‘Huh, where did she go?’

She had definitely been there, and now she was gone.

The startled servant rubbed both eyes and looked around. But the girl who had clearly been standing right there was nowhere to be found.

Since not even a trace could be found, the servant’s heart began to beat faster.

Had a ghost appeared in broad daylight? Duke Rogato was wicked enough for it. It was a cruelty passed down through generations. So it was entirely plausible that at least one resentful child ghost haunted this estate.

No matter how one thought about it, it made sense. The servant shuddered and hurried out. Even forgetting to close the door behind them.

And the one who closed the open door was none other than Adele. She watched the fleeing servant’s retreating figure, smiled, and secured the door.

As expected, erasing one’s presence was the perfect method for hiding from ordinary people who had not undergone any training.

She had nearly been detected by the ducal estate’s knights, but there was no way they could overcome Adele, who had been the commander of the kingdom’s knights and had led the war of conquest to victory.

She had put them all to sleep as quietly as she had the duke. If they were caught by the duke for napping together in a group, their heads would roll immediately, so they would all keep it secret.

Where else could there be a more perfect infiltration? Adele felt satisfied with her own thoroughness and picked up the sandwich the servant had left on the table, taking a big bite.

This was the taste she had been after.

How much had she gone through for this sandwich. Perhaps because it was precious food obtained after such worthy effort, it tasted far better than anything she remembered.

But why was Vincent, the one who had invited her, not eating a single bite and staring listlessly out the window? Could this perhaps be a signal that she was welcome to eat the remaining one as well?

Adele’s heart fluttered for a moment, but she quickly shook her head.

Just because her appearance had become that of a young child, what would it mean to think and act like a real child?

As an adult, it was only right to yield. On top of that, Vincent was at an age of rapid growth. He had only just barely started putting on weight, and if she took his food, it could cause problems with proper nutrition.

That was right. As always, the fact that she could be this considerate proved she was a mature adult.

Adele picked up the remaining sandwich and walked toward Vincent, who was perched on the window ledge.

She hesitated and wavered until the very last moment, but in the end, without being any greedier, she called out to him.

“Vincent?”

There was no answer.

She felt displeased at the thought that he was daring to ignore his teacher, but Adele reminded herself that she was an adult and asked again.

“What should I do with this?”

“Just leave it and go.”

It was a listless voice. But Adele focused more on what he had said.

Leave it and go. That meant he was not going to eat it. In that case, it could also mean he was telling her to eat it before she left.

“You want me to eat it?”

Sensing something off, Vincent finally tore his eyes from the window and looked at Adele.

“Adele?”

“It’s boss.”

Vincent looked at Adele with a moved expression. She had truly not forgotten and had come to find him!

“Yes, yes! You eat it! I’m fine!”

She had come all this way to find him, so sharing food was the least he could do!

Adele was also touched by Vincent’s generous permission.

As they say, good deeds bring blessings. There was not a single old saying that was wrong. Thanks to having such a good pupil, she was able to eat another delicious sandwich like this.

“If you insist, I suppose I’ll eat it.”

Adele finished the large sandwich in just two bites. Her puffed-up cheeks twitched as they held the enormous mouthful. To Vincent watching, her cheeks had grown so large it was a wonder they had not burst.

And the moment Adele chewed and swallowed the food.

“Someone’s coming.”

“What?”

With those words, Adele suddenly leaped high and grabbed onto the ceiling light fixture.

“Huh! Adele?”

Before he could even begin to think about what strange behavior that was, the door suddenly burst open.

Rather than taking issue with such rude behavior, Vincent’s shoulders hunched inward. It was because he instinctively knew who had come.

“What are you babbling about to yourself?”

Duke Rogato, who had woken up at some point, swept the room with sharp eyes. He had clearly heard some kind of sound.

The room he had just entered contained nothing but an empty plate and Vincent. It would be quite troublesome if rumors spread that the Rogato family’s son had gone mad.

