“Liarte.”
Aynias caught up with Liarte.
Liarte, who was trying to leave because she felt it would be too annoying to deal with him, was forced to stop.
The reason she came to the garden was because of the rain that fell last night. But there was no trace of the Spirit King of Water.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m going back to my room.”
“Even though Lian allowed you, don’t go around as you please.”
It wasn’t just this.
She couldn’t figure out what to do with the conversation because she had only been blamed all her life.
Aynias’ heart was softened by her appearance at the banquet hall and blue flowers.
“Alright.”
“………. Wait.”
Aynias stopped Liarte, who was about to turn away again.
The Duchess of Elheim was a weak and friendly person.
Being her first child, Aynias was able to spend a lot of time with the Duchess.
She had a slender neckline and a small body, and he remembered her twirling around while she walked in the garden and laughing sweetly.
This garden was the place where he would meet with his beloved mother during his childhood days to run and play.
“Ain.”
One summer day, the Duchess spoke to Aynias, stroking her swollen belly.
“Aren’t the blue roses pretty?”
It was like a duchess who liked blue.
In ancient words, the blue rose was pronounced as Liartera.
When the Duchess found out that she had twins, she was very happy.
“My daughter, who has the name of my favourite flower, the blue rose, will be very happy.”
She told Aynias that again and again.
The Duchess always wanted to have a daughter.
This memory came to mind because the blue flowers resembled the blue rose that the Duchess liked.
The Duchess loved Liarte’s eye-catching blue colour.
Memories kept overwhelming Aynias.
It was after the twins were born that all peace was broken.
On the day the blue rose bloomed, it rained and the Duchess died.
One of the children who was born could not awaken to the ability of water.
He tried to give affection to his sister, but he couldn’t.
He felt betrayed.
Unlike the Duchess, she looked timidly aware of her low self-esteem.
He thought it was disdainful for her to somehow try to get in between his family.
Liarte’s lips suddenly opened.
“Do you have anything to say?”
When she was not as intimidated as before, he saw parts of her resembling the Duchess.
Her slender body. She gave off a much softer impression than he thought.
Aynias did not believe that he had been rejected.
“What to say.”
Aynias spat out.
He couldn’t think of something to say.
“I’ll forgive you a little bit.”
Liarte was listening to what he was saying without any expression.
He suddenly had a strange thought.
‘Was my mother an awakener?’
He had heard that the Duchess’ parents had a strong water capacity.
And thanks to that, she caught the eyes of the Duke of Elheim.
It was more common than expected that an unawakened person was born between two awakeners, unless they were of direct origin.
Since Liarte Elheim was from the direct line, she was considered a disgrace.
‘But my mother.’
The Duchess was a bright person who grew up loved and loved everyone no matter what.
Perhaps.
Would the duchess perhaps still loved Liarte even after knowing that she was an unawakener?
He recalled his mother, who seemed to be loved and raised in an ordinary family.
She was the duchess and she liked gardens and flowers and unlike other people, she was honest.
The Duchess of Elheim was rarely used to socializing or being a Duchess.
Aynias shook his head.
‘It can’t be.’
After the birth of Liarte, the Duchess suffered a long period of labour and died in a difficult time.
It should be all Liarte’s fault.
He believed that she would be willing to punish Liarte even though she was the kind Duchess.
Aynias spoke with pride.
“I’ll be nice to you a little bit.”
The appearance at the banquet a few days ago, if Liarte had grown up normally, she would have already enjoyed it.
If she was raised as an ordinary princess or lady, she would have always lived that way.
“I’ll be gracious to you, an unawakener, as a member of Elheim.”
“Why?”
Liarte had no expectations.
She did not look at Aynias as a person.
She did not want to get involved with, such as giving or receiving affection.
She looked at Aynias colder than she ever did.
“Because you are my-.”
Aynias was embarrassed.
To say that she was his family, there must’ve been something wrong with him.
“You are abandoned, Liarte, do not dare think of putting the name of Elhaim.”
“My only flesh and blood is Lian.”
He casually trampled on the child filled with expectations.
Liarte, who was puzzled, grasped the situation.
He also had his eyes on Liarte
But Liarte also had eyes.
Aynias’ subtle attitude was due to guilt and hypocrisy as if he had suddenly realized that she too was a family member.
