* * *
“…Oh.”
I hadn’t thought of that.
But now that he mentioned it, it made sense.
Maybe that was why.
Hearing Sehir’s explanation, I felt like I had a grasp of the reason behind the black lines.
But then another question arose—could a family with such strong information networks really have failed to find the wife and child of their only heir?
The chances seemed incredibly slim.
After quietly reaching my own conclusion, I closed the book.
Sehir had shown me this family tree for a reason.
As he said, we didn’t have all the time in the world—I couldn’t afford to waste it on unnecessary doubts.
“So, if this has something to do with my family… does that mean I might be related to this household?”
“That’s right. More precisely, there’s a possibility that Winster Spencer is your biological father.”
“Winster Spencer… the person from earlier?”
“Yeah.”
“Then…”
“In other words, one of those black lines might be you.”
Sehir nodded silently as he spoke.
“There weren’t any portraits of the Spencer family members in the family tree, were there?”
“Yeah, there weren’t.”
“It seems like that’s the case. Because…”
It was at that moment, when Sehir trailed off, lowering his eyelids slightly, that Daniel, who had been quietly listening up until then, suddenly interrupted and spoke.
“The Spencer family has a distinctive eye trait—pale eyes.”
“Pale eyes?”
“I mean the pale eyes, like Isa’s.”
Pale eyes…
As I listened to Daniel, my gaze shifted to the side.
For the first time, my eyes appeared in the mirror hanging on the wall.
I always noticed my face or hair, but now my focus was drawn to my own eyes for the first time.
“…”
In the light, they appeared almost white, but in truth, the color was closer to silver.
I had always thought they were gray, but now that I was truly looking at them, my eyes seemed similar to the pale eyes Daniel had mentioned.
“Pale eyes aren’t exactly common, are they?”
“Right.”
“And that’s why there’s a saying in the Shains Republic. If you have pale eyes, you’re probably from the Spencer family.”
At that point, Daniel ran his hand through his hair and stared at my eyes intently.
His gaze wasn’t directed at me so much as it was at my eyes, studying them.
After staring for a while, Daniel finally curled the corners of his mouth into a slight smile.
“That’s why, when I first saw Isa, I was surprised when he said he was from the Hadelber Kingdom. I’ve never seen anyone with pale eyes who wasn’t from the Spencer family.”
“Is the pale eye trait from the Spencer family that famous?”
“There’s a story that the Spencer family received a blessing from elves, turning their eyes pale. You know how much elves love all things white, right?”
Elven blessing.
I pondered over Daniel’s words and tried to piece things together.
If the elves, who disliked humans, had given their blessing, it must have been in exchange for something important, or perhaps they had been greatly helped by someone.
But I had never heard of someone’s eye color changing due to an elven blessing.
Even when I worked at Alice’s Restaurant, no one had ever mentioned such a thing.
People often said that Kaindel’s blonde hair was a blessing from the goddess, but if the goddess could bless someone, then it wasn’t impossible for the elves to have done the same.
“That’s why I said I thought the elves would like Isa.”
“That’s right. I remember you saying that.”
“The elves like members of the Spencer family. That’s why.”
Daniel finished his explanation and then returned to a more relaxed expression, as if he had said everything he wanted to.
With his attitude seeming to distance himself from the conversation, Sehir, who had been silent, faintly grinned.
“Daniel’s reason for being in the Shains Republic all this time was to look for this.”
“Ah, so that’s why. I have to admit, I was a little hurt by the lack of contact. I was worried too.”
“I don’t think he had time to contact you.”
Their family… they’re really something.
Sehir, who added that last line, couldn’t help but chuckle as he observed Daniel’s darkened eyes.
“You must’ve been spending time with your family after such a long time. Though, thanks to that, you found this, didn’t you?”
Sehir pointed to the book I had placed nearby, giving a small shrug.
Then, he gently traced the cover of the book with his index finger.
His unconscious gesture, coupled with the sudden darkening of his eyes, seemed to show he was deep in thought.
Though it quickly returned to normal.
After a brief silence, Sehir murmured softly as he put the book back in his pocket.
“Actually, it was Kaindel who first suggested we look for the Spencer family and see if it was connected to you.”
“Kaindel?”
“Yeah, Kaindel showed me the materials he found and told me.
He said you might be connected to the Spencer family.”
I froze at the name that came from Sehir’s mouth.
I hadn’t expected it at all. I didn’t think Kaindel would be involved in this.
No, I never imagined he’d be the one leading it.
Kaindel had always been a self-centered person.
Occasionally, he’d glance at me, but it was brief. Every action he took was centered around himself, and reviving the Schudelgarten thing was his top priority.
It seemed like he’d changed a little since we parted ways.
I recalled Kaindel’s recent appearance.
Unlike before, there was no trace of the self-righteous atmosphere I had once known.
He seemed fragile, like a shard of glass ready to shatter.
But I assumed that was just due to the things he’d been through after our separation.
So, I thought the current version of Kaindel was a change, but his essence—well, that seemed like the Kaindel I used to know.
However, if Kaindel began his search about the Spencer family when Daniel was in the Shains Republic, it must’ve been much earlier.
It couldn’t have been after I disappeared and Kaindel secluded himself; it would have been even before that.
Did that mean Kaindel was thinking about this when I was at the Schudelgarten Duchy?
That Kaindel?
A sudden wave of confusion washed over me.
“Why Kaindel?”
“Well, Kaindel has always…”
Sehir tilted his head as if asking why I was asking something so obvious, then quickly shook it.
“Right, why indeed?”
It was clear that he knew the answer but wasn’t going to say it.
I sat beside Sehir, staring at the ground.
I couldn’t shake the strange feeling creeping over me.
It wasn’t good, but it wasn’t bad either.
I wasn’t sure what I wanted, but it just felt off.
As I nervously swallowed, Ruen, who had been whistling nearby, approached.
“Kaindel was the one who told me you’d be here. He said you’d like seeing us, or something like that.”
“…I figured as much.”
“Really?”
In response to my reply, Ruen mischievously squinted one eye and tossed an apple up and down.
I had no idea where he’d found it.
After playing with it for a while, he brought it closer to his mouth and asked,
“Hey, you want me to eat this apple?”
At his behavior, Owen quickly stepped in, horrified.
“Are you seriously going to help yourself to food in someone else’s house? Put that down.”
“Are we really strangers? We’re comrades, you know!”
“Even comrades! We’re having a conversation right now, and you’re interrupting with this behavior. Where did you learn such manners?”
“Our grandfather taught us. What’s your point?”
“There’s no reasoning with you…”
Sighing in resignation, Owen clicked his tongue.
Then, as if remembering something, he looked at me with a new intensity in his eyes.
“The wedding between Kaindel and the princess is next week.”
“…”
“If you want to see it, you’re welcome to come.”
Owen’s expression relaxed as he crossed his legs and placed his hands on top of them.
His posture, slightly askew, gave no hint of concern—only a faint expectation.
The light in his pale blue eyes seemed to melt like frost.
“You might find it an interesting sight.”
* * *
