From ghost to human, the child’s rites, and Noel’s sudden visit.

It was a series of confusing situations, so she was quite flustered.

However, even considering that, Aeli’s grip slowly loosened as she thought about how she could have neglected to mention this until now.

Plop.

The handkerchief slipped from her grasp and fell lifelessly to the floor.

“…?”

The child, who had been stuffing food into his cheeks until they were about to burst and smacking his lips, wondering if the soufflé suited his taste, raised his head.

Aeli, receiving the puzzled gaze, broke out in a cold sweat.

‘What should I do, I feel like I’ve been too terrible…’

Is this something a person should do?

No matter how noble one’s status, without a foundation, it can only become a double-edged sword.

For the First Princess, who couldn’t even control that sword and had to simply watch others wield it, her status was no different from poison.

… I coaxed a child who hasn’t even come of age and left her alone, then forgot about it in a matter of days.

Overwhelmed by the rush of guilt, Aeli closed her mouth.

“Mommy, aren’t you going to eat?”

“Yeah… My stomach is a bit upset.”

There was no way she could swallow food in this situation.

Aeli answered with a faint smile to the child who tilted his head and asked.

Lutis, who had been quietly listening to the conversation between Aeli and the child, opened his mouth.

“If your stomach is upset, you should have them bring out a thin soup.”

“No, it’s true that I can’t swallow food, but that’s not what I meant…”

“Your body has suffered a lot while you were lying down, so you shouldn’t skip meals. Even now, without a magical tool, you’re in a state where it’s difficult to take a stroll in the garden.”

“-Well-”

He has a point, but even if it’s soup, it doesn’t seem like it would go down well.

Aeli glanced at the child beside her and pondered.

‘I wonder if it’s okay to talk about this in front of Adi?’

Since he was with her when she met the First Princess and already knew the situation, it seemed like it would be fine, but she worried that the young child might end up hearing things he shouldn’t know yet.

After staring blankly at the plate in front of her for a while, Aeli made up her mind and decided to speak. She didn’t want to separate from the child, and it didn’t seem like Adi would be willing to spend time alone.

“Actually, I have something to say-”

“…”

“-though.”

“Go ahead.”

Aeli’s eyes trembled slightly as Lutis put down the utensils he was holding and listened intently as soon as she spoke.

She didn’t expect him to listen so formally, and it was a bit burdensome.

“…”

“…Are you not going to talk?”

“Ah, yes. Ye- Yes, I should.”

Lutis, who found it strange that she wasn’t speaking despite saying she had something serious to discuss, met Aeli’s eyes and asked again.

At that, Aeli, who had abruptly lowered her head, thought.

‘Considering the content, it might be better than listening while eating.’

It seemed better to skip a meal or two rather than getting indigestion.

She wasn’t sure if a Sword Master could get indigestion, but anyway, that’s how it was.

Aeli fiddled with her now empty hands and opened her mouth.

“So, do you remember the day we went to our Imperial Palace? You took a bouquet with you when you returned to the mansion.”

Lutis gave a small nod.

“I did.”

“Actually, that was a gift from the First Princess.”

“-The bouquet?”

Lutis narrowed his brows slightly as he sat quietly and listened to Aeli’s story.

Usually, flower gifts are often sent out of courtesy, but between opposite genders, there is a higher probability of a different meaning.

Moreover, as far as Lutis knew, the only princess in the empire was a princess of the same age as the child, only a year apart, so such a reaction was not unreasonable.

“It was suspicious from the moment she separated you from the child, so that was her motive, I see.”

“Well…”

Aeli, who let out a sigh, fell into agony.

She wondered if the emperor had such intentions when he arranged for the First Princess and the child to meet.

‘He’s ten years older, after all.’

A ten-year age gap is common in political marriages, but there’s no reason to insist on it when there are clearly better options available.

Besides, it was a case where the First Princess gave it as a gift when the child showed interest in the flowers.

Judging that there was no intention as Lutis thought, Aeli shook her head and said,

“That’s probably not it. The princess is fifteen.”

“…Fifteen?”

“Yeah.”

“The princess was definitely born when you were pregnant-”

“…”

“…”

At that moment, when Aeli was staring intently at Lutis, whose brows were furrowed in confusion.

Clatter.

At the sound of plates and utensils clashing, Aeli turned her head.

“Ah, uh…”

The child, who had just swallowed the soufflé in his mouth and was about to shove more in, felt the gaze focused on him and rolled his eyes back and forth.

As if he sensed that they were having an unusual conversation, he was clearly wary, so Aeli cut the soufflé into small pieces with a fork and brought it to the child’s mouth.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to mind. Adi, will you finish eating this?”

Actually, it was a topic he should be concerned about, but it didn’t apply to a five-year-old child.

At the sensation of the fluffy bread touching his lips, the child opened his mouth as if enchanted.

His eyes, which had been busy until just now, seemed to sparkle happily at the delicious food.

