Chapter 27

I was so shocked that my mouth formed a triangle as I searched around.

(T/N: It's when a character has a 'mong~' face, their lips would be drawn in a triangle shape. For reference: Click here! )

On the outside, it looked as though a giant octopus attacked it, but the inside was a cheesy yellow color. It seemed that the interior was managed nicely.

There was no incredibly old furniture, and there was no place with unnecessary dust in need of cleaning. But it was still too much for me.

'Where is the butler? I have to find out who is in charge of the castle.'

I knew what the first thing I would do as the Grand Duchess.

Then came a pretty boy with an elderly man.

The boy with pale silver hair and shiny cherry-colored eyes bowed down.

"You are back, Father."

Regen buttoned his shirt to his collarbone, and his new, sharp clothes made Regen look mature and neat.

(T/N: I think from this chapter on, I'll keep his name as Regen, the same writing as the hangul. The previous translator wrote it as Rehan. Imo, Regen suits more with Gilbert.)

He was cute for an eight-year-old boy.

Soon, Regen greeted me, too.

"It's my first time seeing you, Your Highness. My name is Regen Kallakis. I've been looking forward to the day I meet you, Your Highness. I… I have a lot of shortcomings, but I'll try hard, so please be generous."

'Ho~'

'This isn't his personality.'

The Regen I knew loved to play and run around. He was a naughty child and always had bruises on his body that he didn't even know about.

If the story progresses as it did in the novel, Regen's personality will be completely different after a month.

As of yet, Regen was an innocent kid who wasn't interested in the world's affairs.

I smiled brightly at Regen, who struggled with his shyness.

"It's nice to meet you, Lord Regen. Please take good care of me, too."

After that, the ladies-in-waiting, ordinary butlers, and maids began to greet me. As I watched, Gilbert walked in from behind, pretending to be the owner of the house.

He had the same silver hair and the same red eyes as Regen. His face was somewhat gaunt, but his eyes were still sharp.

'Aha. I guess he decided to resent me now.'

He didn't even look at Aedis.

Gilbert took large strides and opened his mouth. "Regen."

"Regen."

Regen's eyes widened. "Bro-brother?"

Regen's trembling voice was mixed with embarrassment and joy.

I could guess how this crazy brotherhood would make me ill in the future.

"Did you call me?"

"The Grand Duchess is the enemy of our family. Never trust her."

'Look at what he's doing. He said 'Grand Duchess' and scowled as though he were going to throw up, right?'

It was helpless and childish revenge. It was amazing that he stayed still till now.

Gilbert's abrupt remarks shocked all the employees.

Regen was busy looking at Aedis and me, so I tried to reassure him with a friendly smile.

"No, My Lord. If I were Kallakis's enemy, I wouldn't have brought Gilbert here, would I?"

Regen swallowed a gulp at the end of my convincing explanation but slowly started creeping away.

'What, why? I really wanted to get along with you.'

I glanced at Aedis, asking for an explanation. He asked me a question as he attempted to stifle his laughter.

"The kids don't like you, do they?"

I tried to answer. "Well…"

Regen hid behind Aedis' back.

"Wow, what a traitor…"

For reference, I had never been close to children in my previous life.

***

In general, a child is a person under the age of 13.

It's a time of many questions and fears, so I'd be deemed 'scary' if I did something wrong. It was difficult.

The goal of my life was, of course, to live comfortably and happily while spending money.

Anyway, I also wished Regen, the novel's male lead, would suffer a little less.

In the novel, Regen suffered since he was young.

I didn't even read the novel to the end, so I didn't even know whether Regen had a happy ending.

Steam rose from the bathtub. I wanted to throw myself into the hot water and called Sarah.

"Sarah, did you get the gift?"

My voice echoed.

Wanting to relieve my fatigue, I found a massive bathroom after leaving Regen alone. Shining jewels served as lighting.

A cat statue poured hot water into the bathtub.

(T/N: What kind of cheeky decor is this?!)

