* * *
“You’re really, really okay now, right?”
“Yeah…”
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve been asked.
When I gave a tired nod, Mila finally let go of me.
Behind her stood the Duchess, her face pale with worry.
“Sean…”
The Duchess cautiously approached, her hand gently brushing against my cheek.
Her soft, warm touch lingered, as if she were cradling something priceless.
The sensation made me squirm inside, and I fought the urge to scratch my cheek, discreetly hiding my hand behind my back.
“I’m… I’m sorry.”
So much for cleaning up the blood on my own.
I had tried to move as quietly as possible, but Mila, who apparently stayed in the room next door, caught me going back and forth to the bathroom.
My clothes, naturally, had bloodstains on them….
‘I didn’t know she was staying so close.’
Isn’t it typical in novels for maids to have separate quarters?
Or is it different for personal attendants?
Whatever the case, the commotion escalated.
Vincent came to examine me repeatedly, the Duchess came rushing in, and… thankfully, the Duke wasn’t home due to work.
‘All this fuss over a bit of blood.’
As always, this family tends to overreact. Kids throw up blood every now and then, don’t they?
“I’m not trying to scold you, truly.”
The Duchess lowered the hand that had been caressing my cheek and gently took hold of the hand I’d hidden behind my back.
My fist had been clenched to resist scratching my face, but she pried my fingers open and lightly held my palm.
“Have you ever coughed up blood before? Even once?”
“No, never.”
I answered firmly, but the Duchess looked unconvinced.
Honestly, I wouldn’t believe me either.
But there’s no way I could explain, ‘I pissed off the Ancient God.’
“Really, I haven’t.”
I added, voice wavering slightly, and only then did the Duchess nod faintly.
Still holding my hand, she asked softly:
“Then… can I ask why you tried to… handle it alone?”
Her face twisted with pain as she spoke.
I… I still couldn’t understand her feelings at all.
Was it really such a devastating thing?
“You must have been scared. You would’ve cried your heart out. The boy I know is cheerful but also fragile.”
The Duchess spoke in a calm, restrained tone, forcing a faint smile.
“To think that, in the dead of night, you coughed up blood and tried to handle it alone… it breaks my heart a little.”
‘Break her heart?’
What an incomprehensible word.
Glancing around, I saw the other staff members had reddened eyes as if resonating with the Duchess’s words.
‘Why… are they like this?’
Was this some detail the novel didn’t cover?
Otherwise…
I felt like a total stranger.
Like an outsider completely unable to grasp the universal truth that everyone else accepted so naturally.
‘I thought this world would feel familiar…’
I’d always wished for it—to live in another world, as someone else.
I used to spend my days imagining being transported into one novel or another.
Ironically, this was the first time I truly felt like I belonged to another world.
‘But this isn’t the time to get sentimental.’
Still, this was an opportunity.
A chance to address my greatest question.
“I…”
Carefully choosing my words, I hesitantly spoke.
“When I woke up in the cabin… I couldn’t remember anything. But why… why do you call me Sean…?”
“Ah…”
The Duchess gasped, covering her mouth with both hands.
“I’m so sorry. We never considered… how this must be for you.”
After repeatedly apologizing, she continued.
“You are Sean Kreveta. Sean Noir Kreveta. Your parents passed a fragment of your magic to us.”
Magic identification devices. So that’s what it was.
Originally designed to distinguish the nature of magic, these artifacts had become widely used for paternity verification.
Magic, being unique to every individual, was present in even the smallest amounts in everyone born into this world.
Consequently, noble families began extracting and storing a small portion of a newborn’s magic as a precaution.
“Of course… Raizen’s magic was also sent to us by your parents. We had agreed to protect the children, no matter what happened to us.”
I almost nodded instinctively but stopped myself.
I had to maintain the pretense of having lost not only my memories but also my knowledge.
While I’d learned about magic from my tutor, it wouldn’t make sense for a 12-year-old to grasp such details.
‘Unless they were a genius.’
“Magic… I learned about it in class! Wow, it’s amazing…”
“Yes, magic is slight but unique to everyone. Did you learn that too?”
“Yes!”
Perhaps thinking I’d brightened up, the Duchess finally smiled—a genuine, warm smile.
She hugged me tightly.
‘Oh, jeez!’
Startled, I stiffened, but she gently patted my back.
“My dear child, remember? We promised to be a family.”
“Yes… yes…”
“A family shares joy, sadness, and pain. So always tell us anything, no matter what it is.”
This was bad.
The Duchess seemed more sincere than I’d anticipated.
“Yes…”
And perhaps that’s why, for the first time since arriving here, I felt a pang of guilt.
After that day, I felt slightly closer to the Duchess.
At the very least, I no longer hesitated to ask questions.
It seemed the Duke and Duchess realized that their previous silence, meant to be considerate, had only fueled my anxiety.
Thanks to that, I gathered more information about my surroundings than expected.
The people who frequently stormed into the duchy and made a fuss were indeed from the Marquisate, but they weren’t here to take Sean back.
They were demanding the return of Sean’s inheritance, which the Duke had taken.
“To clarify, we didn’t steal your inheritance. Your parents left a will that was notarized, and we followed it accordingly…”
“Dear, I think this might be too complicated for Sean to understand.”
“Ah… you’re right.”
The Duchess sent a fond look at the Duke but firmly cut off his explanation.
It was a shame I couldn’t hear the rest, but I’d gotten the gist of it, so it was fine.
From that point on, everything progressed quickly.
The Emperor’s sealed approval for my adoption arrived, marking the start of the “Sean adoption project.”
“Today’s agenda has two items: deciding Sean’s alias and his appearance.”
Why this required a formal meeting was beyond me, but here we were.
Officially, Sean Kreveta was still missing.
To the public, I would be introduced as a child the Duke and Duchess had adopted under unique circumstances.
They seemed to have an elaborate backstory prepared, though they hadn’t shared it with me.
That’s why a meeting was convened to decide the name I’d use upon adoption and the adjustments to my appearance.
Honestly, it all felt excessive, but…
‘Judging by how serious the Duke and Duchess are, the suspected culprit must be formidable.’
For now, I decided to quietly comply.
Everyone in the Duke’s household, myself included, gathered in the same room where we had discussed the adoption.
I grinned at Raizen, who immediately avoided my gaze.
‘Oh, avoiding me?’
Previously, he would have coldly stared me down.
Now, he was the one looking away.
‘Is this… progress?’
There was a change, but whether it was positive, I couldn’t say.
After all, I still had one crucial task left.
[3. Hold hands with Raizen for 5 seconds: 0/5]
‘Sigh…’
This was undoubtedly the hardest yet most essential quest.
‘If I just grabbed his hand out of nowhere…’
Rejected.
He’d shake me off instantly and only become more wary of me.
Building rapport required subtlety and patience.
‘Slow and steady.’
I couldn’t risk another warning.
The next one might truly be my last.
Shifting my gaze from Raizen, I focused on the Duke and Duchess, who wore solemn expressions.
“We’ve narrowed down the options,” the Duke said.
“Here.”
The Duchess smiled warmly and handed me a rolled-up parchment.
Its weight suggested a significant thickness.
When I untied the ribbon, a bundle of papers spilled out, covered in names from A to Z.
‘This looks like a dictionary of names…’
“And these are the names we strongly recommend,” she added, passing me a much thinner sheet.
So it wasn’t over yet.
This smaller paper had just three names:
[Seis
Shane
Sear]
* * *
