â
As she said her words, Viola was somewhat emotionally overwhelmed.
Even though she tried to ignore and forget, the fragments of the unresolved emotions became sharp shards of glass, scratching Violaâs heart.
âThe only person who gave me strength, though, died leaving me alone.â
Kang Han-Joon, who grew up like her family, also died in a car accident. In fact, that was the most difficult time.
âWho is that?â
âThat..â
At that moment, she thought she had made a mistake. As she was speaking, Viola was so moved that too many words came out.
âThat was Uncle Hicksonâs daughter.â
Medea was convinced.
âYes. You said the reason you became friends with him had to do with his daughter.â
Medea looked at Viola with slightly softened eyes.
She lived a very different life from the beginning than her who was born as the First Princess of the Duke family. She thought she was an iron-blooded princess, but she found out that she was not.
âA thousand masksâŠâ
Medea was confident in herself.
No matter what others said, she did not waver in her values ââand beliefs.
âSo, you mean the iron-blooded Veratoux is a mask?â
âYes. Just like sister.â
Medea also wears a mask all the time.
To become a perfect princess.
She becomes a more perfect princess than anyone else, and she eventually swallows Veratoux⊠In order to destroy this law of the jungle environment.
âYouâre pretty sure Iâm wearing a mask.â
âYes.â
âWhy?â
âI felt it from the welcome dinner. Sister was looking at me with concern, not curiosity.â
Medea lost her words for a moment.
Viola was right.
She did not see Viola as an object of her curiosity.
âI heard he was seven years old, though sheâs very small.â
âShe must be a child who doesnât know anything. Is she okay?â
âIf she dies right in front of me, my heart will hurt.â
It was because Viola read all her inner thoughts in the novel.
Then, she continued.
âIt was obvious because your eyes were so different from other people.â
ââŠ.â
âAm I wrong?â
âWell.â
âIf that was the case, it would have been my mistake. Since I showed such a disheveled and weak appearance in front of sister, I will soon collapse. I will be disqualified as Veratoux.â
Medea did not answer. In fact, when she chose to meet Viola, she didnât think this would ever happen.
Viola continued to speak her words as if she had to do everything she had to say.
âStill, sister. Iâve admired sister since the old days.â
âSince the old days?â
âVerratouxâs white wind blows even in the slums.â
It was said that the nickname âwhite windâ was so widely known.
âI misunderstood sister, so itâs okay if Iâm making a mistake now.â
ââŠ.â
âStill, I wish you were my sister.â
Viola counted to herself.
âThree. Two. One.â
She was sure she would respond by this time.
And, that conviction soon became a reality. Medea finally laughed.
âYouâre bold.â
âDid I make a mistake?â
âNo.â
Medea moved closer to Viola and gave her a gentle hug.
âCongratulations on becoming Veratoux.â
ââŠThank you.â
Because of the hug, she suddenly felt Medeaâs body temperature.
âItâs warmâŠâ
Maybe itâs because sheâs a character sheâs liked from the moment she read the novel. Medeaâs arms were especially warm. She thought to herself that she had to make up all the words that Medea wanted to move her heart.
âI donât think so.â
Itâs been three years since she became Viola Verratoux.
She was three years older.
The days she lived as Han Ah-Rin felt more like a dream by now.
âIf it hadnât been for Brother Han-Joonâs face, it would have felt more like a distant dream of the past.â
Because of Tundraâs face that constantly recalls the memories of Han Ah Rin, her memories as Han Ah-Rin are only vivid. Now, she has become more familiar with Viola Veratoux.
ââŠSo, for me.â
She was like Han Ah-Rin in the old days.
She is now Viola Viola Verratoux as well.
âI need a family.â
And, as the original owner of the body, the same was true for Viola Veratoux in the novel.
[ âHave I ever been in your family, even once?â
âYouâve grown up to be a great Verratoux. What do you mean family? It doesnât fit with you.â
âThatâs right. It doesnât suit me.â ]
Viola asked.
âCan I hug you, too?â
âYes.â
Viola lifted her heel.
Medeaâs arms were warmer and wider than she thought. It felt like a baby kangaroo that slipped into the pocket of the mother kangaroo.
âThen, youâre going to be my older sister now?â
âIâve been your older sister since you came to Winter Castle three years ago.â
âNot a sister. Just a Verratoux.â
Although she pretended she didnât, Medea understood exactly what Viola was saying. Somehow, the child who was rumored to be that iron-blooded princess seemed rather cute.
She is ten years younger than her.
The little girl with light purple hair. Her sisterâŠ
âPlease, be my older sister Medea.â
She took out the Veratoux. Not an older sister as Veratoux, she was saying she wanted Medea to be a real older sister.
Medea let out a sigh.
âI didnât expect something like this would happenâŠâ
Is this appearance and even the situation a forceful situation artificially created by this young princess�
âNo.â
Medea believed her own eyes. This kid wasnât acting.
âMuch more than where I was originally, my mother died a long time ago, and my father abandoned me. There were no brothers. Before coming to Veratoux, I was very, very lonelyâŠâ
It could never have been acting.
Even if sheâs acting, then sheâs really good at disguising herself.
Either way, it didnât matter.
âStill, it would be nice if this was your true form.â
Asking to be her older sister, Medea suddenly thought that the figure of this child she held in her arms would be like a real Viola.
But, then a voice came.
âWhat are you doing? I think I need some explanation.â
Medeaâs body trembled and trembled.
She didnât seem to feel the presence at all, even the one-star knight Medea.