The duke let out a long sigh of irritation and frustration and spoke.

“Answer me.”

“Ah, th, th, that is, I was……”

As Vincent failed to produce a proper sentence, the duke clicked his tongue openly. A half-witted fool. The muttered words, loud enough for everyone to hear, made Vincent’s face flush red and tears well up at the corners of his eyes.

There was only one occasion when his father came directly to his room.

Knowing that, Vincent’s fingertips trembled. What had he done wrong this time? His mind went completely blank and he could not manage any other thought.

Vincent had even forgotten that Adele was in the room, as his entire body gradually stiffened. The only thing he could do was let his hands tremble.

“How pathetic.”

The duke’s cold voice pierced Vincent’s ears.

“His Highness the Prince has arrived.”

“Pardon?”

“Did I not say that today’s tea party with His Highness would be held at the Rogato ducal estate? I should have had it conveyed to Be…… servants as well.”

“Ah, yes. I apologize.”

It was something Vincent had known nothing about. The last time he had spoken with his father was when Adele had knocked him out with a strike to the back of his neck.

In that case, had the servants not informed him? From shame and a sense of injustice, his small fists clenched on their own.

Vincent barely managed to collect himself and gather his thoughts. There was no one on his side in this estate anyway.

Today was simply another ordinary day.

Duke Rogato cast one last cold glance at Vincent and left the room. It was an unspoken message that he would not let it go if any mistakes were made at a tea party attended by the prince himself.

The fact that he had come to his son’s room in person rather than sending a servant was proof that his mood was not good. The tense Vincent swallowed hard.

If the prince had already arrived, there was no time. He immediately checked his own appearance.

Fortunately, having dressed himself up to meet Adele, there seemed to be nothing lacking. That was likely why his father had left the room without saying anything further.

He had gotten through it safely, so he should be able to relax now…… Yet what rose within him now was not relief but an inexplicable surge of anger.

His own helpless state and the way he was looked down upon everywhere. It was enough to kindle a fire even in the heart of a young child.

His circumstances, which he had briefly forgotten while spending the past few days with Adele, now felt more keenly real than ever before.

It was at that moment.

“It’s time for the next training.”

“Aaah!”

Vincent nearly toppled backward at the voice that came from right in front of him. The one who caught him was none other than Adele.

Having descended from the ceiling at some point, Adele caught the backward-falling Vincent with one arm without any recoil whatsoever. She had the solidity of an ancient tree hundreds of years old.

The moment Vincent looked at Adele’s composed face, his anger suddenly subsided and a sense of calm came over him.

‘Is this the effect of having a teacher?’

Vincent listened to Adele’s words with his body tilted back.

“Not being nervous.”

“How do you do that?”

“You stop your heart.”

“Wh, what?”

Vincent’s heart, which had barely found its calm, shook violently.

“Could it be possible…… to stop one’s heart?”

Vincent’s voice trembled. His face was one of disbelief, wondering whether he had heard correctly.

“Are you doubting me?”

Adele smiled with a confident expression. Her chubby cheeks rippled.

She put strength into her arm and set Vincent upright, then brought his fingers to her wrist. A pulse was beating faintly.

His anxious eyes were fixed on Adele’s wrist. The fear grew as he wondered whether that faint vibration was truly real.

Surely even a three-year-old child would know that stopping one’s heart meant death. Yet somehow, it seemed as though Adele would not fear something like death.

Was she going to sacrifice herself for the sake of training?

“Don’t, Adele. Don’t do it.”

The child’s voice, consumed by fear of death, trembled.

But Adele did not listen to him and closed her eyes. Before long, the steady pulse gradually slowed. And it grew so faint that it was barely perceptible unless one focused intently.

“Adele, stop!”

In contrast to Adele, Vincent’s heart was pounding wildly. He looked at her face. But the hand pressed against her wrist remained where it was, as he wanted to confirm her breathing until the very end.

Yet something was strange.