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Episode 34: What Makes A Secret, A Secret (II)
I covered my mouth in shock at the terrible sight unfolding before my eyes.
“

!”
Gerard slightly flicked the blood-soaked blade before putting it back in its sheath.
‘He made him stay silent and keep the secret by killing him!’
I realized once again how thorough Gerard was.
It was only natural that the image of the warm prince who offered me jelly was blown away at once.
While his assistant cleared the body, Gerard slowly took a cigarette out and lit it.
In the darkness, his bright red pupils blazed with a dazzling light.
‘I’m scared.’
It was when I was crouching down.
“

”
Gerard’s red pupil was staring in my direction.
‘Crazy. Maybe, did he find out?’
I didn’t make a sound at all and I even took small breaths?
The distance between us was so far that even the most sensitive swordsman wouldn’t feel a presence.
I held my breath like a withered squirrel, stuck close to the tree and prayed. Please, please don’t come this way, please.
It was then.
“Sister!”
Heinrich’s voice was heard from afar.
“

”
The assistant’s gaze was sharply focused on it.
Gerard scattered the smoke leisurely with his eyes directed towards the floor, then he threw the cigarette that had burned short by his feet.
Then the two left without a word. Like a mirage.
“Sister!”
‘
Ha, ha, I lived.’
I slid down the tree and sat down. Heuk-heuk, my baby’s timing is the best.
“Heinrich!”
After a while, I hurriedly went to Heinrich.
‘It would be better for him to not see bloodstains!’
I was afraid that Heinrich would get involved in useless affairs or worries, so I hurriedly ran away.
By the way

“Huh?”
There were no bloodstains around.
There was no sign that anyone had died here. I was confused as if I had seen a ghost.
‘Incredibly quick fixing skills.’
‘I don’t think he’s done it once or twice.’
It was at that time when I stopped and took a step back when I thought of the bloody sword.
I found something shiny at my feet.
‘What is that?’
I picked the item up and looked at it.
It was a luxurious ‘cigarette case’ made of chrome, with brown leather wrapped around the edges.
The case was engraved with the royal emblem.
The thought of naively picking it up and looking for its owner did not come to mind at first.
It was just suspicious.
‘Is this a trap?’
Purposely dropping an object at the scene so as to find the suspicious person who peeked at him
?
‘
It can’t be.’
If that was the case, it would have been a less precious thing.
There was even a part in the original story where Gerard struggled to find his lost cigarette case.
He had a hard time because it vanished without a trace, and Heinrich, who was in the Imperial Palace at that time, was pointed out as the culprit.
‘It means that there is no tracking magic on it in any way.’
If there was, there would be no need to have such a hard time when it disappeared.
Should I just leave it on the floor? But, if I do that, someone else might accidentally pick it up and be misunderstood, and might end up getting ‘seukk’!
(TL/N: Haha, as in, having his head sliced off, aka, killed.)
‘No. no way.’
It might be better for me, who knew the entire situation, to keep it. Since it was the prince’s precious item, it would probably come in handy someday.
I quickly kept the cigarette case.
Heinrich finally reached me, and while carefully examining my face, he said,
“Sister, why are you so pale? What happened?”
“No, I guess it’s because I’ve been exposed to the night breeze for a long time.”
“I’ve been looking for you for a long time. Don’t go around alone without me. The Imperial Palace is dangerous.”
“Yes!”
I lowered my eyebrows and tried hard to smile.
***
‘Ah, I feel better after eating cheesecake.’
I felt a little bit better when I shoved delicious things into my mouth out of anxiety and fear.
If I were a real 12-year-old kid, I would have burst into tears by now, but fortunately, being an adult from my previous life was holding my mind firm.
Moreover, the scene of the murder felt it was from a movie, and there was no sense of reality.
If it was like this, should I say it was a relief?
“Heinrich, have you ever seen a person die?”
Heinrich scratched his pretty cheek and raised an eyebrow.
“What, of course. I see it when I go out to the plaza, people’s heads that were cut off were hung there.”
“

