37.
Aiden’s happiness felt as though it would last forever.
However, when Tania was only fourteen months old, cracks began to form in that bliss.
Aiden had left for a nearby village to buy supplies, leaving the child for a short while with the kind grandmother who lived next door. Because the place he and the child called home was tucked deep in the mountains—unmarked on any map—he was forced to travel to other villages to secure food.
Returning from his errands as usual, Aiden sensed a strange quiet settling over the village.
Though it was a tranquil place with few residents, smoke usually curled from the chimneys as evening approached. Today, however, not a single wisp of smoke rose from the houses.
It was an ominous sign.
Aiden’s heart went cold. An overwhelming surge of anxiety took hold at the thought that the child might be in danger. Scanning his surroundings, his hand darted to the scabbard at his waist.
He ran straight to the grandmother’s house.
Peering through the window, he saw Tania playing on the rug in the living room, all by herself.
It was too peaceful.
Having confirmed the child was safe, Aiden threw the door open without a second’s hesitation.
As if they had been waiting, a barrage of attacks surged toward him.
Clang! Clang, clang!
Sharp, metallic ringing echoed through the room. Calmly parrying the blows, he turned his body to shield the child. Her safety was all that mattered.
But as soon as one of the assassins caught sight of Aiden’s face, they lunged toward the infant instead.
“My baby!”
Flustered, Aiden threw his body forward. As he pulled the child into his arms, a sword descended upon him. He tried to distance himself, but it was impossible to avoid the strike entirely.
*Slash.*
A long, vertical laceration opened near Aiden’s left eye. Blood streamed down, soaking his shirt. Fortunately, by some stroke of luck, the wound was shallow, and his eye remained uninjured.
His young daughter, who had grown up without a care in the world, simply laughed. She was happy that her father was holding her, blissfully unaware of the horror unfolding around them.
Aiden stood, clutching the child tightly. Tania wriggled in his embrace, reaching her small hands out toward the dark figures looming behind him.
“Doggy, doggy!”
She seemed to think the men in black were big, playful dogs. At the sight of her pure, curious face, even the assassins faltered for a moment.
Aiden did not let the gap slip by. He swung his blade, keeping the child’s face buried deep against his chest so she wouldn’t witness the slaughter.
Once she was safe, the rest was easy. He cut down the remaining assassins without a shred of hesitation. As they fell like autumn leaves, they realized they could never finish him off.
One of the assassins shouted urgently, “Retreat! We have to survive this! Confirming his face and the existence of the child is enough!”
They threw something toward him, desperate to create an opening.
A smoke bomb.
“Where do you think you’re running?”
Aiden raised his aura and unleashed a flurry of strikes, tracking the fleeing figures by memory.
“Ugh!”
“Arghhh!”
When the smoke finally cleared, the scene inside the house was one of carnage, with corpses sprawled in every direction. The only sound left was the soft, rhythmic breathing of the child.
“Hmm….”
Perhaps feeling the stifling air, the child squirmed. Aiden gently patted her back, his eyes fixed coldly on the carnage.
They had found him. That meant ‘he’ had finally discovered his true identity.
Fortunately, he had killed everyone who had seen the child’s face. It meant ‘that person’ still didn’t know the color of her hair or eyes.
He grew desperate. After holding a brief, quiet funeral for the villagers, Aiden set fire to the house and burned everything to the ground.
As he left the village, he fell into deep, heavy contemplation.
“Tania….”
“Daddy!”
The child laughed brightly, clapping her hands, knowing nothing of the danger they were in. Aiden laughed, a sound like a sob, and pressed his lips to her forehead.
Tania was no longer safe with him. Her very existence was proof of the bond between her mother and him. He had to leave her somewhere safe.
Aiden walked on, his steps silent, burdened by the agony of knowing he had to part with his daughter.
Because he had to keep Tania alive.
✦ ✦ ✦
(Seven years later, present)
The next morning.
As soon as I returned to the Papiope Duchy, I went to the office to greet the Duchess.
“I’ve returned.”
“Yes, Tania. Did you say your goodbyes to your guardian well?”
“Hehe, thanks to that, I was able to say a final farewell to my guardian and pack the things I used.”
“You called it a final farewell, but do show your face to that person from time to time. One should forget revenge, but gratitude should be remembered forever.”
The Duchess spoke to me as if she were teaching her own child about life. It was a blessing that someone with such a strong, principled character had become my family.
I nodded, smiling brightly.
“Yes!”
“You are a good child.”
“By the way, what should I do in the Duchy now?”
Perhaps sensing my enthusiasm, the Duchess chuckled and crossed her legs leisurely.
“Since many things have changed in an instant, I will give you a month to adjust to life here as the Young Lady.”
“……Does that mean?”
“The various lessons you must receive will begin in a month. We need time to select and invite the proper tutors.”
It was an unexpected benefit. Even without that, a great deal of work had piled up since entering the Papiope Duchy. Noticing the corners of my mouth ticking upward, she added, “Of course, that doesn’t mean you should only play.”
“Eek.”
I accidentally let out a sound before I could control my emotions, and I quickly clapped a hand over my mouth. The Duchess only laughed, finding me cute.
“For that month, roam the Duchy, observe the people, and win over your own retinue.”
“……My own people?”
“Yes. Since they are the ones who will serve you closest, it is only right that you choose them yourself. You will select your own personal escort knight and your own maid.”
A human intelligence network, then. It was a deeply thoughtful gesture from the Duchess. Since I had been adopted three years after Lucian, my standing in the Duchy was bound to be precarious…….
“However, it is up to you to secure consent from those you choose. To be an aide to the Young Lady is a glorious position, but there will be those who do not wish for it.”
“Yes, I understand!”
I saluted her with the edge of my hand. My escort knight was already decided; I only needed to take my time observing candidates for my maid over the next month.
“Then, may I take my leave now?”
“Ah, Tania. Come closer for a moment.”
I approached, confused. The Duchess suddenly lifted me and sat me on her lap. I looked up at her, my mouth slightly agape in surprise.
She poked my cheek with her index finger and asked in a gentle voice, “Can you show Mother your ability?”
“My ‘prophecy’ ability?”
“Yes. I heard you pay with your lifespan to see the distant future, but you do it only enough so it doesn’t affect your health. I am curious about it.”
Aha.
I wondered why the sudden intimacy, and now I knew the reason.
The Duchess is trying to copy my ability.
It was a top-secret matter that the ability passed down through the Papiope bloodline was duplication. To the public, the Papiope power was known as “hallucination,” so that any mysterious effect could be dismissed as a mere trick of the mind.
I knew this because she had revealed it herself in the previous timeline. She had spoken of her power openly, claiming that the “Abilitator” with the gift of duplication would end with her generation anyway.