“Princess Vivian, be careful not to fall!”

“Mom, look at this!”

Vivian held out a handful of lilacs to Arne with her small hands.

Her cheeks dimpled as she smiled broadly, tilting her little head.

“Mom, did you cry?”

“No.”

Vivian resembled Cedric. With hair as dark as the night, red eyes, and a prominent nose.

Even the dimples that appeared when she smiled tenderly.

Vivian blinked her large eyes and looked up at Arne.

Even though 5 years had passed since Cedric died, Arne still found herself looking at the banquet hall door frequently.

When Arne opened that door 5 years ago, only traces of the magic ritual that involved sacrificing one’s own body to summon the King of the Spirits remained.

The warmth of his mana lingered faintly in the air.

There was no sign of the horde of monsters that had come before, save for a pile of ash.

Nothing made sense, but tears overflowed and streamed down her face.

Tears flowed endlessly down Arne’s cheeks, who had never properly cried out loud before.

She headed frantically for the room of mirrors he had mentioned.

A ring symbolizing the grand duke, given at an unknown time, swung around her neck, brushing against her with a cold touch.

「Open it. I have a wish. Open it.」

But the door to the room of mirrors did not open. After crying and pounding on the door for a long time, Arne realized it.

That Cedric was dead.

But she still occasionally looked at the banquet hall door.

Somehow, it felt like he would open that door and walk in as if nothing had happened.

She had many questions for him.

How did you, a swordmaster, know how to summon the King of the Spirits?

How did you obtain the heart of a dragon?

Was the reason you participated in the great monster war, where eight out of ten died, because you, yourself, were terminally ill?

No, what I really wanted to say was…

“Why did you cry?”

Startled by the voice like an apparition, Arne shivered.

Vivian wrapped her small hand around Arne’s cheek and asked,

“Mom, your eyes are red. Like a snow rabbit.”

“Like a snow rabbit?”

“Yeah! A snow rabbit!”

Snow rabbit was a slang used to scorn and belittle Arne, but Vivian’s innocent voice brought a chuckle out of her.

In the land filled with the magical energy of the north, there was nothing but snow, and carnivorous snow rabbits lived there.

The fact that rabbits were carnivorous was considered creepy, and Arne was mocked for her resemblance to the snow rabbits, with their white fur and red eyes.

It meant she was a mutant foreign substance, an orphaned grand duchess stuck in the social circles of nobility.

Of course, Vivian wouldn’t know that.

She must have thought the small animal she saw near the garden of the Renigrad Grand Duchy was a snow rabbit.

Since that day 5 years ago, the Renigrad Grand Duchy was contaminated with a massive amount of monster carcasses and magical energy-laden ash, hence it was closed.

Fortunately, Arne had continued purification alone, and now even lilacs could bloom.

It was completely isolated, with the drawback of never hearing from the outside world.

“Mom, look! I drew this!”

Vivian smiled broadly and held out her sketchbook.

“You, me, and Millie!”

“It’s beautiful, Vivian.”

Whenever Arne seemed to be in low spirits, Vivian would bring flowers or pictures she had drawn herself.

Arne paused as she continued to flip through the sketchbook.

The picture of three men resembled the Duke of Ronia, the Second Prince, and that guy, Kale. Moreover, it was quite sophisticated for a drawing by a five-year-old child.

It looked like a drawing by a child about ten years old.

‘But Vivian has never seen them before?’

Arne’s red eyes shook briefly with wonder. Suddenly, red mana enveloped Vivian.

“Mom, we need to go now.”

“It’s about time for a nap, isn’t it?”

“No, now, right now.”

Vivian looked around anxiously. After seeing a hawk flying outside the window, Vivian started to sob.

“I’m late. Why am I a child? Why can’t I do better?”

“What are you talking about? You drew it well enough, Vivian.”

“I should have done better. I shouldn’t have failed. I can’t even remember. I should be doing well.”

“Being a child means being like a child. That’s good.”

“No, I shouldn’t be like this. Why can’t I use magic properly like mom and keep failing and can’t stop anything.”

