episode_0005

Episode 5. Should I move just this once as promised?

“He is…”

Blue hair tied in two braids.

Chestnut-colored eyes slightly raised.

The girl, who overall resembled a cat, appeared to be around 10 years old.

There was only one being who could casually enter this space even with such an approximation.

“Leeny Verdo.”

She was Andrian’s younger sister and the next successor of this duke.

She was also the girl who could command intermediate-level wind spirits.

“Nice to meet you after possessing me.”

Leeny said, fidgeting with her arms crossed and speaking in a fierce voice.

“What are you doing? You buzzard.”

Andrian thought while looking at her.

Leeny Verdo was the second character he liked after Isaac when reading the novel [Ma. Geum. Dol.].

Apart from her carefree personality and strong power,

there was a separate part where his heart went to her.

His love for Isaac.

She had been secretly in love with Isaac for a long time.

However, when she found out that her close friend and the heroine of this novel, Jisel Adelruan, had feelings for him, she neatly gave up on her feelings.

And she thoroughly hid her feelings and supported Jisel’s love.

It must have been really difficult to give up on love and go further to help a friend’s heart, but Leeny genuinely wished for Jisel’s happiness.

That’s why she hated Rubia, who tormented Jisel, so much.

“Of course, it seems like Andrian dislikes her just as much.”

Andrian thought that way and smirked.

“What? Are you laughing?”

Leeny’s eyes narrowed even more.

“Don’t you know that someone like you shouldn’t come here at this time?”

She seemed like a Maltese dog, getting angry and showing it.

Andrian responded playfully while looking at her.

“Well, I accidentally took the wrong path without realizing it. Why did you come to the library at this hour?”

Leeny scrunched her face in response to Andrian’s cheerful words.

“Do you think I have a reason to tell you that?”

“Well… don’t you? But more importantly…”

The sound of several footsteps could be heard inside the library.

Someone had entered this space.

Andrion smiled mischievously and asked, “It’s going to get quite chaotic. Can you handle it for me?”

Leeny responded with a cold laughter, trying not to show her dislike for Andrion’s cheerful demeanor. “Why should I help you? What’s in it for me?”

“There are plenty of reasons for you to help.”

“…What?”

Andrion’s eyes sparkled with delight. “If I get caught, I’ll say you brought me in.”

“…What did you say?”

Leeny’s eyes grew cold. “So, we’ll either face the consequences together or try to fix this situation.”

Andrion smirked. It seemed like he found the situation amusing. “The knights will arrive soon.”

Leeny, who had been silent for a moment, let out a short sigh and muttered, “You’ve gone mad after falling, haven’t you?” She then gestured towards the bookshelf. “Hide quickly, you vermin. Even though the outside won’t be visible, just in case.”

Though it seemed forced, Andrion felt that Leeny was making an effort to help him. ‘Well, regardless of what happens, I’ll be exhausted if I miss this opportunity.’ He quickly hid himself next to the bookshelf. “Thank you, Leeny,” he said, leaving those words behind.

Leeny’s eyes widened slightly at his words. “…Damn vermin,” she whispered softly, making sure Andrion couldn’t hear.

Her moonlit expression held subtle and complex emotions—resentment, sadness, and faded affection rooted in deeply buried memories. After all, Andrion wouldn’t be able to see her expression hidden deep within the bookshelf. ‘It’s been a while.’ She hadn’t seen her brother’s smiling face in a long time. And maybe that’s why memories she had kept hidden resurfaced. “Leeny! If I become a knight, I’ll grant your every wish!” She couldn’t forget the image of her young brother, who used to laugh heartily before he turned ten. “Anything you want! This big brother will support you with incredible spirits!”

She had despised herself for believing those words back then. ‘What kind of incredible spirits?’ Leeny chuckled bitterly. ‘Those memories have been erased anyway.’ Taking a deep breath, she quickly concealed the emotions that had surfaced on her face.

At the same time, the sound of commotion at the entrance could be heard.

“This room is only accessible to Lord Gaju and Lady Soga. Identify yourselves.”

Upon hearing the knights’ shouts from outside the room, Leni took a step forward.

“Well then, as promised, shall I make an exception this time?”

Since it had been a while, Leni also brought forth forgotten memories.

In order to gather her thoughts, Leni slowly stepped out of the room.

* * *

“Hmm.”

Andrion lay on the bed, staring intently at the dazzling sapphire brooch in his hand.

This sapphire, imbued with light, was undoubtedly the most beautiful among all the blue gems he had ever seen.

“But I no longer feel the sensation I had when I first held it,”

The refreshing and warm energy hadn’t been felt since then.

