“It’s our story. Our past. What we suffered, and what we need to avenge.”

At Luka’s words, Chamuka frowned.

The way he grouped himself and Leticia as “we” while treating Chamuka as an outsider felt worse than he expected.

Especially since Leticia seemed to be considering the statement rather than immediately refuting it.

If anyone should be grouped with Leticia as “we” in this place, it should be Chamuka himself.

Chamuka stared intently at Leticia’s hesitating lips, hoping she would deny Luka’s words as quickly as possible.

Didn’t you say I was family? You rejected me for that reason.

“….”

But no words came from Leticia’s mouth to deny that man’s “we,” and finally Chamuka spoke first, gently, with a comforting tone.

“Leti. Did you know this guy… I mean, this man before?”

Leticia, who had been gripping her skirt so tightly that her fingers turned white, nodded.

Chamuka knew that for the past 10 years, Leticia had avoided bringing up her past.

Whatever Leticia’s past was, no one in Basilinte would care, but since she had been reluctant to discuss it, he deliberately hadn’t asked.

Chamuka hated the fake expressions Leticia put on whenever topics about her past came up.

But what could he do about it? Chamuka was always weak when it came to Leticia.

And so, once again, he yielded.

Chamuka let out a low sigh and stood up. He approached Leticia, bent down to meet her eyes, and asked.

“…Should I leave? Wait outside?”

But Leticia, who would normally have nodded, shook her head.

“No. You can stay. No, please stay.”

As if having made some decision, Leticia paused for a moment before speaking again.

“…You asked what my relationship is with that man. He’s my brother. My family whom I was separated from 10 years ago.”

I guess I can’t secretly bury him. Chamuka inwardly clicked his tongue in disappointment.

Though they didn’t look alike at all, if Leticia said he was family, then family he must be.

“Everyone else died, and now I know only the two of us are left. I had hoped more would be alive. That’s why I followed the Emperor’s orders, just in case.”

“….”

“‘Die as the prince since you’re going to die anyway.'”

Leticia’s gaze turned toward Luka.

“Because my family was being held hostage. Because I thought my family was alive.”

Her clouded gaze, as if reminiscing about the past, seemed to be recalling not only Luka but also the other family members she had parted from 10 years ago.

She looked as though she might disappear just like that, so Chamuka impulsively grabbed her wrist.

Her eyes, which seemed somewhat relieved after unburdening herself, turned toward him.

“I was an orphan who didn’t even know who my parents were, let alone being royalty, and I was a death row prisoner imprisoned on false charges of k*lling the only family I had. And for the past 10 years, I’ve been acting as a prince with my family held hostage. So I…”

Chamuka gently tapped her wrist with his fingertips in a calming gesture while she spoke without pausing.

Honestly, he didn’t care what Leticia’s past was. But seeing her in pain because of that past was agonizing.

“…My name is Leticia Borba. A name given to me by a father with whom I no longer have any relationship.”

Chamuka’s response to Leticia’s confession, which took 10 years to make, was simple.

“Would you like me to give you a new name?”

***

“You said you’re no longer related to the person who gave you that name. If you want to discard that name, I’ll give you a new one.”

At Chamuka’s words, Leticia momentarily lost her ability to speak.

She had expected many questions.

Why she was a death row prisoner? Who her father was, if she was an orphan, and who were these hostage family members she mentioned.

Countless questions that Chamuka might ask had floated through Leticia’s mind, but Chamuka wasn’t curious about any of it.

“Should I give you my family name?”

“Not that… aren’t you curious about anything?”

“I am.”

Chamuka’s golden eyes, fully focused on Leticia, spoke.

“What will you do now? You said there’s something you and that man need to avenge.”

He asked not about the past, but about the future.

“You said you were falsely accused and hostages were taken. Since that brought you to Basilinte, perhaps you don’t want to go back to Basilinte? …Do you want to stay here?”

None of his questions was about the past. None were about her identity.

Chamuka only asked about Leticia’s “now.”

How she felt now, what she wanted to do, what she wanted to be called, where she wanted to go.

As if he would truly grant whatever she said.

“No. I will return to Basilinte.”

The Borba troupe was no longer Leticia’s “now.” It was just a past that needed to be resolved.

Leticia realized this fact from Chamuka’s words.

“I’ll take revenge for my family, and then return. That’s my home. …Where my family is.”

As she finished speaking, the tension in Chamuka’s lips eased.

However, unlike Chamuka, Luka, who had been watching their conversation, objected.

“Leti!”

Luka’s patience was already at its limit due to Chamuka’s attitude of creating a world for just the two of them while being wary of him.

“Return where? To the Grand Duchy? How can you say that… Family? What exactly happened in the Grand Duchy? All I heard was that after you became a magician, you were working under the Grand Duke, but what family?”

Luka jumped up, pushed Chamuka aside, and pulled Leticia back, chair and all.

Fortunately for Luka, Chamuka had enough common sense not to deal with her brother right in front of Leticia.

However, unaware that Chamuka had a hobby of burying people, Luka pointed at Chamuka without any fear.

“There’s no way anyone would have officially adopted you when you were a prince there, and if you’re not married, then what exactly is this guy!”

“He’s my master’s child.”

“Master?”

Leticia had thought of several ways to introduce Chamuka, but the simplest introduction was to bring up her master.

“When a magician takes on a disciple, it’s the same as adopting a child. The only difference is that they pass down magical circuits instead of bloodlines.”

Luka crossed his arms and stared at Leticia with a challenging expression, waiting for her to explain further.

“In effect, both this person and I are master’s children, so we could be considered siblings.”

Luka snorted at Leticia’s explanation. Some siblings they were.

“Ah, siblings. Leti, do siblings in the Grand Duchy hope to be lovers with each other?”

“That’s, that’s a very long story-”

“And yet he says he has no intention of marrying you, and you call that family?”

That’s because until now, he thought I was a man! It would be different now!

Leticia suddenly thought that far and felt a slight chill.

Perhaps it was because she had never seen a noble spouse in Basilinte. It seemed so natural that if Chamuka liked her, he would think of marriage.

Of course, Leticia didn’t want to attempt a relationship that would destroy the current camaraderie with Chamuka…

But she was a bit confused.

Whether what Chamuka had given Leticia until now was truly camaraderie.

The special treatment given only to her, perhaps from the beginning, wasn’t camaraderie but…

“And why do you keep trying to hide that guy’s identity? What kind of person is he!”

“I told you there’s a story behind it, brother!”

Since Leticia thought Chamuka would have known her gender from the moment she said her name, she shouted “brother” to Luka without thinking much about it.

After all, “Leticia” itself was a name that wouldn’t be used unless one was a girl.

However, surprisingly, Chamuka hadn’t thought about that part.

More precisely, not until Luka responded to Leticia’s words.

“How can you, a girl, keep someone like that around so carelessly…!”

Chamuka asked pointedly.

“A girl?”

“Yes, a girl! Does she look like a man to you?”

Round-toed black shoes, a navy skirt with a blouse, a white apron. Golden hair flowing down below her shoulders. A slender neckline…

Chamuka’s eyes widened. Something on Leticia’s neck was gone.

“Where did… the Adam’s apple go…?”