I Became the Assassin Family's Foster Daughter (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 12

“Jed.”

Riche called out to Jed, who was standing before the sofa where she sat. He was watching the closed workshop.

Jed glanced back at Riche behind him, then whispered while keeping watch on their surroundings.

“It’s dangerous, so please stay still.”

“But I heard a scream. Shouldn’t we go help…?”

But Jed remained silent.

Another unsettling scream rang out. Sounds of shattering objects and toppling furniture followed.

‘I should at least go help.’

Riche abruptly stood up from the sofa. A large hand suddenly blocked her path.

It was Jed. His back was turned, so his expression remained hidden.

“You and I would both be better off staying here, miss. I’m sorry for those two, but my duty is to guard you.”

[He’s quite likable.]

Pythons grinned.

Only Riche stood there, flustered and unsure what to do.

Just then, the workshop door opened. A young woman with brown hair appeared—it was Anna.

“Anna, you’re bleeding…!”

“Don’t worry, miss. It’s not my blood.”

In one hand, Anna wiped blood from her cheek; in the other, she held an unconscious man.

Though she had volunteered as a maid for the Rodwick household, she had trained and grown up alongside Jed just a few years prior. She was confident in actual combat.

Anna tossed the man onto the floor of the guest room and spoke to Jed.

“It’s Duke Serdia’s side. They’ve kidnapped Trapet.”

“Duke Serdia?”

Jed asked, then subtly shifted sideways.

He blocked Riche’s view of the fallen man with his body—certainly not a sight fit for a child.

[Duke? From a gifted family?]

‘Yes. Though that man isn’t a gifted one himself.’

[So you distinguish them by visualized auras? Interesting.]

‘Can’t you see Pythons?’

[No, I can’t. Ltiom’s ability is unique to him alone.]

While Riche conversed silently with Pythons, Jed and Anna continued their discussion.

“Why would they kidnap Trapet?”

“I don’t know either. When they attacked, they claimed Trapet brought it upon herself.”

“Um…”

Someone interrupted their conversation.

It was Trapet’s assistant, who had rushed to the guest room in alarm after hearing the commotion.

Jed and Anna turned their heads. The assistant, unnerved by their two pairs of brown eyes fixed on her, nervously spilled what she knew.

“Miss Trapet’s next season’s new design uses fur… Duke Serdia’s side had sent several warnings not to use fur, but Miss Trapet ignored them…”

“Fur? They kidnapped Trapet over that?”

“Ridiculous. They wear it themselves all the time.”

Both spoke with incredulous tones. The fallen man’s belt was made of fox fur.

The assistant added in a trembling voice,

“It’s… wolf fur…”

“Oh.”

“Oh no.”

The Treang siblings sighed.

The gifted members of Duke Serdia’s family possessed the ability to transform into beast-kin.

Among many animals, they particularly enjoyed transforming into wolves, and over time, the wolf had become the Serdia family’s symbol—so much so that a wolf’s face adorned their family crest.

Anna, feeling dizzy, pressed a hand to her forehead.

“If Trapet is taken into Duke Serdia’s territory, her life might be in danger.”

The current Duke Serdia was an especially prideful man—though “prideful” was a polite way of saying he had an extremely hot temper.

Trapet’s stubbornness was also a problem. When it came to her designs, she never compromised except on commissions from the Rodwick ducal family.

It was obvious Duke Serdia wouldn’t leave her alone.

“…So this has nothing to do with you, miss?”

Jed muttered. The Treang siblings exchanged glances.

The Serdia ducal domain, where Trapet had been taken, lay just beyond the Demon’s Forest from the Rodwick ducal lands.

By distance alone, it was about a ten-day journey—but no one could survive ten nights in the Demon’s Forest.

“So they’ll go around the forest, then. It’ll take at least a day just to leave Rodwick territory.”

Jed nodded at Anna’s words.

