“Sister. There’s more here too!”

My goodness. The treasure vault was indeed a treasure vault.

“Noel, there really is a lot here. Right?”

“Yes!”

Why are you more excited than me? Looking at the bright Noel, Diana smiled pleasantly as well.

Diana had asked the duke to enter the family’s secret storage.

It was a rude request, considering she hadn’t even gotten engaged to Rodrick yet and was merely an outsider. She didn’t expect to be given the entire bundle of keys.

As a result, the aides and attendants were thrown into chaos once again, but neither the duke nor she paid any mind to it.

“Why does this family have so many cursed objects?”

Inside the secret storage were items ranging from those with a long history to all kinds of weapons. Art pieces. Various spoils of all kinds were stored here.

The size was reminiscent of a museum exhibition hall.

Not only were the items organized and sorted by type, but there was no smell of old dust despite the lack of a ventilation system.

The butler who individually sorted and managed all of this was truly admirable.

It was said that he had taken on all the duties of the lady of the house since the time when the duchess was still alive.

If it was unexpected, it was unexpected that the butler, who had the impression of a knight, handled even delicate tasks.

“Sister. Sister.”

Noel diligently explored the secret storage, examining the mana.

He grabbed the hand of Diana, who was momentarily lost in thought, and led her to the most mana-infused decorative piece.

It was an emerald necklace shimmering with brilliant colors inside a glass case. Was it just her imagination that the glass case looked even more expensive than the necklace?

Using the key given by the duke, she unlocked the case and placed her hand on the necklace.

The mana that had been lingering in the necklace slowly seeped into her body through her hand. The hazy pink eyes gradually regained vitality and became clearer.

“Phew. I think this much should be fine for today.”

The quantity was so vast, and there were many cursed objects, so it seemed there would be no discomfort in moving her body until Rodrick arrived.

“Noel, do I still look ill?”

At the sudden question, Noel widened his eyes and rolled his red eyes to the side.

“Uh, um. Sister is pretty.”

Yeah, I still look ill. It was cute how Noel couldn’t lie and evaded the question. Diana gently pinched his chubby cheeks as if squeezing them.

“Hehe.”

Even at that small touch, the child laughed with joy.

Diana bent down, rubbed the child’s soft cheeks once more, then looked ahead as she walked, her expression not good.

She had clearly told the duke she wasn’t ill, but seeing her appearance, he even assigned his personal physician to her and had her regularly take bitter medicine.

I don’t want to take medicine. The terribly bitter taste still lingered in her mouth. Even eating candied fruit didn’t make it go away, causing her to frown involuntarily.

The duke seemed to have noticed that she would feel ill if she didn’t absorb curses, though she hadn’t said it.

That was fine. She had thoroughly hidden the most important fact.

“Noel, you don’t feel uncomfortable or frustrated because you can’t use magic, do you?”

She had also hidden the fact that she could die if she didn’t absorb curses, as well as the fact that Noel could use magic.

Magicians were a very precious asset in this era. If the information leaked, there was no telling how the child would be exploited.

Rodrick also knew this and did not tell the duke.

“It’s okay! If I don’t use magic, a lot of mana accumulates in my body. Then I can use powerful magic later.”

No. Noel. You will never have to use powerful magic.

Diana swallowed her words and patted the child’s head as if he was admirable.

Noel often tried to prove his worth. Whenever he trembled with anxiety, fearing Diana would abandon him, she would hug him tightly.

Whispering that he was precious to her even if he did nothing at all. When she said that, the child would laugh through tears and embrace Diana, not letting go.

As this repeated and his anxiety was alleviated, the child seemed to gradually believe Diana’s words.

“Sister, sister. The wrist joint of this knight’s armor here. It’s slightly raised.”

It was a full set of armor, including a helmet. Despite being empty, it seemed as if it would come alive and move.

“Is that so?”

This is usually a mechanism connected to a secret passage. How does a child who hasn’t even received the family’s education know that?

It was a subtle joint that ordinary people wouldn’t even notice.

“Want to grab it?”

“Yes!”

Ah, so you mentioned it because you wanted to grab this. How cute. Diana stroked Noel’s grayish hair.

Diana, holding Noel, lifted the child high up to the wrist part of the armor placed on the platform.

As Noel twisted the wrist, kuku- the wall behind the armor disappeared and a passageway appeared.

As the passageway emerged, the candles on the candlesticks hanging on the walls inside the passage lit up in a row. The soft candlelight was guiding the user.

Diana’s eyes narrowed as she gazed at the passageway.

Would there be immense treasures if we went in there? Or are the shameful secrets of the family’s ancestors hidden there? You never know. There might be objects with tremendous curses.

If it were a dark, gloomy basement, it would be understandable. Though the illumination was low, there were lit candles, so it wasn’t scary.

“Shall we go?”

Noel nodded his head vigorously.

“Let’s go!”

They entered with enthusiasm, but how much time had passed? Diana soon regretted it.