The reason was because of her sudden change.
The exhaustion of her emotions began in her last life.
She didn’t do anything, but she couldn’t figure out why all of a sudden Lianrius and Aynias were behaving like this.
It was just easy for Liarte to change and do as she pleased.
“Do as you always did, Aynias.”
She spoke informally.
“Think of me as an unawakened person as you always did and ignore me. Don’t tell me to play family games because they don’t even work anymore.”
She didn’t expect Aynias to have that look after she stopped behaving only with admiration and fear.
She only felt a deep boredom.
Was the affection I wanted in my previous life only this shallow?
Strangely, at this moment, she missed Michael a little bit.
* * *
Knock, knock
A knock was heard.
The Duke of Elheim was looking through documents in his office.
“Come in.”
The door was opened.
“Father.”
Aynias had a terrible look on his face.
“Never mind what happened to Lian, Ayn.”
The Awakeners of Water sang in front of the room of the First Owner.
So far, no one had been found to be the true owner of the spirit stone.
“It’s not about Lian’s situation.”
Aynias shook his head.
Because it was late at night, the light of the lamp fluttered. Aynias exhaled and sighed deeply.
“I thought about Liarte all day.”
“Don’t mention that child.”
The Duke’s reaction was weaker than before.
“Was what we did right?”
He wondered what it would have been like to teach her humility and raise her like a normal young lady.
Still, the two considered discrimination against the unawakener as something to be more natural to do.
But it was harsh on the young Liarte.
He also thought.
“She looked like Eileen.”
Suddenly, the duchess’ name came out.
“When you saw her at the banquet, I know father thought the same thing.”
“Blue was Eileen’s favorite color.”
“We should have been a little more generous.”
Women were precious in awakened families.
In the immediate family, daughters were scarce enough to be born once in every few generations.
“Daughter.”
The Duke of Elheim said in a small voice.
Yeah, he didn’t realize it, but Liarte was the Duke’s only daughter.
Usually, Liarte’s appearance was either messy or poor.
However, seeing her dressed up like a noble young woman, she finally felt that she was a member of Elheim.
Elheim was the family which had the least number of daughters born compared to other awakened families.
“Is she the only girl in the blood of Elheim’s immediate blood?”
“Yes.”
Aynias answered.
Liarte was his younger sister.
She was weaker than her other siblings and needed to be protected.
(Tl/n: OMG she acted cold only once and look at the way they changed!!! UNBELEIVABLE. SMH)
(E/n: My heart is burning with anger too ((╬●∀●))
He did a lot of things he shouldn’t have done, but now, he was willing to treat her well.
He also recalled the reaction of Liarte, who was not pleased at all.
Even though he knew it was too late, he tried hard to turn a blind eye to it.
‘I can turn her back.’
He forced himself to think, but Liarte’s dry attitude continued to haunt him.
* * *
“Yes, good boy.”
The bird flapped its wings and sat on Liarte’s finger and rubbed its head.
Michael couldn’t take his eyes off Liarte’s constant smile.
“Pretty.”
It was not the bird that looked pretty.
The sun shone softly as it twinkled. Liarte smiled softly when Michael and her eyes met.
Michael was pleased with this change.
A relationship where you could give and receive trust.
He liked Liarte. He couldn’t stand it all because she was lovely now.
But the month would be over soon.
“Michael.”
Liarte tilted her head.
Red irises as clear as jewels. Black pupils and some golden dots were revealed under the light.
It was a mysterious appearance.
She thought that if he had lost these eyes because of a curse, it would have been a waste.
Michael, who could not miss his approaching lady luck, remained as still as possible.
His ears were burning red.
The whole world became soft and sweet when he was with Liarte. He felt like his whole heart was melting.
Michael and Liarte knew they had to split up soon.
Therefore, Liarte, who had always visited at midnight, took the risk and came today during the day.
“Michael, can I tell you something I couldn’t tell you last time?”
The reason why she wanted to leave Elheim.
“I want to be of help to you, but it’s okay not to talk if it’s painful to remember. I don’t want to force you .”
Michael’s hand wrapped around the Liarte’s cold hand. She had a warm body temperature.
“It’s okay. It’s not that much of a complicated story.”
She slowly started to recall.
“It probably started when I was four.”
For Liarte, it was a casual past.