“I impulsively brought it along…”

After being bitten by the sudden arrival of the knights due to Leni, Andrion quickly returned to the room.

However, he had brought the sapphire brooch because he thought he needed to move quickly.

Since then, he had tried to bring back the brooch, but the security had become stricter, and he couldn’t go back.

“By the way, we should start preparing for the engagement ceremony.”

When Andrion was 13 years old, he had a betrothal ceremony with Rubia.

It was quite grand, and above all, he vividly remembered it as the first party Isark had ever attended.

“The day of the engagement ceremony is very important.”

There was only one reason.

It was the day Rubia, who first noticed Isark at the party, began to take an interest in him.

In other words, it was the day the villainess started falling in love.

“I won’t just casually mention the engagement ceremony.”

There’s a high possibility that we’ll create a separate space to talk.

“For example…”

As he was thinking, someone knocked on the door.

“Like a family meal.”

The person who entered next was one of the three butlers of this household.

The young man neatly combed his hair back and tied it up, and his thin eyes formed a friendly smile.

“Lord Rokuiro.”

Butler Rok. He was quite capable and cherished by the Duke Verdo.

He spoke politely.

“Young master, the Duke requests your presence for dinner.”

At the same time, Andrian’s mouth twitched slightly.

“As expected.”

Andrian sat up in bed.

He glanced at Roke discreetly.

Roke smiled back at him, giving off a cunning fox-like vibe that sent shivers down Andrian’s spine.

In fact, he, as the house steward of the Verdo family, was no ordinary person.

Roke was a fallen nobleman and a spy assigned to the palace.

Beneath his ever-present smile, a cold blade resided.

No one could discern what he was thinking.

He had infiltrated the Verdo family and played the role of reporting their situation to the palace once a week.

However, during one act of betrayal, he suddenly made an impulsive move.

When Andrian ended up imprisoned with false charges, Roke secretly infiltrated to find him.

[Roke himself didn’t know what he was doing.

“Escape.”

But one thing was certain.

“I will take responsibility. Please leave.”

Doing this now would ease his mind.

However, Andrian faintly smiled and shook his head.

“It’s okay. If I die, if only I die, everything will be resolved.”

His appearance was truly that of a human deeply in love and lost in foolishness.

To Roke, who concealed his emotions tightly, it felt strangely odd.

“Why are you going to such lengths?”

His goal had already been achieved.

“No matter what you do, that person won’t even spare a glance at you!”

Commands and situations had all gone according to plan.

“But why am I so restless?”

This man, who had become a puppet, the Duke who drowned himself in alcohol every day, the Duchess who lay down in despair, and even the forced-to-pretend Reni—none of it pleased him.

“Because I love.”

Andrian weakly smiled.

“I just want you to be happy. That’s what love is, isn’t it?”

Roke’s expression froze at those words.

“Ah… I see.”

Only then did he seem to understand.

“I loved the Verdo family.”

He had wished for their happiness.

Clutching his fist tightly, Roke muttered.

“I will respect you.”

But soon, he quietly turned away.

“But if only I… had realized this sooner, would things have changed?”

Thus, Loki completely concealed his identity in the world. He entered to annihilate the Beldo family but eventually became more devoted to them than anyone else. That was Loki. “Of course, if it were me, I would have sent him away with reverence,” he said. Until the end, as someone who had made efforts for Andrian, he did not despise Loki for becoming Andrian. Since he unconsciously excluded confidential information and only conveyed the overall situation of Beldo, he wasn’t a threatening presence. “Alright. I’ll go. Prepare yourself.” Andrian’s words caused Loki’s eyes to widen slightly. Soon, he raised the corners of his mouth and said, “The Duke will be pleased.” “Yes, yes.” So far, it seemed that Andrian usually solved his meals alone in his room. Except when meeting Rubia, he seemed to be confined to his room. Since the time he first possessed this body, servants naturally brought meals to his room, and whenever he went out even a little, people around him looked surprised. “Well, I know what to do.” Now that it’s my body, I should live as I please. “The problem is the Duke and Duchess of Beldo.” In the novel, it was only described that Andrian and Rueni greatly cherished the Duke and Duchess of Beldo, but there were no detailed explanations. Just that fact alone made it highly likely that his parents would know before anyone else that he wasn’t Andrian. “So, I have to be cautious.” With that thought, after finishing preparations, Andrian walked to the restaurant following Loki. Loki stopped his steps in front of the large door and gently knocked, then said, “First disciple of Duke Beldo, Andrian Beldo, entering.” Subsequently, the door slowly opened. His goal here was one thing. To finish this mealtime safely and without any suspicion. “Yes, I can do it.” Andrian’s eyes flickered.