Aeli was silently astonished.

Her half-lost soul had long since completely drifted away.

And what brought her wandering mind back to reality was nothing special.

“……We need to find a way.”

Lutis’s quiet words, breaking the silence, awakened Aeli’s senses.

Noel questioned Lutis’s seemingly out-of-the-blue statement.

“What?”

“Since we can’t lose her twice, we need to find a way.”

So help me.

Although he spoke calmly, the veins on the back of Lutis’s hand were faintly protruding as he said those words.

Realizing this fact, Aeli clenched her fists tightly.

Why didn’t you tell me about the contents of the ancient book in advance?

‘……So that’s what it was.’

When you first asked me how you saw me at the Ratliff estate, you only told me that the rocket-shaped necklace and vase fragments were the mediums, and you kept your mouth shut about anything more.

When I returned to my body and we went together to receive the child’s blessing, the reason Lutis tried to create a forced setting to reconnect with Mason.

The reason he wanted to spread the rumors quickly, regardless of whether his reputation was tarnished or thrown into the mud.

“…….”

It was because of this.

For fear that I might be forgotten, having just found me.

‘……That’s why you were in a hurry.’

If he could imprint it on and make as many people remember as possible, at the very least, he might be able to find a sense of discomfort in the emptiness left by my absence.

He probably couldn’t bring himself to tell me even this fact, which was why he kept his mouth shut.

It seemed he hadn’t expected the situation to come to this point, with Noel’s suspicions not easily resolved.

‘No, actually, that’s not it.’

He must have sensed that although he could anticipate it turning out this way, he couldn’t hide it forever.

He had to say it, but it wasn’t easy to do so. It was a topic worthy of that.

Although Mason was a good choice in many ways to create a suitable identity with the current appearance, there was no need to cause friction by insisting it had to be Mason when it was suspicious anyway.

‘That’s what I kept wondering about…….’

Now it made sense.

Even if Ratliff got angry at him for abandoning the child and shuddered with disgust, not wanting to see him at all.

There was the child, and perhaps to them, there was already the late Aeli.

It was clear that there was no better topic to stimulate Mason.

If he revealed himself in any way, he would have had to inform them of this fact during the persuasion process.

‘-I knew something was suspicious!’

Even so, I was angry that he hid such an important story from me.

Although he might say he didn’t want to burden me with worries about an uncertain story that hadn’t even happened yet, this was a matter in which I was involved.

Being forgotten in memories and left alone?

Of course it’s terrifying. But there was no comparison between being afraid while knowing everything, and facing such a situation without any preparation.

“You……!”

“…….”

Aeli, who was about to burst out in anger, soon had no choice but to close her open mouth.

It wasn’t just because she was conscious of Noel’s gaze.

“…….”

“…….”

That was the face of someone who knew he had done wrong.

Seeing him calmly awaiting the anger that would be poured on him, she no longer felt like getting more upset.

……She couldn’t blame him when she could see that he had been worrying and anxious alone without her knowing.

The book cover that had noticeably become worn in just a few days, and the numerous bookmarks and notes crammed into every corner of the book.

‘He must have tried not to show it.’

During the day, he would spend time with them, and as soon as night fell, he would handle the backlog of documents while opening the ancient books countless times.

Every morning, there were many times when he wasn’t in bed, and she thought he had gotten up early, but in reality, he might have stayed up all night.

With an involuntary conviction that wasn’t a conviction, Aeli let out a deep sigh and opened her mouth.

“Later……”

“…….”

“……Let’s talk about it later for now. I don’t think this is the right time.”

After saying that, Aeli turned her gaze away.

She saw Noel’s shoulders trembling as their eyes met.

Noel roughly ruffled his hair as if it was giving him a headache and said,

“This- as I said earlier, it’s content I’ve never heard of before.”

“…….”

Well, of course.

Aeli, who had completely abandoned the hope she had held to some extent, bowed her head deeply in resignation.

It seems it won’t work out this time either.

‘Even though we’ve come this far…….’

She thought that she might never see anyone related to Mason again in the future.

‘It’s upsetting, but it can’t be helped. ……I was prepared for it, so it’s okay.’

Her parents and Noel were also family, but she had another precious family besides them.

So it’s okay.

As she was consoling herself like that.

“……I need time to think.”

“……?!”

Aeli abruptly raised her head that she had been bowing and looked at Noel.

Noel, who had buried his face in one hand, closed his eyes tightly and opened his mouth.

“I can’t be sure right away. Even if you say so, as the head of the family, it’s not a matter I can easily decide.”

“Th- then-”

“Since I’ll have to stake the family name, not individual credibility, I need to discuss it a bit more. ……First, I’ll look into the content of the ancient book when I return to the mansion. I don’t think I’ll find anything useful at the capital mansion, so I’ll probably have to visit the estate.”

“It- it’s fine! Really- really!”

Aeli nodded her head vigorously with the intensity of her neck falling off.

It wasn’t surprising that Lutis gently held Aeli’s face with both hands to straighten her posture, unable to bear watching.

“Then I’ll take this with me. If it’s difficult, it’s fine to just provide me with a suitable copy.”

Snap!

Noel, who had been holding the ancient book in his hand, said while snapping his fingers.

Aeli, who instantly found herself in the storage room at the end of the corridor where she had first entered to use the secret passage from the basement, gulped.

