[T/N: The last two paragraphs from chapter 2 should be like this. Iâm sorry for the mistakes.
I took a deep breath and exhaled again. Then I shouted with all my might.
âHep me! Hep me! Bed wan cetch me!â]
I felt that Edifa was in a panic, but it took time for him to get me down and cover my mouth as I was tied to his back.
I gave up the words that were too hard to pronounce.
âEuanggg! Hep mee! Yu bed wan! yu evil wan!â
Edifa murmured lowly.
âHey, do you want to die? Canât you shut up?â
But not far away, I could hear people gossiping, so I screamed more fiercely.
âEuaggggggg! Hep mee! Hep meeee!â
âD*mn itâŠâŠâ
It was the moment when Edifa finally untied the knot on his shoulder. I struggled swiftly on his back and fell to the ground.
Thereâs a burning sensation from my knee being scratched, but I didnât care.
I screamed as I ran away with my bare hands on the rough dirt ground.
âEuaggg! Heppp me! HeâŠâ
Of course, Edifa lifted me up and covered my mouth in an instant. But, it wasnât fruitless. Someone from afar shouted with a terrifying voice.
âYou, what are you trying to do with the child?â
Edifa squeezed my mouth tighter and hugged me close to his chest. Then he covered my eyes and my hair with the black cloth from before.
âAh, itâs not a big deal. My sister is not feeling well, so Iâm looking after my niece. Sheâs looking for her mother a lot.â
Several footsteps were heard.
This time, a younger voice asked more closely than before.
âTell me which family you are and where you are going.â
Edifa was furious.
âWho do you think you are, interfering in someone elseâs way? Do you think all nobles are allowed to do that?â
A clear voice answered calmly.
âI am a student at the Royal Academy of Zantar. With the grace of the royal family, we receive a higher education, so we have to protect the children, the nationâs assets. Show me that the child is safe.â
Chaeng.
It seemed that Edifa was pulling out the knife with his other hand.
I felt truly sorry for the child who was a student. I couldnât believe thereâs a student nearby.
Iâm sorry, Iâm sorryâŠ
However, I could feel Edifa faltering as he tried to unfold my aura.
Ah, if youâre a master who uses the aura properly, you must have an identity. But Edifa wasnât in a position to reveal my identity right now.
The youthful voice of the student was mixed with laughter that didnât fit the situation.
ââŠusing an aura? What kind of family scoundrel dares to use an aura while holding a child the size of a forearm in his arms? Are you really trying to protect the child or are you trying to harm her?â
Why is he laughing in the midst of this?
Edifa squeezed his hand that covered my mouth tighter.
The brave student continued.
ââŠI donât want to say kind words. I warned you again. My name is Theodore Halias. Show me the child.â
âŠwho?
Did he, did he just say Theodore Halias? Ahh⊠I hope this was a hallucination.
Halias, the person I had been chasing all my life and tried to kill in my previous life â his son to be exact.
Of course, it was because Dehan made me, but they didnât let me go.
At the last minute, if Prabashâs flame hadnât exploded, I would have died at their hands.
Prabash, you crazy ancestorâŠ
Why donât you just leave me in the fire if this was the caseâŠ
Youâre not trying to test something like a hundred ways to die to the last Merdy, right?
I wrestled with the hem of the cloth for a long time and finally succeeded in removing the black cloth.
As soon as I did, I met Theodoreâs gray eyes.
The second son of Alseid Halias, Theodore Halias. You, who was called the ghost of Halias, had all these innocent youthful daysâŠ
Theodoreâs eyes widened when he saw my red hair.
ââŠMerdyâs child?â
As he drew his sword, the perfect blue aura gracefully wrapped the blade.
WhatâŠ
You, have you been a swordmaster since I was three years old?
Dehan, who pushed me into the boiling Halias when I was 19 years old, is also crazy.
As Theodore tilted his head, his pale silver hair fluttered slightly.
As a signal, the men standing behind him drew their swords.
âThe last warning. The red-haired Merdy is a descendant of Prabash and a treasure of the kingdom. If you give up the child, I will spare your life.â
I looked up at Theodore with sad eyes.
Theodore, I can see your youthful innocence and loyalty. But Edifa doesnât listen to such kind wordsâŠ
In an instant, someone standing behind Theodore suddenly threw a dagger at me.
HiiggâŠ!
I looked at the dagger with my eyes wide open. It was because of Edifaâs lifelong teaching of looking at the enemyâs weapon till the end,
The dagger narrowly grazed my head and landed on Edifaâs shoulder.
My teacher in my previous life could have avoided the dagger, but he deliberately didnât move because he was afraid Iâd get hurt.
