Theo furrowed one eyebrow slightly and let out a short laugh — pik. 

It was the kind of smile that seemed to say there was no such thing as regret in his life.

‘God, that expression is insane.’

Sure, a handsome guy can get away with almost anything, but with Theo — who rarely even showed emotion — a smirk like that felt even more rare and annoyingly charming.

‘Still… he really will regret it, though.’

Liriope could already see the day Theo would come to regret being engaged to her, and she let out a short sigh.

“When you go through life, you see—”

“There won’t be any.”

“No, I mean, you don’t have to be so firm about—”

“Absolutely not.”

“That’s not even something you can be this sure about—”

“I am sure, so don’t worry.”

Theo kept cutting her off before she could even finish a sentence, which made Liriope feel increasingly frustrated.

“I’m telling you, you will regret this someday!”

“I won’t.”

“What if you do?! This isn’t something to be this—”

“I’ll grant you a wish.”

“—certain about. Wait, a wish?”

At the word “wish,” Liriope’s ears perked up immediately.

“If, by any chance, I end up feeling that regret you’re talking about.”

“You mean, if you regret it, you’ll grant me a wish?”

Theo nodded.

His elegant head moved up and down just once.

‘Holy crap, what a jackpot!’

Liriope’s big eyes sparkled.

A wish — that could be useful in more ways than one.

Even if she somehow ended up facing a gruesome death ending, with that wish, she might be able to call on the protection of the Duke of the North.

Money wasn’t an issue — she’d been reincarnated as the ultimate diamond spoon, rich enough to live a life of leisure without lifting a finger until the day she died.

As long as she stayed alive, she could enjoy a carefree life of eating, drinking, and buying everything she wanted.

Sure, she might have to study hard if she became the head of the family someday, but that could be solved by hiring a smart person with money.

For the sake of that blissful life ahead, Liriope decided she would make good use of this wish.

“Alright. But just in case you try to go back on your word, we’ll need to put this verbal promise into a formal contract later.”

Theo looked briefly stunned by how serious she was, but then smiled — gorgeous, dazzling smile — and offered her another spoonful of ice cream.

“Sure.”

Liriope’s heart began to race again, so she focused hard on the taste of the ice cream instead.

Watching her eat the ice cream he fed her, her face flushed bright red, Theo kept smiling softly — a tender, gentle smile he didn’t even realize he was wearing.

***

After finishing her outing and returning home, Liriope was nearly deafened by the excited voice of Gemma, who was brushing her hair from behind.

It was a mystery how rumors had spread so fast, or how Gemma — who had been at the mansion all day — knew the details of what had happened that afternoon.

One thing was certain: in this world, gossip traveled as fast as LTE did in her previous one.

“They say His Grace the Grand Duke even fed you during the meal?! When did you two get so close?”

Gemma relentlessly brushed Liriope’s hair with a large round brush, continuing her barrage of questions before even waiting for any answers.

“And how did His Highness the Crown Prince even know where to show up? Everyone’s saying it’s a love triangle more dramatic than anything they’ve ever seen!”

Watching Gemma make a fuss about how it would be shocking if this didn’t make the front page of tomorrow’s newspaper, Liriope furrowed her brow, unsure whether Gemma was brushing her hair or trying to investigate the whole situation.

If she just wanted the story, she could’ve let go of Liriope’s hair first. But instead, she kept chattering and tugging at it relentlessly.

“I didn’t know any of this when you told me you were getting engaged to His Grace. I thought maybe you were upset about something the Crown Prince did…”

“Gemma, I think that’s enough brushing—”

“So, do you really like the Grand Duke? Since when? I mean, where did you even meet and fall for him?”

“My hair.”

“His Grace didn’t even attend the academy, right? So you could’ve only seen him briefly at the palace? And he’s famous for skipping out on festivals and parties—”

“Gemma! I said stop brushing my hair!”

“Oh! I’m so sorry!”

It took yelling for her to finally stop. Liriope sighed and got up from her vanity chair.

As she headed to the bed, Gemma followed closely behind, still full of curiosity.

“So, when exactly did you start liking His Grace for real?”

Knowing Gemma wouldn’t stop asking until she got an answer, Liriope let out another sigh and gave her a vague reply.

“I don’t know. It’s been a while, I guess.”

“Oh my! It’s even been a while? Then… you don’t like the Crown Prince at all anymore?”

“Nope.”

“My goodness! That’s such a relief. Honestly, after all the awful things His Highness has said and done to you, my poor heart was just—”

“Well, I understand him.”

