***

As dawn broke in the early morning.

Returning to his room, Cedric took out a palm-sized velvet box from his inner pocket.

Click.

As he opened the lid, a pair of rings inside reflected the dim light, twinkling like the morning star rising over eternal snow.

It was a ring set with ice sea stone, believed to be extinct now, and a family heirloom passed down to the Grand Duke and Duchess of Baluasten for generations.

“The gift I’m preparing is not from Sir Penadel, but from Sir Cherry to Lady Blanche.”

Recalling Penadel’s message, Cedric closed the ring case roughly with a hint of jealousy.

His adjutant, despite his bear-like dull appearance, was quite shrewd.

Contrary to Penadel’s words, this wasn’t a gift for Belinda.

A proposal that could never be refused.

He now knew that was the gift his adjutant had prepared for the master he served.

He had already missed many opportunities.

Even when he unknowingly opened his mouth on the day of the festival.

Even when he failed to achieve good results in the cooking competition where any wish would be granted as the winning prize.

Even on the day he first appeared before her as ‘Cherry’.

He chose to remain as Penadel, making excuses that it wasn’t the right time, to tell the truth, that he might not be forgiven, and that he wanted to stay by her side instead of returning to the north.

But deceiving her any further was deception.

It felt like stepping into a trap, but Cedric intended to reveal his identity to Belinda tonight while presenting the family heirloom.

“I want to call off the marriage with His Grace the Grand Duke.”

However, Cedric couldn’t bring out the ring in front of her who wanted to break off the engagement, and

“I need you, not the Grand Duke.”

At those words, he once again couldn’t speak the truth.

Cedric, uncharacteristically, let out a deep sigh and roughly ran his hand through his hair.

For him, emotions were like footprints in the snow that had fallen silently overnight, ultimately covered by continuing snowfall and melted away by rain, leaving no trace.

So all he needed was time.

Even his feelings for Belinda would sink below the surface and become a handful of the past when looked back upon.

No, they had to.

A human of the Baluasten family, bearing the curse of the demon beast, must not become obsessed with anything.

Because the beast’s instinct that comes with the curse urges the destruction of what one holds most dear.

So breaking off the engagement with Belinda was rather a good thing.

She needs to distance herself before she becomes any more significant to him. Otherwise, the tragedy would repeat, and the castle would be stained with blood again.

After helping Lady Blanche, let’s return to the north immediately after receiving the mine as compensation.

Thinking this way made everything simple.

If there was anything to regret, it would be Belinda’s declaration that she wouldn’t leave the handling of Sybel Blanche to someone else.

‘If the Lady would entrust me with handling Sybel Blanche, I’d tie him to a horse and drag him all the way to the north.’

He would make him feel the pain of having his limbs, carefully nursed to survive until reaching the north, torn apart by filth, gravel roads, thorny bushes, and icy spears.

No, perhaps there might still be a chance.

Maybe he could seize an opportunity to snatch away that man whose skull deserves to be crushed and make him beg to be killed…

“….”

Cedric, who had been casually making bloody plans, turned to the window as if realizing something.

Eyes tinged blood-red like a beast’s were glaring at his own reflection in the window.

Just briefly recalling the night of rebellion, the curse had thus invaded his gaps.

‘Calm down.’

This urge to slaughter is because of the curse.

Cedric, habitually covering his eyelids with his hand, recalled the precious memories buried in a corner of his mind.

The ability to purify the curse passed down through generations in the Baluasten family.

No special method was needed to handle that ability.

It was simply recalling memories precious enough to choose to return to being human when standing at the boundary of evil.

Ironically, while the beast’s instinct tries to destroy what’s precious first, fortunately, what he held dear is no longer in this world.

Cedric recalled the memory fixed in his mind like an old painting.

The family gathered in front of the fireplace in the winter castle that never goes out throughout the year.

Although the facial features of his family members were blurred due to the curse’s influence, that peaceful daily life was the most powerful memory that allowed Cedric to return to being human.

He made a vow towards that memory.

That he would definitely protect this peace.

And when Cedric opened his eyes again.

“Why…”

His eyes reflected in the dark window were still tinged red.

The curse was still visibly gnawing at Cedric.

‘I need to recall a different memory.’

He hastily flipped through the pages of memories in his mind.

The majestic landscape of the north made of ice and snow.