Eung. Where are we? With a sorrowful expression, Diana searched for the lost Noel.

“Noel, where are you!”

The passageway was larger and more complex than expected. It was a maze in itself. They walked wherever their feet led them, and the concentration of mana in the air thickened.

The underground passage seemed well-maintained, as it wasn’t damp or humid. However, the temperature was cool, causing goosebumps to rise on her arms.

Whish- The sound of wind leaking from somewhere created an eerie atmosphere.

Diana pressed her chest and took a step forward to find the lost Noel.

There are no ghosts. There are no ghosts. She chanted as she walked through the enormous passage that seemed like something would suddenly jump out.

How long had she walked? At some point, the wind stopped blowing, but the candles illuminating the space began to flicker here and there.

It was an ominous sign. This is when something jumps out. Diana made a sorrowful expression. As expected.

Eek! It was a breeze like human breath. Startled by the gentle wind brushing past her ear, Diana collapsed to the floor right there.

Noel, who had entered the secret passage holding Diana’s hand, tilted his head.

The mana, too familiar, was calling out to the child as if pulling him.

That’s why he knew about the secret mechanism in the knight’s armor. Because of the mana latent beyond the wall.

“What was this made for?”

Following the passage, a wider space appeared, and there were multiple paths. Diana and Noel walked wherever their feet led them.

To be precise, Noel was walking while reading the familiar mana. His red eyes moved, following the familiar mana.

Since the mana was spread out everywhere, Diana was unaware of Noel’s subtle change.

At that moment, as they were exploring, a longing voice reached Noel’s ears.

Noel’s pupils dilated. His heart pounded wildly at the sound calling his name.

“Noel! Where are you going!”

Diana called out from behind, but Noel shook off her hand and started running in the direction of the voice.

His irregularly beating heart couldn’t be controlled. His body reacted first.

“Huff. Huff.”

How long had he run? Due to his small body, there were physical limitations. He walked and walked, following the voice calling him.

“Ah.”

The child’s small body stopped at the end of the passage. At the end hung a life-size painting.

It was a portrait so realistic that one would believe they were looking at the real person.

Come quickly. I’ve been waiting. The woman in the portrait seemed to say that as she smiled.

Moisture gathered in the child’s eyes, which had widened as if in shock.

Crack- Without warning, the spell sealing his heart cracked, and memories flowed out.

“Why.”

The child’s face contorted.

“Why. Are you here.”

The child, his voice cracking, slowly approached the portrait.

As he reached out and brushed the rough surface of the painting, the familiar mana whoosh- affected the child’s body.

The child. No, the man who had returned to his original body, stroked the woman’s portrait with sorrow and bit his lip.

“Why are you here? Why? Why are you in Schwartz Castle!”

The man vented his resentment towards the unresponsive portrait. The tears that had gathered in his eyes finally flowed down his cheeks.

“How much. I missed you.”

Closing his eyes tightly, the pupils of the red eyes beneath his fluttering eyelashes elongated like a reptile’s.

“Don’t tell me, that bastard Schwartz brought you here?”

Just seeing her traces here, after searching for so long, he could tell. This was all the doing of that bastard Schwartz.

He dared to touch what’s mine. As he became enraged, the space shook as if an earthquake had occurred.

A familiar voice seemed to be heard. The voice he had longed to hear so much was contained in the portrait.

Noel, looking at the woman as if he had never been angry, smiled poignantly.

Not much time remained. When his body reverted, his memories would be incomplete.

“Beatus. I met that child. She treats me very well. So don’t worry.”

I will live on without dying. With those final words, his body shrank, and the sound of Diana calling for Noel was heard from behind.

“Noel!”

For a moment, Diana rubbed her eyes as if she had seen an illusion. Did I see wrong? Noel had looked like a beautiful young man.

However, seeing the child’s streaming tears, all thoughts disappeared as if evaporating.

“Noel, what’s wrong? Are you hurt somewhere? Are you okay?”

Diana ignored the shoulders that had cramped up due to the ghost and lifted Noel into her arms.

As the child cried sorrowfully, she rocked his body and comforted him.

“What happened? Hm?”

Noel tightly hugged Diana’s neck without answering.

Burying his face in her bosom, Noel continued to shed tears as if his emotions were consumed by sorrow. He himself didn’t know the reason.

Diana patted the child’s small back, not minding the dampened shoulder. Then, feeling as if someone was watching, she raised her gaze.

“……!”

She gasped in surprise. Perhaps because she had only focused on Noel. She hadn’t noticed the portrait’s presence. No, it wasn’t visible from a distance in the first place.

The woman, dressed in a style popular a few generations ago, had her distinct purple hair draped down and was brightly smiling at someone.

It felt as if she was making eye contact with Diana, as if welcoming someone.

“Pink……”

Beneath the long eyelashes crafted with delicate brush strokes were pink eyes. Eyes resembling Diana’s, excluded from the distinct red characteristic of the Beatus family.