Chapter 82

“I was worried because you opened the door so late.”

As soon as I opened the door, Tristan grumbled as he entered. Lucas, who followed behind him, seemed to be still concerned about the ball as he watched my expression.

Approaching me hesitantly, Lucas asked with concern.

“Liat. Are you feeling better now?”

“I’ve recovered after getting plenty of rest.”

“When I told Father about you, he said to let you sleep. That’s why we came late.”

Nice, Grand Duke.

If Tristan and Lucas had come earlier, they would have discovered I wasn’t in the room. Even if I told them the truth, I doubted they would believe me.

‘I can hardly believe it myself.’

I went to see the festival, got kidnapped by slave traders, barely escaped, and then hid in the mountains.

The true identity of the etiquette teacher who came to rescue me was the Spirit King, and I even formed a contract with him. Even to me, it seemed like an absurd situation.

Since no one would believe me anyway, should I just tell the truth? Just then, Tristan, who had been standing behind, pushed Lucas aside and interrupted the conversation.

“Honestly, brother, you’re always in the way. Huh?”

Tristan examined me carefully and asked.

“Kid, have you grown taller?”

“I… guess so?”

“Brother, look. Don’t you think she’s grown?”

The two looked at each other briefly and fell silent. Tristan, with his eyebrows twisted, grabbed my shoulders first and turned me around, then patted my cheeks and forehead.

Finally, after tidying my disheveled hair, he muttered.

“You’ve definitely grown. You feel like you’re at a different height than before.”

“I didn’t notice when I danced with Liat for the first time.”

“No, I’m telling you it’s true. Come here and look closely.”

Lucas examined me carefully as if appraising a jewel. Feeling uncomfortable, I fidgeted with the hem of my dress.

‘Should I consider this fortunate?’

The dress, being magically treated, looked perfectly fine on the outside. Who knew this expensive dress that had seemed burdensome when I received it would have such a useful function?

It hadn’t been uncomfortable at all while fleeing through the mountains.

“Hmm.”

There was a strange glint in Lucas’s eyes as he stared at me penetratingly.

Lucas’s conclusion was no different from Tristan’s. He marked my height with his hand and then ruffled my hair.

The hair that Tristan had neatly arranged became messy again.

“You’re right. She has grown.”

“That’s what I said! Plus, the kid’s pronunciation has improved.”

They’re both so perceptive.

I sighed, careful not to let them notice. Was there any way to gloss over this without having to explain?

I came up with what seemed to me the most plausible reason.

“I’ve been drinking milk lately.”

“Kid, I heard that if someone grows suddenly, it could be bad for their health.”

“Tristan, is that really true?”

“Yeah. I read it in a book.”

Lucas pressed Tristan with an anxious face. In short, he was suggesting that this was an emergency and we should call a doctor immediately. I couldn’t understand what was so urgent.

‘Are they trying to make this a bigger deal?’

The problem was that Tristan was taking Lucas’s nonsense seriously. If this continued, it seemed like a big commotion would break out.

“Brother, I’ll go call the priests while you go get a doctor.”

“Good idea.”

They’re actually going to do it!

I felt like I had already experienced my quota of incidents for the day. I also didn’t want to cause any trouble for Michael.

“Kid, does your leg hurt after growing so suddenly?”

“If anything hurts, you shouldn’t hide it and should tell us.”

“Both of you, stop!”

I stood on my tiptoes and covered both of their mouths. Then I spoke as clearly as possible to prevent them from raising other concerns.

“I’ve just grown taller. All children grow, you know.”

“……”

“I want to go back and have snacks with ‘family.’ Understand? Nod if you do.”

Nod, nod.

The two became docile from the moment they heard the word “family.” It was troublesome but fortunately, easy to understand.

I added more to prevent the conversation from going in a strange direction again.

“Growing taller is a happy thing, so there’s no need to worry.”

I was about to suggest that we should leave now.

“Yip!”

The wolf, who had woken up with perfect timing, barked to attract attention.

The two, discovering the wolf in the corner of the room, moved their lips. I had been so preoccupied that I’d forgotten Heishar was in the room.

I picked up Heishar, held him in my arms, and declared to the two.

“By the way, I’m taking him with me.”

I was concerned about leaving Heishar, who had taken the form of a wolf. Besides, having formed a contract, I needed to stay with him.

“Liat, this dog seems small, soft, and cute.”

“Brother, do you know what that ball of fur is before you grab it?”

The two’s interest naturally shifted to the wolf.

Heishar, feeling uncomfortable, growled while avoiding their hands. His round, button-like green eyes became moist.

[Could you calm these two down?]

I averted my gaze and pretended not to notice. Well, you could have helped me when I was in trouble.

‘What about the robe?’

I could only hope that the people who would clean the room would take care of it. I pushed aside the uneasy feeling.

***

The two who rode in the carriage with me had a heated discussion about bringing the wolf to the Grand Duke’s residence.

“Kid, you shouldn’t pick up things like this carelessly. What if it’s more dangerous than it looks?”