!”
“Last time, I saw someone stoned to death for harassing a nobleman’s daughter.”
How could such a cruel thing happen?
Of course, it was a crime of harassment and he deserved to die.
But was it common to see people die at the age of 11?
As I trembled like a wet rabbit, Heinrich narrowed his left eye and looked at me.
“Sister is so gentle and kind.”
‘
No, this kid.’
‘This kid is violent!’
‘Is there a generation gap?’
Because it was not uncommon for people to die in this world.
“Still, Sister shouldn’t look at it. Because it’s not a good thing.”
Heinrich said, stroking my hair like an adult.
I answered quietly.
“Yes
”
‘Hehehehe, I’ve actually seen it already, Heinrich.’
I gulped, swallowing my saliva to counteract the shock, and bit a cherry tart.
Seeing me like that, Heinrich narrowed his eyes.
“Then why did you ask? Where have you seen people die?”
“
No?”
I shook my head hastily. For some reason, I thought it would be better if no one knew what I had seen.
With trembling eyes, I glanced at Gerard, who was sitting down and drinking wine as if reigning over the crowd.
He had an innocent face.
He was still the first prince with perfect abilities, perfect personality, and perfect qualities.
‘How can he be so carefree after slicing someone’s neck?’
It was no different from a person who came after doing the business.
Just then, Gerard’s eyes met mine.
“

!”
I pretended not to look at him as much as possible, and instead, looked at the nearby statue with blurred eyes.
Gerrard smiled warmly at me.
‘Heuk, heuk. Scary. It’s scary.’
Let’s never get involved in the future. I shouldn’t even mess around with Gerard.
I picked up the cigarette case for nothing. I should bury it in the ground of the deepest part of the Forest and not take it out until I become an old grandmother.
“
Let’s ask Julius to go back early today, Heinrich.”
“Should I?”
“Yes! Please!”
Heinrich raised his pretty eyes and smiled.
“It’s your first socialization training, so you must be tired. Okay, Sister. I’ll tell Julius to come. Wait here.”
I nodded my head.
I was a bit tired. After going through an imperial banquet and socialization training, I just wanted to return to the Forest and hug the children.
‘
I want to stop looking at scary things and see nice and pretty things.’
At that time, as if reading my thoughts, a nice and pretty person walked up to me at just the right time.
“Annette.”
It was my aspiring father-in-law with a dimpled grin, the innocent Marquis Bizet.
Without hesitation, he knelt down in front of me on one knee, made eye contact with me, who was far shorter than him, and smiled kindly.
“Come to think of it, there was one more present I prepared for Annette.”
Bizet took out a small bottle from his pocket.
Before I even opened the lid, the sweet smell of raspberries was already wafting around me, making me salivate. There were sweets as pretty as jewels inside.
“The city’s sweets shop’s staff said it’s the favorite sweets of noble children.”
“
Marquis.”
It was very touching that he thought about meeting me and prepared a gift.
“Share it with your friends.”
“Yes, thank you very much, Marquis!”
He quietly blushed, put his fist in front of his mouth, and coughed in vain.
“It would be better if you called me ‘Father’ instead of ‘Marquis’. Hmm?”
“
Oh.”
“It’s a joke.”
When I was surprised, he quickly fixed it.
‘I don’t think you’re joking. Obsessive father-in-law, gwanggong.’
“Why are you here alone?”
Earlier, he said he was going to introduce his son.
“Ah, that
”
Bizet scratched the back of his head and smiled.
“Kyle is so shy. Could Annette come with me to where Kyle is
?”
“Yes, I’d like that!”
‘How shy is he?’
***
‘Ah, that child!’
I went to see Kyle and was surprised.
The boy was hiding behind the sofa, with only his chestnut-like hair sticking out.
‘The chestnut earlier
!’
Bizet carefully escorted me and led me to the front of the sofa.
“I’ve brought a lady, Kyle. You have to say hi.”

Lady?
I secretly dusted off the tart crumbs on my hands.
‘A lady can’t make it obvious that she ate a snack.’
The meeting of a lady and gentleman!
The chestnut gentleman wasn’t able to get out from the back of the sofa because he was too shy.
“Oh, hello. Annette.”
‘Oh my, he’s still a child, but his voice and vocalization are good.’
In addition, his pronunciation and tone of voice was noble itself.
Unlike his shy attitude, his way of speaking, which was like a complete nobleman, was a twist.
He spoke politely again.
“My lady, I’m shy, so can I talk to you like this for a while?”
“Yes, gentleman.”
“
Please forgive my rudeness.”
I held back my laughter.
‘He’s so cute. Talking behind the sofa because he’s too shy.’
I just came across a rushing chihuahua, so this chestnut boy was very fresh.
Then, siik—
A tense little hand emerged from behind the sofa. In his hand was a cute white flower.
Buduel, buduel.
“Please take this flower.”
The flower coming towards me was trembling so much it’s bud was doing a shaky dance.
In the end, I couldn’t hold back my laughter and snorted, “Heheh.”