NOVEL NEXT Ch. 22
By the way, young Nesia was very frail and would fall seriously ill every time her surroundings changed.
‘Thanks to that, in the original work, she was bedridden for days when she first came to the capital.’
It would be difficult to take such a weak Nesia back to the capital. Then, inevitably, he would end up caring for Nesia at the northern mansion.
‘That period was approximately three years.’
It took three years in the original story for Nesia to regain her health.
That was the time I had gained.
During that time, I needed to elevate my own position, deal with that bastard Meldor, or turn him into a decent human being.
‘Oh, come to think of it, I should take care of that.’
I flipped to the last page of the diary. There were formulas messily scribbled all over.
At first glance, it looked like an ordinary magic formula, but these were the ones my mother never handed over to the Mage Tower.
‘An ancient magic formula that could form a contract with spirits.’
In the past, Mother had succeeded in using this formula to summon the spirit of the snow, Shannon. However, the formula was incomplete, and she couldn’t form a contract.
After that, Mother lived in the forest with the spirit and continued researching a more perfect formula. Her zeal was immense; she didn’t stop her research even after meeting my father and moving to the capital.
‘She never managed to complete it, though.’
Instead, Nesia found the diary and completed the formula. She then succeeded in forming a contract with the snow spirit that had raised her.
‘That’s how she gains the unique power of the snow spirit.’
Although not widely known, spirits each possessed their own unique powers separate from magic. They could bestow this power upon their contractor.
The unique power of the snow spirit was
People who felt nostalgia for Nesia would naturally lower their guard and grow fond of her.
Combining Nesia’s unique bright energy with this power, she became the beloved heroine of everyone.
Of course, I had no need for it, nor did it suit me.
‘But I do crave the power of other spirits.’
I smirked deviously as I gently caressed my mother’s formula.
“Mother, I’ll make good use of this as well.”
Carefully, I tore out a few pages with the formulas. The notebook was so thick that a few missing pages wouldn’t be noticeable.
Feeling satisfied, I firmly closed the diary.
‘Now, I just need to show it to Father.’
As I got up from the chair, ready to go to bed, I noticed a sheet of paper sticking out between the pages of the diary. It seemed to have slipped out when I opened it.
I reached out to pull out the sheet, but then my hand stopped.
‘This is…….’
The partially visible sheet was a photograph.
In the slightly faded photograph, my mother was smiling brightly.
In her arms, there was a baby, but since I hadn’t fully taken out the photo, I couldn’t see the face. Only a tiny foot was barely visible.
Seeing this reminded me why I hadn’t sought out the diary, even though I knew where it was.
‘In the original story, Mother kept a photo in her diary.’
It was a photo taken on the first birthday of her eldest son.
Mother was proud of her son and loved him more than anything.
‘The eldest son sees this photo and realizes his mother’s love. He then accepts Nesia, who delivered the photo to him, as his true sister.’
Then what about me?
I wasn’t the proud eldest son, but rather, the daughter who lacked presence.
Had Mother kept a photo with the eldest child as in the original story?
Or did she keep a photo of Meldor, onto whom she poured all her love, rather than me?
I hadn’t had the courage to confirm this, so I had been putting it off for half a year. But now, it seemed like it was time to confirm.
I calmly took out the photo from the diary.
And soon, I couldn’t help but release the breath I’d been holding.
“Ha…….”
The baby in my mother’s arms had dark black hair and red eyes.
Yes, this was me.
Seeing the photo of Mother holding me lovingly made my heart flutter.
The past days of being hurt and feeling isolated.
It was laughable, but there were memories even within those times.
-Belladi, come here.
Mother’s figure from my memories surfaced like a phantom.
Until the end, Mother remained in bed, but on days when she felt better, she would read books.
That day was just one of those days.
I had gone to Mother’s room as usual, but hesitated at the door, thinking I might disturb her.
Mother, noticing me, whispered in a gentle voice.
-It’s alright, come to Mommy.
At those words, I cautiously approached the bed.
As I sat beside her, Mother closed her book and embraced me.
-You don’t look well. Did you have a scary dream again?
At that age, I always had nightmares about Mother passing away.
So, I had once casually mentioned to Mother that I was having bad dreams often.
-You remember what I said?
-Of course. It’s something Belladi said, so I remember.
Mother spoke languidly, patting my back.
I burrowed into her arms, receiving her gentle touch.