They had decided: after reporting to the master, they’d pursue Trapet—but for now, they’d return to the ducal castle for the miss’s safety.

“And the guests…”

The assistant pointed somewhere. Jed blinked, following her finger’s direction.

“Me?”

“Oh, no.”

The assistant was pointing behind Jed.

“The young lady who came with you has disappeared.”

“What?!”

“Miss!”

The Treang siblings simultaneously turned to look behind Jed.

Only an empty sofa remained there.

[This is the timeline separator]

Having left the fitting room, Riche was running through the streets.

[Contractor, can you keep running?]

Pythons hopped onto Riche’s shoulder and spoke.

Around the neck of his squirrel-transformed form hung a stylish ribbon.

It was the ribbon Trapet had tied on earlier, saying it suited Riche’s outfit.

‘Yeah. But maybe I should’ve said something before leaving?’

[If you had, they’d never have let you go.]

Just moments ago, urged by Pythons, Riche had slipped away unnoticed by the Treang siblings.

[Contractor! Hurry! I sense the aura of a Star!]

She hadn’t wanted to, but Pythons sounded too urgent.

He claimed to have sensed the aura of one of the Great Stars.

‘But you said the other five Great Stars are still asleep.’

[That’s right. Ah, turn right there.]

At the crossroads, Pythons gave directions.

As Riche ran down that path, she spoke to Pythons.

‘…Could it be a gifted person bearing the Star’s power? Maybe Duke Serdia came along too.’

[What do you take me for? Do you think I can’t tell the difference? This isn’t some residual power in their blood—it means one of them has come directly into the human realm. Damn it, which one of the four is it?]

Pythons clutched his head.

He could sense the Star’s aura, but not whose it was.

Since Ltiom was moving, that fool was probably still asleep.

[If it really is one of them, we must find out how they woke up.]

‘Why?’

[Because it means someone has discovered how to awaken the Stars.]

‘You want to wake the Stars?’

[No.]

Pythons shook his head.

[They must not awaken.]

His tone was filled with anger. Just then, another crossroads appeared, cutting their conversation short.

The main street they’d been running down and a side alley beside it.

‘Which way?’

Riche, panting heavily, stopped and asked Pythons.

But Pythons couldn’t determine the direction.

[The aura suddenly vanished.]

Had they noticed? That couldn’t be—it was the exclusive right of the Gravekeepers to detect other Stars.

[…]

Pythons looked alternately at the crossroads and at Riche, then spoke.

[Hey, Contractor. In the human realm, I can’t use my full power. I’ll lend you my strength—try it yourself.]

‘Me?’

Surprised, Riche looked up at Pythons on her shoulder.

[Don’t be afraid. I’ll control the type and amount of power used—you just need to make up your mind.]

‘Make up my mind?’

[Yes. Think about finding the Star and look around. You’ll feel something.]

Following Pythons’ words, Riche scanned her surroundings.

Suddenly, she dashed into the alley.

‘There it is!’

[What?! You found it already?! You—you’re a genius, Contractor!]

Pythons cheered.

His black squirrel eyes sparkled, and his fur puffed up.

But the moment they rounded a new corner deeper in the alley, Pythons’ excitement plummeted as he rubbed his cheek against Riche’s.

[…That’s not a Star.]

“I found Trapet. I heard wolf howls.”

Riche whispered from her hiding spot around the corner.

Well, she did find her—just not the way he’d hoped.

Pythons peered around the corner with Riche, his eyes now dull.

Two large wolves and three humans.

Unconscious Trapet was slung over the back of the largest wolf.

[Looks like they plan to move her by carriage.]

Pythons noted the carriage parked ahead of them.

Just then, the coachman got down and started talking to one of the men.

Riche’s eyes locked onto the empty carriage.

‘Shouldn’t we stop them from taking her?’

[You want to step in? How? You’re just a seven-year-old kid.]

Riche flinched at Pythons’ words. He was right.