Aeli put the fork back in the child’s hand and continued speaking.

“-If the imperial family had the intention you mentioned, Lutis, I think they would have had me encounter the Second Princess rather than the First Princess. Since she was born when I was pregnant, as you said, the age difference with Adi isn’t that big.”

“…The Second Princess.”

“…”

At Aeli’s words, Lutis narrowed his eyes as if trying to gauge something, then immediately stiffened his expression.

After moving his lips for a while, Lutis spoke in a low voice.

“…An illegitimate child.”

“…That’s right.”

“If the princess is fifteen, the emperor at that time would have still been the crown prince.”

“That’s true.”

“-Fourteen, fifteen at most…”

“…”

“He hadn’t even graduated from the academy yet, but he sure did a number.”

Lutis, who let out a hollow laugh with an absurd look on his face, soon sighed deeply as if he had a headache.

There was no doubt that he had taken it as a sign of getting involved in something suspicious from the moment she brought up this topic.

…In reality, that guess was correct, so Aeli quietly closed her mouth.

Lutis asked, holding his forehead with one hand.

“I’m sure you didn’t bring this up without any significant meaning. Judging from the situation, I can roughly predict the circumstances of that fifteen-year-old princess.”

“…”

“-Do we really have to get involved?”

At Lutis’ question, Aeli lowered her gaze.

She was well aware of how reckless this idea was. Even as she brought it up to Lutis, she wasn’t confident herself.

But…

“…She said she lived in an abandoned palace that no one even knew existed in the Imperial Palace, without a single attendant, eating stagnant water from the forest or unknown plants and fruits.”

“…”

“And when she got sick, she secretly healed herself with her innate divine power…”

She cried, begging me to take her out of this hell.

Recalling the young girl who had clung to her feet and pleaded, Aeli spoke softly.

“-But it wasn’t just about wanting to leave the Imperial Palace.”

“It was a plea to save her life.”

“…”

Lutis bit his lip, then stopped and closed his eyes.

After burying his face in his palms for a while, catching his unintentionally quickened breath, Lutis opened his mouth.

“Aeli, this isn’t a matter that can be simply resolved under the pretext of protecting an abused and neglected child. It’s about getting involved with the imperial family, no different from intervening in the succession competition.”

“…”

“-You clearly said you wanted our child to be safe. But if we take the princess with us, both the imperial family and other nobles will keep an eye on us. Have you thought about what kind of hands will reach out when the princess safely grows up and becomes an adult? No matter what action we take, the imperial family and aristocratic society will attach meaning to it, and if the Second Princess takes the throne, you’re well aware of the disadvantages that will follow.”

“…”

I know. The best that could be imagined if things didn’t go well was the decline and fall of the family’s power.

The Mason or Ratliffe family might not falter to the point of endangering the family, but at least during the time the child takes over as the head of the family, they won’t be able to enjoy the same prestige as now.

And what’s more problematic than that is,

“We could even die.”

…The ending where we are accused of treason and disappear as the morning dew on the execution grounds.

‘Considering the current empress’ temperament, the latter is more likely.’

Although she didn’t know her well, judging from the life the First Princess had led, it seemed she wouldn’t show mercy.

If she was useless as a person, well, from a general perspective, one might feel that way.

But from a political point of view, such a cold attitude couldn’t be considered bad.

If she were to be ambiguously soft, it would often come back as a blade, so in a sense, she had the constitution of a ruler.

Understanding this situation, Aeli couldn’t say anything more and simply kept pinching the skin between her thumb and index finger.

No matter how much she had caused trouble in the past and had a personality that didn’t care about others’ opinions, she wasn’t a fool.

She wasn’t the type to stubbornly insist on her own wishes like a blind person, unable to distinguish between public and private matters, just because she was projecting her own child onto the princess.

‘But why on earth…’

As Lutis said, it’s not an ordinary matter, so she can’t recklessly push forward her personal desires.

She herself didn’t know why she was acting this way, and she felt suffocated by the frustrating feeling that was burning up inside her.

Lutis, who had been gazing at Aeli with a troubled expression, slowly raised his head that had been buried in his palms and spoke.

“Honestly, I don’t understand why you care so much about that princess, Aeli. No, even if I understand, the risk is too great.”

“…She’s too young.”

“What about you?”

“…”

“When you were buried in the ground leaving your child behind, you were only twenty. At most, you’re only five years older than the current princess.”

“…”

“If we go by the presence or absence of adulthood, it can’t be ignored for her either, but at least I don’t want to weigh the immediate family against a princess whose face and name I don’t even know.”

“…”

“…I’m against it.”

Let’s pretend we didn’t hear about this. Lutis, who finished speaking, rose from his seat, unable to hide his confusion, and disappeared out of the dining room.

“…”

Aeli was just as confused, so she had to sit still and hold her place for a long time.

[This is the timeline separator]

And the next day.

A much faster response than expected came from Noel.