CH 18: The Truth and The Coming of Age Ceremony
The reason why Liarte’s words didn’t reach him right away was because it was so unrealistic.
‘Don’t consider you family.‘
It was not something that Liarte could say in front of the Duke.
He knew that she herself didn’t know that the person she was most attached to in the family was the Duke of Elheim.
From an early age, Liarte looked up to the duke and her brothers.
Whenever he held Lianrius, she was sitting with envy.
He knew she wanted to be an awakener more than anyone else.
She was such a fool for trying to be part of Elheim.
“Do you know what you’re talking about?”
The Duke questioned Liarte’s state of mind.
He thought that the poison, which affected her instead of Lian, was now showing it’s side effects.
“You said you don’t consider me family?”
It was hard to believe.
“Looks like you don’t know what you’re talking about yourself.”
“It’s not me who doesn’t know what I’m talking about, Duke.”
She somehow felt different from when she used to call him father.
‘Why did I even try to love you without any reason?’
Liarte thought, as she looked at the Duke dryly.
He was a man of Elheim who wasn’t even worth her time.
“Weren’t you the one who said that I would never be able to become an Elheim?.”
It was the verbal abuse that the Duke just said, saying that she would never be his daughter.
“I am not Elheim, but I have to stay away from Birce by following the obligations of the Elheim people, and if I dance, I’m accused of forsaking my duty.”
The Duke’s bewildered gaze resembled that of Lianrius’s.
“It’s not me who is contradicting, is it, your grace?”
It was such a funny family.
He said that she wasn’t an Elheim and that she wasn’t his daughter yet he wanted her to stay away from the heir of Birce like the other people in Elheim.
She could have met Michael at night. Liarte felt that she was wasting her time here.
She didn’t say much, but the Duke was caught off guard and stood there.
He was shocked by Liarte’s words.
It wasn’t wrong.
He did say that Liarte was not an Elheim, but at the same time, he thought that she had to comply with Elheim’s obligations.
Liarte had said, “I don’t think of you as a family either.”
Liarte in the Duke’s head had always been a child.
But in reality, Liarte was just afraid of the duke because she was locked up in a room, unable to meet people, and was not educated.
“You.”
The duke opened and closed his mouth.
“You know what this room is.”
Liarte’s gaze became cold.
‘It’s the same even before my regression.’
Before her execution.
Liarte came to the prison where he was trapped and asked the Duke for the first time, who spoke through the bars.
‘Why would you sacrifice me for Lian and Elheim if you didn’t even consider me as an Elheim?‘
At that time, the Duke replied the same as he did now.
She wasn’t disappointed. It was because she already knew the answer that would follow.
“You killed your mother.”
“Was the Duchess’ last will revenge?”
Liarte didn’t stop talking.
“Then take revenge on Lianrius. The last person who was born and decisively killed the Duchess was Lianrius.”
The reaction she had expected to come back was a slap on the cheek or an attack using the power of water.
Unexpectedly, the Duke couldn’t say anything.
The Duke himself knew that what she had said was right.
It wasn’t just because she couldn’t awaken the power of water that she was falsely accused of the crime.
The Duchess, who had already given birth to three sons, was visibly weakened.
That was what Liarte heard.
Even so, it was said that Lianrius was the one to be born last and the duchess had held the twins until her last moments.
Only the Duke knew the will of the Duchess.
‘It wouldn’t be a good story,’ Liarte thought.
“It’s all because of you.”
This was what the Duke with bloodshot eyes had said after it was revealed that Liarte was an unawakener. It was already a few years after the duchess had died.
The reason she cried when he said she killed her mother was because Liarte was young.
“If you have nothing more to say, I’m leaving.”
Liarte stood up and left the room.
The door to the discipline room opened and closed.
Her place to return was the next room anyway.
The Prison room with a lock.
The duke, who was left alone, sat on a piano chair.
It was the first time Liarte had rejected him.
He thought it was possible for him to push Liarte away, but it was impossible for Liarte to reject him.
His felt as if his chest was dug out a little bit.
“Eileen.”
The Duke recalled the will of his deceased wife.
“Please love the child as you loved me, honey.”
He buried his face in both hands.
It was the Duke who asked his weak wife to have children. But he didn’t know that twins would be born.
His wife gave birth to an unawakener and died.
