The Grand Duke's Daughter Is Full of Curiosity
The Grand Duke's daughter was full of curiosity. Even when she went exploring in the mountains, nothing particularly dangerous ever happened. It was probably because she had visited not long ago, so the mountain paths felt more familiar than before.
'The slippery ground is the only flaw.'
It had rained heavily two days earlier, so there were still patches of ground that hadn't dried. While snow was more common than rain in the northern regions, things were different here in Ardenum, where Edgar lived. Located at the southernmost edge of the North, it had relatively mild temperatures. Moreover, with the sea right beside it, this was a place that saw frequent rain rather than snow.
'The dense vegetation probably kept it from drying out either.'
In such thick undergrowth, sunlight would barely reach the ground. If this were flat terrain, the soft earth might have been helpful, but on mountain paths, the slippery grass only made things worse.
“Ariel, watch your step.”
“Don’t worry. You think I’m going to fall again?”
“……”
Edgar had plenty he wanted to say, but he swallowed his words. Though she was only ten years old—or perhaps precisely because she was ten—Ariel often overestimated her own abilities. Watching her from the side always left him feeling like he was looking after a child left unattended by the water’s edge. It made him incredibly anxious.
He glanced back at the path they had climbed and realized they had gone farther in than he thought. Going any deeper would be dangerous. Knowing that wild animals like boars lived in these mountains, he wanted to avoid any situation that could turn risky.
'Besides, it would be hard to find our way back.'
There were no proper trails here. They were pushing through the forest by brushing aside branches and undergrowth. If they went too far in, they might not even be able to tell which way was down. Edgar had no interest in the ridiculous scenario of getting lost on the hill behind the village, so he decided this was a good place to redirect her attention and stop.
“By the way, Ariel, how did you use that magic earlier?”
“Hm? Magic?”
Edgar naturally hopped onto a flat rock right beside him as he asked. When the person you were hiking with stopped, you naturally stopped too. Only then did Ariel pause her busy steps and respond.
“I heard that even among adults, not many people can use magic. So how did you learn it?”
“Ah, I’m not entirely sure, but they say our family has something called the Mana of Domination.”
'So that’s it, after all.'
He had seen it mentioned briefly in books. It was the symbol that allowed the Robeheim family to exist as they did, and the reason they could reign as rulers of the North. Those born into the Robeheim bloodline were born with immense magical power. The name Mana of Domination came from the legend of the first head of the Robeheim family, who used this power to subjugate all the northern tribes and make them his subordinates.
'Even if that legend is false, their bloodline is undeniably real.'
Just from the aura he had seen earlier, he could tell how enormous her mana was. Since she was still young, her emotions probably caused it to leak out around her. At any rate, he could only hope he would never become a victim of that power.
“That mana has a special nature, so people in our family can handle it like their own limbs from a very young age. Isn’t that amazing?”
“It really is.”
This time, his admiration came from the heart, not from merely trying to flatter the young lady. Magic was a word from a world farthest removed from Edgar. He had been born with little mana to begin with, but more than that, his body had a peculiar constitution where mana did not circulate at all. It was like having blood in your veins but being unable to make it flow. It was an extremely rare and tragic condition in this world, which meant he could not use magic at all.
That was why he had decided to train his body—to compensate for that weakness. Perhaps that was also why he felt a twinge of envy toward Ariel, who had been born with a talent he lacked.
'What a pathetic thought.'
To feel envy toward a mere ten-year-old child. Besides, those with great power were given equally great responsibilities. As the eldest daughter of the Robeheim family, the day would surely come when that title would weigh heavily on this small girl’s shoulders. He did not know if he would be able to stay by her side even then, but if he wanted to at least follow after her, he needed to feel competitive spirit rather than envy.
Lost in his own thoughts, he had failed to pay attention to Ariel. When Edgar snapped back to his senses, worried crimson eyes were already studying him.
“Ed, what’s wrong? Your face looks strange.”
“You’re supposed to say my expression looks strange. The way you said it sounds weird.”
Of course, he had never thought of himself as handsome. When he was born into this world as Choi Sunwoo, he had kept almost the exact same face from his previous life. He did not remember thinking it was ugly, but compared to the residents of this romance-fantasy world, he might as well be an octopus.
'How depressing.'
In contrast, Ariel already possessed the beauty of a flower bud just before blooming, even at the age of ten. Seeing such a face every day, it was impossible for his self-esteem regarding his appearance not to plummet.
“T-that’s not what I meant, you idiot. I asked because your expression looked serious.”
“I know. I was joking. It’s nothing, so don’t worry about it.”