-It’s nothing.
-Yes, dreams are just dreams, so don’t worry too much.
Saying so, Mother stroked my hair and then lifted the corners of my mouth with her fingers.
-Instead of looking so sad, you should smile. Didn’t Mommy always say that Belladi is the prettiest when you smile?
-Yes, you always said that.
I was so fond of Mother’s kindness that I smiled brightly like a fool. Then, Mother also smiled.
This was my most recent memory.
“If I’m the prettiest when I smile, then make it so I have reasons to smile.”
It was easy to say. In the end, Mother herself was the one who hardened my expression.
I wasn’t a kind daughter who would forget the few memories I had, overshadowed by her favoritism towards my younger sibling.
Not wanting to see the photo anymore, I flipped it over.
‘It would have been better if it were Meldor…….’
Then I wouldn’t feel this unsettled.
Why did Mother hold me?
Did she actually love me in her own way?
‘…… so, what if she did? That love was just the leftover scraps after loving Meldor.’
Back then, I clung to even that, parched as I was for affection, but not anymore.
After sighing for a moment, I put the photo deep into the desk drawer.
I had removed the cause, but my unsettled heart didn’t calm down. It must be because I still have feelings for Mother.
‘Whether it’s love or hate. I hope it disappears soon.’
So that Mother and I could become complete strangers.
I collapsed onto the bed.
I couldn’t fall asleep that night.
***
Even though I couldn’t sleep well, I wasn’t feeling bad.
Thanks to that, I safely made it through the day, and night came again.
‘At this hour, Father should be in his office.’
As I walked briskly down the fifth-floor hallway, I met someone I was glad to see.
“It’s been a while, Lady Belladi.”
“Yes, it has been a while, Baron Ricken.”
Baron Ricken was Father’s closest aide, a diligent and reasonable man. He was also the tutor who briefly taught me and Meldor the successor lessons when we were young.
‘One of the few people in this mansion who treats me comfortably.’
I glanced at the documents in Baron Ricken’s hand.
“You haven’t left work yet? And the other aides too?”
“Yes. This old man is being worked so hard……. the duke is really too much.”
“Please understand. It’s because there’s no one as outstanding as Baron Ricken.”
“Haha, you’re too kind. It feels like I’ve been worked hard since the days of the previous Duke, but with a compliment from the Lady, I’ll have to gather my strength again.”
“I’ll make sure to send some health supplements for you and the other aides.”
“Oh, thank you very much. The fellows will be delighted.”
Baron Ricken gave a friendly smile and slightly bowed his head.
“Then I’ll take my leave.”
“Goodbye, Baron.”
After we exchanged farewells, he opened the door across from Father’s office. Through the slightly open door, I could see the room inside.
Men and women sat at the four desks, their pens moving without rest. Baron Ricken’s seat was separately arranged behind the four desks.
On each desk, piles of documents were stacked high, resembling the scene of a black corporation from my past life.
I clicked my tongue.
‘Being an aide to a Duke who owns a great territory is not a job one should take on.’
Especially considering that the highest-ranking boss was right across from where they worked.
They couldn’t even leave work when they wanted, and they were constantly doing overtime.
‘…… hmm, should I send Father to the North and try to win over the aides?’
Seeing the expressions on the aides’ faces briefly, I felt like they would switch sides if I improved the working conditions just a bit.
With various thoughts running through my mind, I looked toward my father’s office. A servant waiting outside the office saw me and greeted me politely.
“You’ve arrived, Lady Belladi.”
“Inform my father that I’m here.”
“Yes, milady.”
The servant knocked on the door and informed my father of my arrival. Shortly after, a voice granting permission was heard, and the servant opened the door.
When I entered, I saw my father reviewing documents.
“Good evening, Father.”
“What brings you here?”
As usual, my father asked in a disinterested voice.
I approached him and spoke.
“There is something I must show you, Father.”
Only then did my father look at me.
I handed him the notebook I was holding.
“It’s Mother’s diary.”
“… what?”
My father raised an eyebrow as he took the diary from my hand.
He stared at the cover of the diary for a moment before turning a page.
“This is indeed Dohemia’s handwriting. It wasn’t there when we organized her belongings… where did you find this?”
“Under the bed in Mother’s laboratory.”
“The laboratory?”
“Yes, last night, I couldn’t sleep because I kept thinking of her.”
I lied through my teeth without batting an eye.