Another cat…

The image I had of 'the great Kallakis family who fights beasts and rules over barren land' came crashing down.

The interior estate manager seemed to love cats.

'Have the rumors already spread to the nearby nobles?'

It was a little sad to imagine the stern and absolute image of the Grand Duke of Kallakis, which was still prominent in the north, collapsing all because of a cat.

I felt the urge to cover my face with my hands, but Sarah replied, "A bribe? No, a gift to the Lord, right?"

"Yes, that. I'll give it to him at dinner."

"Is it okay to give it as it is…"

Sarah's reaction was hesitant for some reason.

"He will like it, right?"

"Yes, but… uh, well, the intention is important!"

"Sarah, you look suspicious."

"Ahaha…anyway, since it's a gift prepared by Your Majesty with all your heart, I think he won't hate it. Anyway, you really wanted to get along with the Lord, so you wrote a letter too, right? Anyway, I think the Lord will know your true feelings."

Sarah, who had repeatedly been saying the word 'anyway,' reached out to me before I could open my mouth.

"I'll wash your hair. I'm glad it isn't damaged."

"It's because someone brushed me from time to time."

I thought of Aedis, who was happy to make a dumpling head by rolling my hair around.

'Why is Regen so good at following Aedis? Shall I tell you a secret?'

The author used occasional flashbacks to describe Regen's childhood. Therefore, I couldn't even know what his taste was like when he was young.

As expected, the events that would happen in a month were quite significant, but it was hard to find relevant details.

Everything began when Regen attempted to run away.

In 'Esmeralda's Crescent Moon', when Maevia arrived in the north, Regen was running away.

The two met at the market for the first time, but Maevia was unaware that the boy who was so determined to conceal his identity was Regen Kallakis.

So, she let go of the boy she bumped into, only to regret it later.

As time passed by and the sun came out, the dreary dawn peeked over the horizon.

The forest's beasts woke up while the knights of the Grand Duke were busy looking for Regen.

In the novel, it had only been described as 'Regen woke up'.

The knights succeeded in defeating the beasts, but most were injured.

In addition, the villagers had to evacuate far away, and the only forest was covered with a sea of ​​fire, which meant it wouldn't be able to recover for a long time.

Because of this, Regen has been extremely reticent for some time.

He had nightmares every night, and his personality changed.

He rarely smiled, even when someone made a joke. It was as if he was wearing a mask.

Even so, it improved thanks to the original Maevia's daily attempts and comfort.

'But the novel has already changed, right?'

I got married a month earlier than Maevia in the novel. There was plenty of time.

I roughly knew what was going to happen in the future, so why would Regen have to go through it?

After all, Regen was still eight-years-old.

Aedis didn't seem to behave as he did in the novel anymore.

'There will come a day when Gilbert and Regen will be deeply grateful that they are alive.'

'But what Aedis said might take some time…'

"I'll wipe you dry, Your Highness."

When I got out, Sarah stepped back and pouted.

I stared at the towel brought by the lady-in-waiting. A picture of a cute cat was embroidered.

(T/N: HAHAHAHAHAHA WHAT IS THIS?)

It seemed that there were more cats than people in this castle.

"What about the other towels?"

The maid brought several towels all at once.

The color of each differed, but they all had cats on them.

'Yes, it's all up to me now.'

"Who is the culprit?"

The maid realized the meaning of my question and answered politely.

"Count Elliot is in charge of the castle's management."

'It's you, the one who tainted your boss's house.'

I replied with a devil-like smile. "I need to talk to him about something, so tell him to meet me tomorrow as soon as it is bright."

"Yes, Your Highness."

I dried my hair and changed into an indoor dress.

The maid recommended a plain, less-thick cloak because although it was cold outside, it was always warm inside the Grand Castle.

The dignified Grand Duke and the Kallakis Family's image was smashed, but their vast wealth remained intact.

After getting ready, I went down to the dinner table with a gift box in my arms for Regen.