“Vivian is young so she uses magic as much as a child would. It’s okay. Even if Vivian can’t use magic, no one will drive you away or bully you.”

“……”

Vivian smiled painfully. Her eyes still shook with unease.

Arne felt frustrated not knowing what Vivian was afraid of.

Could the maids have bullied Vivian? Recently, before the head maid, who had been poisoned by demonic energy, died, she cursed at Vivian.

Saying she was useless because she didn’t resemble either her mother or father in magic or swordsmanship. Demanding her to save her with her magic right away.

Asking if she really was the daughter of the grand mage Raniarne.

“Did the maids bully you? Even if you can’t use magic, you’re my beloved daughter, Vivian.”

Vivian slowly shook her head. After pondering for a while, Vivian spoke,

“Vivian loves Mom too, even if I can’t use magic.”

Vivian smiled faintly again. An inexplicable pain pierced her heart.

“I’m going to take a nap now.”

“……”

“Come see me when I wake up.”

“……”

“Goodbye.”

Vivian smiled brightly, creating dimples as she took Milli’s hand.

Somehow Arne felt an urge to hold onto Vivian who was slowly moving away.

Before opening the door to the banquet hall that led to the bedroom, Vivian stopped in her tracks.

“Mom, I left my doll behind. In the room of mirrors.”

“…How do you know about the room of mirrors?”

“Because I went there secretly. Now you can go too. Please bring back the doll.”

Vivian, who usually doesn’t make a fuss, made a request.

“Make sure to come back.”

Feeling strange, Arne called out to her, but she had already left.

“Vivian…”

Arne was seized by a peculiar feeling. She headed straight for the room of mirrors. It felt like she absolutely had to.

Bang.

A strange sense of déjà vu washed over her. Turning her head towards the window, she saw the imperial knights surrounding Renigrad Grand Duchy.

The clash of weapons and screams filled the grand duchy.

“Vivian, Millie.”

Arne immediately turned towards the bedroom.

But she stopped in her tracks at the sight of a figure in the distance.

“Duke Ronia?”

Her father was inside the grand duchy. Despite sending letters, her father, who never visited once, was holding Vivian…

“Vivian?”

Drops of red blood dripped down from the limp Vivian.

“We’re heading to the room of mirrors. We will annihilate the Renigrad Grand Duchy that summons demons and must seize the mirror that seals the demon!”

Duke Ronia ordered the knights.

Beyond the dispersing knights was the Second Prince seen in Vivian’s drawings.

Even Arne’s former fiancé, that bastard Kale, could be seen.

“Now that all descendants of the grand duchy are gone, anyone can enter the room of mirrors with just the Grand Duke’s ring. Then, the Second Prince can wish to become Emperor.”

“Everyone has worked hard. Especially Duke Ronia, who must have had a hard time traveling all the way here after giving up her adopted daughter, Princess Arne.”

“It was my duty out of loyalty to the Prince. I never once thought of her as my daughter anyway.”

“Such lowly birth doesn’t suit the Ronia ducal family. Besides, she had a cursed association with the demonic Grand Duke, birds of a feather, aren’t they?”

“Indeed. Those who wield demonic magic must be eradicated.”

The Second Prince also intended to use demon magic but everyone pretended not to notice for the greater good.

“I will not forget Duke Ronia’s merits. Isn’t it time to make you a Grand Duke? You had a daughter named Bianca, right?”

“Thank you for remembering.”

As Duke Ronia boasted of his deeds, that bastard Kale took out a magical device and wagged his tail in front of the prince.

“I also have a magic nullifier, so dealing with Lady Ronia, or rather Arne that snow rabbit, will proceed without any issues.”

“Having Lord Kale is reassuring. How fortunate that you have broken off your engagement with that snow rabbit.”

“Thank you! I had foresight back then. Engaged to the empire’s mad villainess? Ridiculous.”

“I entrust the future of the empire to you.”

The Second Prince extended his hand for a handshake, and Duke Ronia threw Vivian what he was holding to grab it.

Next to the limp Vivian lay Millie as well.

Arne’s body trembled uncontrollably. She could hardly breathe as an unbearable rage enveloped her.