‘But still…’

Could she just stand by and watch Trapet get kidnapped?

Trapet belonged to the Rodwicks. Riche couldn’t ignore the determined look in her eyes when she’d declared she’d live for Blake.

‘…Then what should I do?’

[Why overthink it?]

‘Huh?’

Pythons’ voice in her mind was suddenly playful,

as if teasing her about his earlier remark.

[Already forgotten? I told you—my Contractor can do anything.]

‘Can we really save Trapet?’

[Of course.]

Confidently, Pythons pointed at the carriage.

[Remember that feeling when you found the Star earlier? I’ll lend you power again.]

‘How exactly?’

It couldn’t be about finding a Star in the carriage.

To Riche’s question, Pythons replied.

[First, let’s blow up the carriage wheel. When chaos erupts, we’ll seize the chance to rescue her.]

Or not. Pythons kept the last part to himself.

He didn’t particularly care whether Trapet was saved or not—but his Contractor appearing powerless would bruise his pride.

Pythons prepared to channel just enough power into Riche to blow up the wheel.

[Go ahead.]

Riche stared at the wheel, imagining it exploding.

[Con—Contractor! Wait!]

Suddenly, Pythons’ panicked shout echoed in Riche’s mind.

KABOOOM!

A deafening blast erupted, followed by gray smoke.

When the smoke cleared, only scorched ground remained where the carriage had been.

NEIGHHH!

The two horses, freed from the carriage, reared in fright and began trampling the street.

“…”

Riche and Pythons stared wide-eyed at the destruction they’d caused.

“That idiot…”

The power he’d intended to give Ltiom was just enough to blow up a wheel.

But Riche had drawn far more power than he’d offered.

She was the one who held dominion over the Star’s power.

‘What exactly did you rewind to the past?’

Pythons muttered, his mouth agape like a stunned squirrel.

“What did I even contract with…?”

[This is the timeline separator]

Meanwhile, Riche and Pythons weren’t the only ones startled by the carriage explosion.

The Rodwick family’s master guard squad, hidden quietly among nearby structures, had also been observing the situation.

Unlike ordinary Rodwick knights, these were specially trained elite operatives.

Their role was to guard the master like shadows—present yet unseen.

Today, they’d been assigned by Blake to protect Riche—

‘Explosives?’

‘Enemies of Serdia?’

Riche, having left the fitting room alone and run through the streets, had arrived where kidnapped Trapet was—and then the carriage exploded.

The guards exchanged glances at the sudden turn of events.

In emergencies, they revealed themselves to protect the master—but here, should they protect Riche instead?

‘Should we go out?’

‘Not yet.’

The issue was that this “emergency” didn’t meet Rodwick standards.

At the deputy’s signal, Sho, the squad leader, gave a brief shake of his head.

Since her life wasn’t in immediate danger, it wasn’t truly an emergency.

Besides, she was well-hidden around the corner—Serdia hadn’t even spotted her.

If they revealed themselves now, Blake or Deon would scold them for overreacting.

“What happened?!”

“An ambush? Trapet’s accomplices?!”

Startled by the sudden chaos, the coachman fled, while Serdia’s three men drew their swords and scanned the area, shouting.

The two wolves also growled, baring their teeth.

The wolves’ keen sense of smell caught Riche’s scent from around the corner.

Just as the larger wolf stepped forward with a massive paw—

“Krrr—”

Its paw froze midair, never touching the ground.

A cold wind blew. Everything on the street instantly froze solid.

The rampaging horses, the fleeing coachman, Serdia’s three men, and the two large wolves—all turned to ice.

A boy walked down the frozen street.

He had sky-blue hair and azure eyes, resembling a refreshing summer lake.

“…”

It was just as Lovenhaf reached toward Trapet—who, atop the wolf, remained unfrozen—

“Stop it!”

A girl’s voice rang out from a distance.

Lovenhaf halted his hand.