“That’s a relief, but…”
Ariel continued to scrutinize his complexion, still not entirely convinced. He was grateful for her concern, but her gaze was rather distracting. How many people could calmly ignore a pair of crimson eyes that glowed clearly even in the middle of the night?
'She really is quick on the uptake.'
Normally she was busy being prickly and loved to tease him, but at times like this, the young lady was surprisingly sharp. She was especially good at reading people’s expressions and the atmosphere, to the point that even Edgar occasionally found himself caught off guard. Perhaps it was a trait of the Robeheim bloodline, forged through their history of bloody power struggles among the nobility.
“Stop worrying about pointless things and let’s sit down and rest. My legs are tired too.”
“Your legs hurt? Then you should have said something…”
'Actually, they don’t.'
Still, it was rare to see the stubborn young lady make such an expression, so he decided to keep his mouth shut. There was no point in going deeper into the mountains anyway—it would only get more dangerous. It would be best to chat here for a while, kill some time, and then quietly return to the mansion.
“By now, Lady Helene is probably looking for us, isn’t she?”
“No. It should still be fine.”
What exactly gave her such confidence? Last time, Helene had shown them mercy, but if they were caught again, it would not be so easy to get away with it. He would surely be dragged off by his mother, Catriona, and given a thorough scolding. Just imagining the worst-case scenario made a deep sigh escape his lips.
“It’s dangerous to go any farther, so let’s stop here.”
“Why? Is there something scary in there?”
“From what I’ve heard, there are boars and wolves. It’s no place for kids like us.”
Edgar deliberately exaggerated the rumors a little. Anything less and the stubborn young lady would not accept it so easily. But it seemed her curiosity and determination were even greater and more stubborn than he had anticipated.
“Boars and wolves!? I want to see them!”
“…Huh?”
Life returned to the crimson eyes that had been subdued just moments ago. Had he chosen the wrong option? Unfortunately, there was no save-and-load function in this world, nor any way to take back words once spoken.
'I’m screwed.'
Edgar cursed his own judgment for failing to predict even his childhood friend’s reaction.
'Honestly, this feels unfair.'
If a god were watching this scene, would it not be only right to turn back time five seconds? He genuinely thought so.
“M-My lady! This is terrible!”
“What is it, Shephy?”
Helene had come to visit the Bilhark family, holding her daughter’s hand for the first time in a while. She had been enjoying a cozy chat with her old friend Catriona when a maid burst in without knocking. Helene’s eyebrows twitched.
It was not because the pleasant atmosphere had been ruined. She was not that sensitive. Rather, it was because Shephy—who rarely lost her composure—had come running in with beads of sweat flying, which told her this was no ordinary matter.
“T-The young miss has disappeared! And Young Master Edgar as well…!”
“What!?”
It was not Helene but Catriona who reacted violently to Shephy’s words. This was not the first time something like this had happened. The last time Helene and Ariel visited, a similar incident had occurred. Back then, Helene had brushed it off as something that naturally happened when children played together, so no one had been punished. But if such an accident happened twice, the story would be very different.
“…Have you searched the entire mansion?”
“Y-Yes… We searched inside the mansion and all the likely places outside, but we still couldn’t…”
“I understand. Calm down. Catriona, it seems my unruly daughter is causing trouble for you and your son again.”
“N-No, my lady. How could this possibly be the young miss’s fault?”
Even if it truly was Ariel’s fault, Catriona could never say such a thing in this situation. She bowed her head deeply, blaming herself for failing to keep the children under control. Helene watched her with a sympathetic expression and reached out to gently pat her shoulder.
“Let’s find the children first. Shephy, gather all the soldiers immediately and have them search the surrounding area. There is a high chance they went into the mountains again like last time, so focus the search there.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Shephy hurried out of the drawing room. Having given her orders while maintaining as much composure as possible, Helene finally collapsed into her chair. Her worry for her missing daughter was one thing, but she was also concerned about what would happen when they returned. A child who had done something twice would find it easy to do it a third time.
'Even after I warned her so clearly.'
The world might call the girl a prodigy, but to Helene’s eyes, she was nothing more than a spoiled princess who thought too highly of herself and ran wild. If she had gone into the mountains again, Edgar would surely have tried to stop her. That was simply the kind of child he was. The fact that she had ignored his advice and repeated the same behavior meant it was time for a mother to give her a firm scolding.
“Please don’t worry, my lady. The soldiers will surely find them soon.”
“Yes. Thank you, Catriona.”
A deep sigh filled the drawing room. That unruly daughter of hers was probably playing around without the slightest idea how serious her mother was right now. Dark clouds had gathered over what had once been a peaceful heart.