‘My father abandoned me, killed Vivian, and wants to seize the demon of the grand duchy to become Grand Duke.’

Vivian is dead. Vivian, Vivian!

Arne turned around and started walking faster as she gasped for air.

「Mom, I just need you and Millie. It’s okay if we can’t leave the grand duchy. Just stay with me.」

「Lady, how can you speak so beautifully? Millie only needs Lady and Lady Raniarne, too!」

As she reached the room of mirrors, she coldly said,

“Open.”

The door that wouldn’t budge five years ago slid open smoothly.

Seeing Vivian’s doll fall in front of the mirror, Arne picked it up.

Tears filled her eyes, but she couldn’t cry. She had to stay calm. To bring back Vivian.

Swallowing her boiling rage, Arne bit her trembling lips hard and cooled her head.

In the mirror, she saw a handsome man crossing his legs, drawing an elegant smile.

‘Laughing?’

The man shrugged his shoulders at Arne’s rising murderous intent, then arrogantly squared them with the arrogance of a devil.

“At last, the last of the damned guardians of Renigrad is gone, so why isn’t the seal broken?”

“Vivian was the last guardian of Renigrad? What was she guarding?”

“Guarding the world from demons.”

The man, calling himself a demon, drew a bewitching smile. Just like Cedric.

“So, you are the real last guardian. Cedric passed on the guardianship and the ring to you before he died. That’s why you became the new guardian when Vivian died.”

The demon looked dejectedly at the ring around Arne’s neck.

“Having to repeat this again. Damn, Renigrad bastards! Tch.”

The demon tore at his hair in frustration, as if he had been robbed of victory by Arne at the last moment.

Reluctantly, the demon explained the rules of the deal.

You wish for one thing and pay with something most precious to you.

Arne, who had been listening quietly, tilted her head skeptically.

“Will you pretend to grant my wish and then kill me?”

“Of course not. I can’t directly intervene in your life other than granting wishes and receiving payment.”

“Then why have all the Renigrads died? Didn’t Vivian trade her life?”

“Vivian’s price was her memories in the grand duchy. The guardians died because they refused to pay the agreed price. They broke the deal. Such trivial memories.”

“….”

“Maybe it’s because she’s so young.”

“Really? Then if I die, wouldn’t that mean the seal is broken and my wish won’t come true?”

“Even if you die, as long as there are blood relatives or you pass on the guardianship, my seal won’t break. I return to hell only when your truest wish, what you sincerely desire, is fulfilled.”

“…You’re a better demon than I thought.”

“Calling me a good demon is an insult, you know? But it’s not going to be easy.”

“It’s too easy for me.”

“People often don’t know what they truly want. Plus, they instinctively refuse to give up what’s truly precious to them. For example…”

The demon leisurely adjusted his crossed legs and continued,

“People realize what’s truly precious to them too late. There are various reasons. I sincerely hope your real wish comes true. I really want to go home now.”

Arne stared intently into the demon’s red eyes. The demon blinked back at her blinking eyes.

Through his eyes, she felt a deep longing to break through the mirror and return home.

“…No matter how much I think about it, you seem like a really good demon.”

“…….”

Arne was prepared to sell her soul to save Vivian, but the demon turned out to be too kind.

If the demon wouldn’t take Vivian’s life as payment, she planned to shatter the mirror.

“Actually, I really want to go home now. I’m introverted, so being outside for too long drains me. That’s why I genuinely support your wish coming true. Please send me home.”

“You really seem like a good demon.”

“You seem like a really good guardian too. From the moment you appeared, I had a feeling that this time I could really go home! Please, guardian!”

The demon looked at Arne with desperation.

Suddenly, Duke Ronia and the prince could be heard breaking down the door, along with Kale’s tiresome voice droning on.

“Hurry up and make a wish, guardian!”

“Vivian…”

Arne took a deep breath. Her eyes shone with determination.

“Give me back my family.”

As Arne spoke, a slow elegant smile spread across the demon’s lips.

The demon’s red mana rose and filled the room with mirrors.

* * *