ââŚPrincess? Lilith? What are you sorry about, my princess?â
I heard my fatherâs bewildered voice. I couldnât even lift my head for fear of seeing Grandfatherâs scary eyes, so I grabbed Dadâs pants.
âFather, please relax your face. Sheâs scared.â
âNoisy.â
However, Grandfather only answered coldly. Soon, a shadow fell over me as I bowed my head. When I lifted my eyes, I could see my Grandfatherâs face with his knees bent right in front of me.
Then he reached out to me with an expressionless face.
âD, donât tell me, will he hit me?â
He approached me slowly to the point that I could have avoided it, but I just closed my eyes tight.
ââŚHuh?â
Then I opened my eyes again with the warmth that gently touched my cheek.
âW, what is it?â
Pinch.
I looked at Grandfather with a stupid face and blinked at the pinch on my cheek, which didnât hurt.
Grandfather stood still and stopped pinching my soft cheeks. He was trembling for some reason, even though it was a very small movement.
âAhâŚâ
As I looked into the blue eyes of my Grandfather, who looked just like my Dad, I realized.
These eyes, and these tremblingâ.
I knew it!
When Jimmyâs tricolor cat gave birth, this was the response that made my body tremble as I looked at the adorable kittens!
âUgh.â
I could hear my dadâs little laugh above my head.
âHa, does Grandfather think Iâm cute?â
I quickly cleared my throat when I finally regained the sense I had lost because I was nervous.
âG, Grandpa!â
Grandfather, itâs a tongue thatâs matured enough to pronounce things easily, butâ I purposely twist it cutely.
âI am Lilith! seven years old!â
I greeted him shyly.
Grandfather swallowed his saliva. His neck was seen to be shaking very loudly. I smiled shyly, approached my grandfather timidly, and dug into his arms.
âGrandpaâŚnice to meet you.â
ââŚ.â
Grandfather, who had become stiff, finally hugged me and helped me slowly get up.
My Grandfather, who was as tall as my Dad, gave me a big hug, looked at me closely, and said.
ââŚYeah. Iâm your grandfather.â
I swallowed a laugh and hugged my Grandfatherâs neck.
It smelled just like my dad.
* * *
After seven years, the three people got together again and talked for a very long time. But, maybe that wasnât enough, so I went outside with my aunt while my dad and grandfather said they had something to talk about separately.
Now on the way to my auntâs room.
âWhoa.â
I grabbed my auntâs hand and eagerly followed her with my short legs until she stopped.
âOh my, my. Iâm sorry.â
âYes?â
âI walked a little fast. Itâs because Iâm so excited right now.â
âNo, itâs not true!â
I admired my aunt, who smiled kindly.
âWow, sheâs really pretty⌠Sheâs not the main character, but is it the main characterâs sibling buff?â
My aunt, Ordia, who married the Duke of Antrace, was a noble lady of elegant beauty and flowing grace.
My aunt stared at me and then suddenly burst into tears and covered her mouth.
âOh, Lilith. How could there be such angelic babies?â
âNo. Aunt is much prettier like an angelâŚ.â
âWhat?â
My aunt rubbed my cheek with her hand and smiled at me. Then she mumbled bitterly.
âYou know, actually, I worried about you more than Enoch. Such a small, cute, and weak childââ
ââŚ.â
ââŚI canât believe you had a hard life. From now on, wear only good clothes in good places and eat only good things. you absolutely have to. Because youâre Rubinstein.â
No, I meanâ living in a hut in a small mountain village with my dad wasnât that bad. Itâs because my dad said that I did the laundry for nothing.
It seemed that my aunt thought I was chewing grass in the corner of the countryside and working hard.
âAh, look at my mind. Letâs go, Lilith. Let me introduce you to your cousin brothers.â
âBrothers?â
âThatâs right, my two sons. Theyâre twins. Iâm worried because theyâre so playful, but theyâre still good kids. They always talk about wanting Dongsaeng. They will like you very much.â (T/n: ëě here means younger brother or younger sister.)
The moment I heard the word twins, I stopped walking in surprise.
âT, thatâs right. If they were my auntâs sons, they would be the Young Master Antrace.â
The twins of the Duke of Antrace.
They are Enoch Rubinsteinâs nephews, one Paladin, and one Magic Swordsman.
âAndâŚâ
I gulped down my saliva as I glanced at the happy auntâs face.
ââŚIn this novel in which people die every now and then, both of them are going to die.â
The twins were one of the few people to whom my dadâs adopted son, Cheshire, opened his heart. So when people who followed him, like his own brothers, died, Cheshire almost went crazy.
âWell, our Theo is a bit weak, so Iâm worried.â
âAh, I, I see.â
When my aunt added that she was worried, I was dazed.
Theo. Theo Antraceâ.
It was the name of the one who died first.
âEveryone, look whoâs here!â
My aunt, who arrived in the room, opened the door wide. Then the two boys, who had been lying on the table as if bored, raised their heads.
âHuh, it looks like it was actually copied and pasted.â
Although I expected it because it was often explained that it was a look that the naked eye could never distinguish.