“—breaking… Wait, what?!”

Gemma’s eyes nearly popped out of her head.

Hearing Liriope say she understood Kaiden was enough to shock anyone. After all, she wasn’t exactly known for being the understanding type.

“Think about it. If someone you don’t even like keeps coming on strong for over ten years, wouldn’t you get tired of it too?”

Gemma stared at Liriope like she’d just heard something completely absurd.

Lying down on the bed as comfortably as she could, Liriope looked up at her and asked,

“What?”

“…No, it’s just… Lady Liri, you’re not… sick or anything, are you?”

“Nope, not sick. Not crazy either, so don’t worry. I’m just tired now, so I want to sleep. Gemma?”

“Ah, yes, of course… But just to confirm—are you really serious about choosing the Grand Duke?”

When Liriope gave her a puzzled look, Gemma hesitated for a moment, then asked more carefully,

“I mean, for marriage. This engagement — are you truly, seriously considering it?”

Liriope could guess what Gemma was worried about. After all, Gemma had been with her the longest and was closest to her, so it was only natural she’d be concerned about a sudden change of heart.

Marriage was something Liriope had always considered unlikely—unless, perhaps someday, she happened to fall in love.

But telling the truth would only add to Gemma’s worries and cut into her own peaceful sleep time, so Liriope simply nodded. At her nod, Gemma also gave a small nod in return and carefully pulled the blanket up to cover her.

“Then have a sweet dream, Lady Liri.”

“You too, Gemma.”

With Liriope’s response, Gemma turned off the lights and left the room.

As soon as she was alone, a sigh slipped out of Liriope’s mouth as complex emotions surged over her like a wave.

“Piii—.”

Just then, through the slightly open window, Lynix swooped in and landed beside Liriope’s pillow.

“Where have you been wandering off to?”

Liriope poked Lynix’s belly with her index finger as she asked.

Of course, Lynix didn’t answer. Instead, it lightly pecked the finger that had poked it with its beak before returning to preening its feathers — rather, its ever-flickering flames.

Liriope stared at him.

‘This is a mesmerizing sight.’

Watching Lynix, whose entire body was made of flickering flames, slowly began to calm her mind.

She reached out to touch the ever-curious creature. Lynix paused its grooming to glance at her hand, then quietly resumed.

Liriope gently stroked Lynix’s body.

“So warm…”

Strangely, it didn’t feel hot at all. It was just warm, soft, and comforting.

As she touched him, a sudden thought crossed her mind: Liriope, the original one who had created this creature as her graduation project, must have had a lonely childhood without a mother.

Sure, she had a loving father, and people like Gray and Gemma who would lay down their lives for her, but for a child, a mother’s presence was still deeply significant.

And with those thoughts came a sense of doubt about Liriope’s tragic ending.

She had certainly committed wrongs that deserved criticism — but to be killed by the man she loved? That felt like a punishment far greater than her crimes deserved.

Maybe it was because she now inhabited Liriope’s body that she could begin to understand her a little better. 

Whatever the case, whether Liriope had reincarnated somewhere or been reborn with no memory of her past, she hoped that this time, she could live a life filled with love and happiness.

“You want your master to be happy too, right?”

She whispered while stroking Lynix, and he turned to look at her again. Even his eyes flickered like fire, and she found herself once again mesmerized by how strange and beautiful he was.

Then Lynix let out a soft, mystical sound.

“Piiiiii—.”

It wasn’t loud or quiet — it sounded like something echoing from a distant place. Liriope smiled, convinced it was his way of responding to her words.

With her heart settled again, she closed her eyes, ready to sleep. But suddenly, Lynix climbed onto her stomach.

Startled, Liriope instinctively tensed her abdomen — only to widen her eyes in surprise when she felt no weight at all.

‘Ah, it’s a magical creature.’

Staring at the flame-covered Lynix, she was struck again by how amazing it was that he didn’t burn or scorch anything, even while moving around the room.

‘Well, if he did burn everything he touched, I wouldn’t be able to pet him or keep him indoors, so I guess that’s a good thing.’

As she gently patted Lynix’s head again, she finally drifted off to sleep.

And perhaps because of that, she dreamt of a giant Lynix — grown to a massive size — spreading his flames to melt the frozen castle of the North.

The Grand Duke’s fortress, frozen solid by someone’s scheme, was gradually restored to its original state by Lynix’s fire.

The northern people praised Lynix and the one who had created him, Liriope. In the dream, she became a goddess of the North.

And when she opened her eyes, Liriope suddenly began to recall all the major events and incidents from the original story.