His knights, who didn’t spare even their own lives under the belief that they couldn’t send demon beasts to human lands.

The people of the northern territory, who lived each day with hardship.

His first disciple he met in the capital.

There wasn’t a single thing that wasn’t precious.

But it wasn’t enough to make him return to being human.

The pages of Cedric’s memories slowly turned until they reached the last one.

And the moment he recalled a single point of Belinda’s smile engraved there.

The ominously glowing red eyes suddenly turned blue like a clear sky.

“Ha…”

Cedric bowed his head dejectedly.

It’s not that memories of his family weren’t precious.

It’s just that something more precious had come along.

Cedric had to admit with a heavy heart that his feelings for Belinda were not like footprints in the snow, but would remain forever fossilized in a corner of his heart.

Chapter 12

In the study of the Blanche family’s main building.

Mary, bending her waist deeply and clasping her hands so tightly that blood couldn’t circulate, finally concluded her words.

“…So there’s nothing particularly different from usual.”

After a long silence, Sybel, who was sitting cross-legged in front of her, opened his mouth.

“She’s buying a lot of black and red dresses? Is that all?”

“Y-yes…”

“Mary, is it my imagination that your information has been terribly poor lately?”

“N-no, that’s not the case.”

Mary quickly bowed her head even deeper and whispered excusingly.

Her back was damp with cold sweat.

A few days ago, after Belinda came to the main building, threw a fit, and pushed her brother down the stairs, the atmosphere around Sybel Blanche had changed.

His gentle smile was still there, but it wasn’t once or twice that employees had avoided him due to the intense killing intent in his black eyes that occasionally glared into space.

Mary too had been keeping her head low for a long time due to Sybel’s inhuman gaze.

“C-come to think of it, she seemed to show increased interest in casinos. He asked me a few times if I could play card games.”

“Casinos?”

Only then did Sybel’s tone carry its usual composure.

Instinctively sensing that Sybel’s mood had improved, Mary was finally able to relax.

Sybel, dismissing Mary with a nod, fell into deep contemplation.

The reason he hadn’t killed Belinda when his father was alive was because Sybel’s position as heir was unstable.

He had watched his father struggle desperately to establish his position while being checked by the collateral lines.

The old man of the Silviella family, the most influential among the three vassal families, was a severe blood purist who refused to acknowledge his father as the head of the family until the very end.

Therefore, he judged that creating a comparison would be more effective in smoothly succeeding to the heir’s position.

A good-for-nothing legitimate heir with only bloodline, or the current head’s son who has shown competent abilities by diligently involving himself in the family’s affairs?

Except for a few old folks obsessed with bloodline, everyone naturally sided with Sybel.

That’s why he hadn’t killed Belinda, but who knew things would get this complicated?

Tuk, tuk.

Sybel, tapping the armrest with his index finger, spoke in a low voice.

“I suppose I’ll have to get rid of that child.”

Although he would lose a considerable amount of money if he eliminated Belinda right away since His Highness the Prince’s welfare project wasn’t finished yet, he was no longer in a position to be picky.

Sybel nodded towards the aide standing by his side.

*** 

“Ratchet.”

“Yes, Lady Belinda!”

Haa, Leo, who had been vigorously cleaning the window while blowing his breath, immediately scurried over at my single word.

I felt sorry for interrupting him while he was cleaning so cheerfully, but I couldn’t wait any longer.

‘Status window.’

[Name: Ratchet]

[Age: 9 years old]

[Intelligence: 56/100]

[Physical Strength: 87/100]

[Divine Power: 49/100]

[Magical Power: 71/100]

[Stress: 2/100]

After checking Leo’s stress level through the status window, I composed my expression and carefully opened my mouth.

“I’ve thought of a new name that might suit you to commemorate the new year.”

It was a rather crude excuse after racking my brains for days, unable to suddenly call out ‘Leo!’, but I thought it was something that I could say as I pleased with this freedom.

Now I could finally call Leo by the name I had dreamed of since the first day of possession.

Feeling a tickle on the roof of my mouth for no reason, I waited nervously for Leo to nod.

“It’s okay. I like my name the best.”

“I thought so… What?”

“The name you gave me is very precious to me, Lady Belinda.”

“…Precious?”

“Yes!”

This, this isn’t right?