Therefore, it was comfortable to think that Liarte was not his child.
She was the shame of the family, not a part of the family or blood.
He neve expected to hear from Liarte that she didn’t consider him as family. Never.
The Duke tried to comfort himself again.
The whole cause was that Liarte was an unawakener.
The Duchess was weak, but she wasn’t diagnosed with a risk of pregnancy.
What he did to her wasn’t abuse.
It was his rightful authority as Duke of Elheim. The Duke kept repeating himself.
“Pretty daughter, isn’t she?”
Liarte in a dress.
The Duchess of Elheim, who died a long time ago.
This was not the time.
The Duke recalled Lianrius.
My beloved youngest son who shouldn’t get hurt.
The only thing that mattered now was about Lianrius and the Spirit King of Water.
* * *
“What happened yesterday?”
When she visited him the next night, Michael asked.
“I went to the disciplinary room for a while yesterday.”
The first thing Michael checked was to see if Liarte was hurt.
On the outside she looked perfectly clean. There was no sign of violence.
“How’s your sight, Michael?”
“Now, it’s really no different from before. I can see well.”
He could even see the white clock tower in the distance. Liarte approached Michael’s side and sat on the sofa.
“You can lean on me if you’re sleepy. You must be tired because of the banquet yesterday.”
Michael said sweetly like falling honey.
Liarte leaned heavily on Michael without much thought.
She wasn’t tired, but she felt mentally unstable.
Liarte was not aware of Michael, who was unable to move and had hardened.
“That’s it. Thank you.”
And then she woke up.
She felt fully energized.
“You can stay longer.”
Liarte pondered for a moment. Michael opened his mouth in the meantime.
“I got a reply from my father today. Of course, he said he would protect you and welcome you to Birce.”
“Thank God.”
Suddenly Liarte got close.
If one person moved their head a little, their lips might touch each other.
Unlike Michael, who was nervous, Liarte was concentrating.
The last layer of the curse was removed before the hunting competition.
However, it took time for his eyes to fully recover.
“Oh, there you go.”
Using her healing powers, Michael’s eyesight returned completely.
Not believing in herself, Liarte looked down at her hand.
Her water abilities were getting stronger and more sophisticated.
It would have been difficult a week ago. Michael realized that the curse that had imprisoned him was finally removed. Because his body was feeling light.
“Thanks. All the layers of the curse are now cleared.”
The red eyes twinkled beautifully.
Michael was good at reading the atmosphere.
He felt that she would answer even if he didn’t ask her.
“First of all, may I ask you what the men of Elheim did?”
Michael asked, kissing the back of Liarte’s hand.
Liarte did not notice the coldness in his voice that was masked with a friendly tone.
The camouflage was perfect.
* * *
It was finally the day.
The Duke and his sons headed to the room of the First Owner.
Hwi-Amin was frightened, but he didn’t say he didn’t want to go.
It was late at night, but the bodies of the Elheim family began to tremble with anticipation. Except for Lianrius.
“Finally.”
Even Danterion was delighted with the fact that a special existence was being completed.
The room of the First Owner opened.
The Spirit King of Water was still asleep. However, today there was no barrier surrounding the spirit king.
“The Spirit King.”
At least Aynias, who already met the Spirit King, opened his mouth. However, his body was already shaking like a tree.
“I brought the true owner of the spirit stone whom you were looking for.”
Lianrius’s abilities had recently become stronger than before.
Now, Lianrius had the power to win even if he faced many awakeners at once.
“He is the one who awakened you.”
The stream of water went down and the water that had filled the room was scattered at once.
Obvious affection appeared on the face of the Spirit King once he opened his eyes.
The Duke and his sons trembled with anticipation and joy.
Lianrius stepped forward.
But soon the water froze like frost. Then, devastating energy of water stretched out.
The Spirit King’s abilities began to run wild.
Dark clouds began to cover the Duke of Elheim’s residence.
[This woke me up?]
Lightning struck.
The Spirit King of Water in the form of a boy.
The existence of a being, which was fierce and closely resembled evil spirits was angry.
It was already too late when they felt something was wrong.
[This is fake.]
Elheim had believed that Lianrius was the master of the Spirit Stone.
But their faith was shattered.
The Spirit King had strongly denied Lianrius.