Prologue

Yurina couldn't contain her excitement as she looked at the young boy standing in front of her.

There were several tangles in his snow-white hair, and he was covered from head to toe in mud, although this mud couldn't hide his snow-white skin.

Extremely unusual appearance.

However, there was something else in him that was considered a rarity in the capital.

Red eyes.

If you were not an albino, then you simply couldn't have such bright ruby eyes.

Even in this world, where it isn't uncommon to meet a person with green hair, but only a few have this color of eyes.

Ignorant people consider the red-eyed cursed, but in fact they received the blessing of the Goddess.

This color can't be confused with anything. Sooner or later, but its owner will become the greatest mage in the Empire.

For the past six months, Yurina has been only looking for a red-eyed child living in a shelter in the capital.

She began to worry about the imminent onset of winter, but finally!

'I think the Goddess is on my side.'

In the original story, Marquis De Flon accidentally entered the orphanage in the winter to provide humanitarian aid, where he found the child.

Well, that won't happen again.

'Today I will definitely take the boy with me.'

She'd been waiting for this moment for so long.

"Come with me."

The nanny behind Yurina turned white as a sheet upon hearing her words.

"Milady, you can't do this."

"Come with me."

Yurina ignored the nanny's words and held out her hand.

"I can protect you. If you follow me, you will never know cold and hunger again."

"Why?"

The child squatted down and carefully looked at her.

"I don't believe in charity. What the hell are you planning to do with me? Using me like a toy?"

"Huh?"

Yurina was speechless.

"There are aristocrats who like children like me. I've seen many like you."

She looked at his appearance objectively.

'Of course he's handsome.'

Around eight years later, after graduating from the academy and the official release, he will look irresistible, captivating both women and men of different ages.

Even now, the girl believed that despite the torn clothes, he looked better than his peers from aristocratic families.

However, these were not the words that a child should say. Yurina knew that he was only two years older than her, and understood why he said that.

"Who do you think you're talking to?! Milady, don't bother with him. Let's go!"

Yurina slightly raised her hand to stop the nanny who was trying to grab her and take her back into the carriage.

"You're right. There is no charity in this world. I'm not going to sugarcoat my words or say I'm doing you a favor out of pity. But let me assure you that I don't have the unclean intentions you think. No matter how old you're, you use the word 'toy'. Are you saying that word to a young lady like me? Do you even know its meaning?"

And then Yurina realized that the words he said earlier were impulsive. The boy simply heard them from his surroundings.

She approved of his impudence towards her, but again, she didn't know if she should be angry now or not. Yurina crossed her arms and shook her head.

"If you keep saying such baseless things thoughtlessly, you'll end up in a ditch somewhere. You need to know who you're dealing with. You must know who I'm."

Her voice was calm, and the girl herself couldn't understand whether she was threatening him now or just convincing. The child just shrugged in response.

"So why?"

"I want to be your patron."

"Like patroness?"

"Yes, patroness."

Yurina closed her eyes for a moment, remembering what would happen in the future.

"Winter is coming. And this year it will be especially severe. If you stay here, you won't survive."

She only told half the truth. This winter will indeed be so terrible that it will forever go down in the history of the Empire.

But the child won't die. In the novel, he will fall under the patronage of De Flon.

However, Yurina had to trick him. After all, the question of her life and death depends on it.

"Come with me. I'll help you on under the name of Carthia. It's much better than dying, isn't it?"

"What's wrong with? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Your red eyes. You probably don't know, but this is a symbol of the blessing of the Goddess. Historically, a child born with ruby eyes is gifted with magic. Have you heard of a man named William, the great red-eyed mage?"

In fact, no one knows about this fact now. The secret of the ruby eyes will be revealed later, when this boy demonstrates his power to everyone.

Yurina had read the novel, so she knew the truth.

"So what do you want from me?"

It was possible to have a normal dialogue with this child. She liked it.

"I want you to remember what I did just now. And later, when I'm in danger, you'll have to save me, just as I saved you today."

"What if I don't want to?"

"Well, I can't help it. This is your choice."

"I agree."