Knowing the wolf’s true form, I turned my head away, feeling a twinge of guilt. Lucas was equally stubborn.

“Having one or two more animals won’t be a problem.”

“I think so too.”

When I supported him, joy spread across Lucas’s face. Lifting the wolf and rubbing his cheek against its moist nose, Lucas asked me.

“Liat, what’s this dog’s name?”

“Heishar.”

Lucas’s expression, which had suggested that any name would be cute, stiffened. Tristan’s gaze also turned hostile, suggesting that neither of them liked the name.

‘But it is Heishar.’

To think that Heishar couldn’t be called Heishar. Lucas, who seemed quite displeased, added.

“It’s a bit… to give a living person’s name to a dog.”

“Besides, if a dog and a person have the same name, it gets confusing.”

It was an unusually persuasive opinion from Tristan, and Lucas nodded in agreement.

“Shall I name it?”

Tristan snatched the wolf from Lucas’s arms. The wolf, grabbed by the scruff of its neck, wrinkled its nose and let out a small bark.

“Yap!”

“Hmm. Looking at it… Furball? Or maybe Scruffy?”

“Scruffy doesn’t seem right.”

“Do you have any good ideas, brother? Probably nothing special, as usual.”

“I think an easy-to-call name would be better. How about Choco?”

Too lazy to think about it, I accepted Lucas’s suggestion. It seemed like a fairly ordinary name.

‘Whatever the name is.’

And so, Heishar, transformed into a wolf, became Choco. Choco wrinkled his nose and showed his tiny fangs to the two.

Tristan, who was touching the fangs, sensed someone’s presence and tilted his head back. The Grand Duke was standing behind Tristan, though I wasn’t sure when he had arrived.

“You’re late, Father.”

The Grand Duke, who had left us in the carriage, had returned.

‘A meeting right before departure.’

The Grand Duke’s mood seemed to have sunk from whatever was said during the meeting. He looked at me, Lucas, and Tristan in turn before taking his seat.

The first topic the Grand Duke brought up after sitting down was Michael.

“Liat. If you’ve been in your room all this time, have you seen the Crown Prince?”

“Hmm? No, I haven’t.”

“The Crown Prince was found injured in the middle of the Imperial Palace. Because of that, we’ve come under suspicion.”

The Grand Duke added that we would need to return to the Grand Duke’s residence instead of the annex. If they were under such suspicion, it was uncertain what disadvantages they might face if they remained in the Imperial Palace.

I had to try not to let my voice tremble.

“Is the Crown Prince badly hurt?”

“I heard he’s seriously injured, but I’m not sure. It could be fabricated to frame us.”

“It’s probably just a pretense.”

“He seemed healthy at the ball.”

Lucas and Tristan didn’t believe the Crown Prince’s injury. Knowing the truth, I was worried about Michael.

‘I shouldn’t have interfered.’

If I had let things flow according to the original story without intervening, Michael wouldn’t have been hurt like today. In the end, was taking him out just hypocrisy stemming from my self-satisfaction?

Whatever the reason, they wouldn’t be happy about having to leave as if they were being driven out.

“Those imperial bastards are always the same.”

“Still, it’s better to go back than to stay in the Imperial Palace any longer.”

“Kid, what do you think?”

Lucas, Tristan, and the Grand Duke, who had all fallen silent, waited for my answer.

The Grand Duke’s territory was certainly more comfortable than the Imperial Palace.

“I want to go home.”

For some reason, all three of their expressions softened simultaneously. The Grand Duke, in particular, shed his sharp aura and returned to his usual indifferent expression.

“When we get back, kid, I should eat muffins in your room.”

“Tristan, you know that Liat needs to rest, don’t you?”

“You know that Liat can rest comfortably only when I’m around, brother.”

“That’s groundless confidence.”

The two of them began to bicker just like usual. The Grand Duke also tended to let them fight up to a certain point.

Finally, Heishar, now away from their attention, fell asleep.

“Liat.”

The Grand Duke suddenly spoke and lifted me up to measure my height. Then he grabbed my wrist and carefully examined every part of my body with his magic.

His eyes crinkled and his slightly curved lips caught my attention.

“You’ve grown taller.”

The Grand Duke’s hand plopped down on top of my head. He continued speaking to me in a tone that couldn’t be more pleased.

“And your body seems to be in better condition than before. It’s as if a fairy visited you for a brief moment.”

“Isn’t it strange that I suddenly got better?”

“Children naturally grow in spurts.”

He seemed to be considerate of the anxiety I might feel from my body growing. Though it couldn’t help but be suspicious, the Grand Duke simply celebrated my growth.

The Grand Duke’s following voice had an affectionate tone.

“When you return, I’ll have clothes made to fit your new height.”

“……Yes.”

With those words, going back home felt somewhat real.

‘I wonder if I’ll be able to meet him again.’

By now, Prince Michael must be receiving treatment for his wounds at the imperial palace. I hoped that I would be able to meet him again.