Diana, who had been staring at the portrait with her identical pink eyes, turned away.

“Let’s go out.”

Despite the warm body temperature of the child she was holding, a chilling coldness enveloped her, urging them to leave.

The secret passage seemed to have been made for the portrait. Did they really go to all this trouble just to protect a single painting?

She was puzzled, especially troubled by the pink color of the woman’s eyes in the portrait.

As she retraced her steps back with Noel in her arms, Diana was lost in thought.

The Beatus family’s lineage was marked by red eyes.

Her siblings all had red eyes, but she was the only one born with faded pink eyes.

It was the first time in the history of their family. At that time, there was a lot of controversy whether she was fathered by another man. However, Diana was indeed a direct descendant.

Unlike her siblings, she had neither pure black nor red hair, but a mediocre black-purple color, and her eyes were a faded pink, akin to diluted red.

Everything about her was mediocre.

In the side branches of the family, she was derogatorily called a defective product, but it didn’t affect her, and she didn’t care. Her brothers and sisters were indifferent and dismissive.

Then, one day, the side branches started avoiding her. It happened even though she had done nothing.

Later, she found out that her sister had taken matters into her own hands and dealt with those who gossiped in the side branches.

‘It wasn’t necessary, I could have handled it.’

‘Ha, what are you saying? This was not for you but because they annoyed me. Understand? Insignificant youngest.’

That was what the 10-year-old villainess had spat out. Hmm, thinking about it, my sister was definitely a villainess.

Remembering the old days, Diana chuckled. At that moment, a creepy sensation brushed her nape.

“Nuna.”

Noel’s voice was tense. She was about to turn her head.

“Nuna. Don’t turn your head, just run straight.”

“What?”

An indiscernible sound seemed to come from behind her.

“Run!”

At the same time as Noel’s shout, a gust of wind pushed Diana, and she ran involuntarily. It was Noel’s auxiliary magic.

Diana didn’t know, but a desperate man’s soul was approaching her.

Noel, who was looking back while being carried by Diana, extended his hand towards the void.

The moment Noel’s sealed memory partially awakened upon confronting the soul of the pursuing man.

Flash. A light burst from Noel’s small hand, and Diana escaped the passage.

The reaching hand of the man behind her dispersed and vanished pitifully.

Noel’s lips twisted into a fierce, unchildlike smile, unseen by Diana.

“Heaving. Heaving. What in the world… what was behind us?”

Noel, just using gestures to control the wind, rotated the wrist of the armor. Cuckoo The wall that had disappeared reappeared.

Throughout this process, Diana didn’t notice anything odd.

Already lacking strength, and now out of breath from running, she didn’t have the mental capacity to worry about anything else.

“Noel?”

Worried about the silent Noel, Diana detached him from her embrace to check his face. His fierce expression instantly changed.

“Nuna, you’re afraid of ghosts, right? A scary ghost was chasing us!”

Was this something to say with such a cheerful face? Phew, but they made it out safely, so that was what mattered.

Relieved, Diana gently patted the child’s head.

“That’s good, as long as you’re okay.”

Her previously dim red eyes sparkled brightly. Diana’s words tickled his heart.

“Let’s not go in there again.”

“…….”

To Diana’s words as she walked ahead, intending to leave the vicinity, Noel didn’t respond.

“What’s that woman doing?”

It was a sudden question. The maid, who was kneeling and meticulously tending to her nails, quickly answered.

“She’s inside the estate.”
“How on earth did she catch the Duke’s eye?”

The more she thought about it, the more infuriated she became. She had put in so much effort. What trick did that woman use to suddenly become the center of attention in the Duke’s castle?

“She even visits him daily, like clocking in for work? I get turned away right at the door!”

“Don’t be too heartbroken, Miss Aileen. It will damage your skin.”

Aileen Moneta. She couldn’t accept the current situation.

Two years ago, after the tragic death of the Count and Countess, she found herself adrift.

She couldn’t inherit the indebted Count’s title, nor could she bring in a son-in-law or appoint a proxy.

Without any relatives, Aileen had nowhere to turn. If things continued this way, she might lose everything to her creditors and end up a commoner.

The lifeline came while she was trembling with fear and guarding the graves of her parents pitifully.

Men in black priest robes appeared before her, offering a way out.

“Examine the belongings.”

Reluctantly, she followed their instructions. To her surprise, she found a letter from the Duchess among her mother’s belongings! How they knew about it was a mystery.