For a moment, I was almost touched by this, but when I thought about it, it wasnât something to be grateful for.
Edifa, this b*st*rd, had to keep me alive until he brought me to Dehan.
He couldnât possibly fall down just because of a single dagger, but his arm that held me lost strength for a moment.
I struggled without missing the chance.
Itâs now. The only chance to escape from both Edifa and Theodore.
As soon as I slipped to the ground, Theodore emitted his aura and rushed to Edifa. Then one of Theodoreâs men quickly grabbed me.
âBaby, are you okay?â
The voice was full of good intentions, and it warmed me up.
Ah, it shouldnât be like this⊠I canât be caught by Theodore like thisâŠ
But contrary to my will, my mind gradually became dark.
What a useless, incompetent body. At the age of three, I left my dark mind as it was.
*****
When I opened my eyes, the night sky was shimmering.
Ah, I feel like throwing upâŠ
As soon as I thought about it, I threw up.
âUoeeeeggg.â
Someone rushed to me, patted me on the back, and gave me water.
âAre you okay, baby?â
That wasnât the problem.
The familiar salty smell of the sea lingered on the tip of my nose, and a large sail spread out in front of me.
âHuwaaaaaâŠâ
A cry broke out.
Even if heâs young, did Theodore lose to Edifa? Even though there were some of his men? So am I on my way to Lausanne right now?
Not just LausanneâŠ
âHuwaaaaaaaaâŠâ
Iâd rather jump into the sea and die.
Thatâs better.
I couldnât live as a puppet of Dehan and Bahel again.
âHugkhhh.â
As I strode unsteadily on the boat, someone blocked my way.
When I turned my head and looked up at the person who stood in front of me like a mountain, his silver hair shone like the moon.
Theodore Halias�
The enemy of my previous life asked me with his waist bent halfway in front of me.
âMerdyâs baby, are you awake? Why are you crying? Do you miss your mom?â
âHiccup!â
I was startled and hiccupped.
Itâs surprising that Theodore appeared. Itâs even more surprising that the ghost of Halias was terribly friendly.
What did I eat wrong?
By the way, I thought I was going to Lausanne because I was on the boat� Maybe not?
Theodore bent his eyes gently and patted me on the back.
âWould you like some water?â
I took the cup and looked at him while drinking water.
âHiccup! I, wher?â
When I asked secretly, the former enemy of my previous life smiled gently like the moon.
âYou must want to go home, sorry. I have something important to do in the castle.â
If I go back a day from there, Iâll find Merdy, but Iâm on my way to Halias, how many days will it take?
Of course to the benefactor who saved my life, maybe itâs not something worth considering.
As I suffered from non-stop hiccups, Theodore continued.
âHowever, I donât feel comfortable leaving you to my men. How did you get caught by someone like that? He has an extraordinary skill, have you been kidnapped?â
I barely nodded. Then, the smile disappeared from Theodoreâs face.
Hmm⊠looking at his expressionless face, he was definitely the guy I knew.
âHow dare he kidnap Merdyâs princess by himself? What the h*ll with Merdy CastleâŠâ
Indignant, he looked into my eyes and sighed.
âAnyway, itâs okay now. I am the son of Halias, the Northern Territory. Halias is Merdyâs friend.â
Donât lie, you swindlerâŠ
I didnât learn much in my previous life, but I learned about the history of the kingdom through books.
Thanks to this, in recent centuries, the three great families of Zantar: Halias, Merdy, and Dehan divided the kingdom and ruled it, increasing its power to a level comparable to that of the royal family.
Letâs say that Halias was an enemy of Dehan and had nothing to do with me. To be friends in a situation where we could set boundaries and cuddle with each other, that sounded peaceful.
Moreover, considering the desert area on the west side of the continent or beyond the northern wall infested with monsters, the territory within the kingdom was as precious as even a small island. But to avoid Theodoreâs hatred, the answer had to be simple.
Anyway, he was going to take me home. Even when he didnât know I was Merdy, he tried to save me just because I was a child.
So, shall I lean on Theodoreâs innocence as a student at the Royal Academy at this point?
The worried Theodore stretched out his white little finger.
âDo you know how to promise?â
Standing still, I looked like a fool.
âI know.â
Then he held out his little finger in front of me.
âWhen Iâm done with my work, Iâll take you home again. I promise in the name of Halias.â
With such innocent eyes, isnât that cheating?
Of course, now that he cheated, there was no way I could escape unless I jumped out of the boat.
Every time I heard Haliasâs name, it looked like the game was still going. But I put my short finger on his finger.