The two were identical.
âWow! Are you really here?â
âWhat is this? Why is she so small?â
The two of them got down from the chairs, came up to me, and tilted their heads with wide-open eyes.
One to the left, one to the right.
âThe behavior is the sameââ
With blonde hair like honey and blue eyes similar to mine.
The twins, dressed in fine clothes, looked elegant and like nobles even though their face was full of mischievousness.
âThey really look like each other, right? Itâs embarrassing to say, but if the kids are determined to deceived me, I canât tell the difference even as their mother.â
My aunt shook her head and introduced me to the twins.
âLeon, Theo. Your uncle came back a little while ago. This cutie is your cousin. She says her name is Lilith.â
âWow, Lilith? Nice to meet you. Iâm Theo Antrace. Iâm 12 years old.â
Theo, wearing a blue earring on the left, put his face close to me with a rather excited expression.
âSo itâs youâŚ.â
Theo, a Paladin (to be), had a friendly personality as described in the original. Theo, who was angry like it was his own business whenever someone talked about Cheshireâs unclear originâ and whenever Cheshire was depressed, Theo noticed like a ghost and gently comforted himâ.
âEven if you were like me, you would have no choice but to follow me like an older brother.â
Theo died of a rare congenital disease in the spring of the following year when he was appointed as a knight. So in terms of the number of years, itâs probably less than four years away.
âNice to meet you too, brother! I am seven years old, Lilith!â
I grabbed Teoâs finger with a small hand and greeted him kindly with pity.
âAh⌠hmm.â
Theo looked at my aunt, who was standing next to me, and wiggled the corners of his mouth as if he was both embarrassed and happy.
My aunt nodded with a smile, and Theo patted my head awkwardly.
âWhoa, itâs prettyââ
âAhahaha.â
âWhewâŚLeon, you should say hello to Lilith too, right?â
My aunt, who was happy to watch Theo and me, said.
Leon, wearing a red earring in his right ear, was half hiding behind my aunt and looking at me curiously.
ââŚSheâs seven and sheâs very small. Stupid. I was really big when I was seven.â
âWhat? Are you calling your sister stupid?â
Leon pulled my auntâs skirt for no reason, maybe because he was embarrassed.
âLilith, your older brothers look the same, but their personalities are completely different. Theo is sweet and kind. Iâm worried about Leon because heâs playful.â
âWhat about me? Ouch!â
Aunt gave the naughty boy a light hit on the head and rubbed her forehead like she was tired.
âLeon, be quiet. Please say something nice. How many times did Mother tell you that Ladies doesnât like you? How many days has it been since you caught a spider and made fun of Young Lady Valerin? Do you want to get in trouble again?â
âThatâs because Erica Valerin said she likes spiders.â
âShe said that because she wanted to get close to you because you said you liked insects, but thereâs no Lady who really likes furry giant spiders!â
It must be hard to raise a sonâ.
I smiled awkwardly as I watched my aunt sigh deeply.
Leon, a Magic Swordsman (to be), was playful and talkative, so he fought with Cheshire in everything.
Of course, he doesnât mean it because Leon cares more about Cheshire than anyone else.
Leon glanced at me in the middle of being scolded by my aunt. Our eyes kept meeting.
âPhew, this crazy novel that kills half of the characters is now a true storyâŚ.â
When I saw Leon, a mischievous 12-year-old boy, I couldnât help but think of one corner of the original story.
ăBlood was constantly pouring out of the wound. Cheshire held Leon, who was breathing heavily, in his trembling arms.
âL, Leon. BrotherâŚyou canât die like this. Please wake up.â
âUgh. you idiot. Are you crying? Donât cryâŚYouâre such a loser.â
âHaa, ha. P, please hang in there. Brother, pleaseâŚâ
âThis punk, you call me brother when Iâm about to die. You bastard, I saved you⌠Donât die like an idiot.â
âB, brotherâ!â
ââŚPlease, you must come back alive.â
With the last request, the light of life faded from Leon Antraceâs eyes.ă
âWow, I think Iâm going to cry again.â
A large-scale beast subjugation battle that appears in about two volumes of the original.
Leon dies there.
While blocking the front of Cheshire, who was about to be attacked, he was attacked instead.
The part was written so well that I remember using two rolls of toilet paper as I read it.
âA crazy novel with no happiness to the supporting role!â
Before I knew it, I approached Leon and grabbed his pants.
He seems like a nice and pitiful brat.
âBrotherâŚIâm really happy to meet you. Letâs be friends. Letâs catch spiders together.â
ââŚ.â
âHehe, I like king spidersâŚ.â
I shyly grabbed Leonâs hem and said. I want to be friends with him. However, for some reason, Leon just stared blankly at me who approached me first.
âB, brother?â
Then.
Leon, who was looking at me with a dangerous expression on his face for some reason, suddenly stretched out his hand. Then he grabbed my chubby cheeks andâ.
ââŚ.?â
âPinch!
âAh, ack!â
Hard enough to make me cry!
âO, oh my! Leon!â
âUgh! Hey, Leon! What should I do if you pinch her so hard!â