‘Ah, I see…….’

Now that he had been there once, he knew the location.

Although it was sudden, she was more joyful at the immediate gain than that.

“……But don’t you have to stop by the mansion again for a copy?”

“When you send a letter informing me that the preparation is done, I’ll come to receive it. -No, by now the communication channels should be working properly, so you can use that too.”

He must have been persuaded to some extent, so now there was no need to bother going back and forth, and he could just teleport there.

If not, he could even just send the copy with a teleportation scroll.

As long as the location was accurate, there was no chance of it being delivered to the wrong place in between, so it didn’t seem bad.

Just as Aeli was having such thoughts.

“You can just take it with you. If there’s a copy, the probability of information leaking out increases.”

“……That makes sense too.”

Noel readily nodded at Lutis’s words.

Although he still didn’t seem to like it very much, it was much better than earlier when he was slamming into walls and grabbing collars.

The fact that Noel’s gaze, which had only been cold until now, felt quite different from before also seemed to play a part.

Noel was about to step out of the storage room, but then turned his head.

“Ah, and regarding your family registry, I’ll contact you as soon as opinions are roughly aligned, so keep that in mind. However, in this case, you and the Duke will have to directly explain the situation and persuade them.”

“……! Th- that’s okay too?”

“But- until it’s certain that you are Aeli, keep your identity hidden from the former Count and Countess. Of course, the explanation and persuasion should also exclude this part when discussing it.”

“…….”

“…….”

“……I understand.”

After Lutis and Adi, her parents were the ones she most wanted to reveal her existence to.

However, she could accept it as she had anticipated to some extent that it wouldn’t be easy to tell them.

From Noel’s perspective, it would be the most troublesome thing to hastily tell them in this dubious situation and then have it turn out to be untrue.

Moreover, his very nature was the type to act only when he was certain.

‘Thinking that way, the current situation is amazing.’

Although he had been taken down a notch, it didn’t seem like Noel was convinced that she was his sister now.

Rather, it was closer to accepting it for now, thinking it was worth believing.

“……Even if I help with your family registry right away, it will eventually reach the ears of the former Count and Countess. Even if you want the status of a branch family member, there are no females your age in Mason right now, so there’s no other way. If I register you without informing them, it will obviously be considered strange.”

“…….”

“When they find out about your existence, they will have to explain the reason for registering you, but since they won’t easily leave the estate anyway, I’ll take measures to ensure rumors like your resemblance don’t reach their ears……”

“…….”

“But I won’t be able to completely block the rumors. I can’t say that the Duke of Ratliff is suddenly hanging around with an unknown branch family female from Mason. Since I’m the one who helped, it will only be said that I did it without the former Count and Countess being directly involved in this matter.”

Noel added, glancing at Aeli’s crestfallen appearance.

It took Aeli a while to realize that it was something he had added in consideration of her feelings.

“Yeah…….”

Indeed. If she couldn’t reveal her identity, as Noel said, unless they directly told her parents, it would be evident that it would only be seen as a crazy act.

In fact, the picture was strange enough even now.

‘……But this is much better than meeting and talking later.’

That was clearly something she couldn’t do.

Revealing her identity wouldn’t be something that could be easily done in a day or two.

Then, even if she put her name in the branch family registry right now, it would be the same anyway when she had to tell her parents later without being able to reveal her identity.

When that time came, really-

‘Lutis would become the insane guy who brought a girlfriend who looks exactly like his dead wife and asked to register her in Mason, and Noel would become the guy who nodded his head knowingly to that.’

……Even if the Empire came, let alone the Goddess, they wouldn’t be able to explain this.

Having understood, Aeli smacked her lips.

Noel looked down at Aeli like that, then straightened his head and opened his mouth towards Lutis.

“And…… even if it’s not that matter, you’ll probably have to meet your parents soon, so keep that in mind.”

“……What?”

At Noel’s sudden remark, Lutis turned his head in Noel’s direction.

Looking at his expression slightly, she could see that he was a bit startled.

Well, if even she, his child, was perplexed, how much more so would he be?

“When I returned to the mansion yesterday afternoon and told them through the communication channel, they said they would come up to see you.”

“…….”

“They had a lot of worries during that time, so there was no other way. Match the date and visit them once.”

“…….”

“Of course, don’t come with the three of you attached, including the young lady. It’s not the right time yet, and you two should handle that story entirely on your own. I can’t bear to see the child being used as a shield.”

“……I have no intention of doing that.”

“That’s your thought. They won’t think that way, so listen.”

“…….”

Aeli, who had timidly expressed her unfairness, closed her mouth at Noel’s reprimand.

She had nothing to say.

“Th- then when……”

“They will come through the portal, so they will arrive by tomorrow at the latest-”

Bang!

“Ah- Aaaah, it huuurts!”

It was just when Noel was talking.

As the storage room door roughly opened, the sight of the child screaming entered their view.

‘-Was what I saw correct?’

Why was Adi appearing here? Aeli quietly raised her hand and rubbed her two eyes.

But there was no anomaly.

“…….”

“…….”

“…….”

Behind the child who boldly flung the door open and shouted, Mari and Siren were standing in bewilderment.

Unlike Mari, who had discreetly bowed her head, Siren was constantly floundering and rolling his eyeballs.

And then he said-

“Ah…… Hello.”

……Uh, okay.

It was a greeting.