Don't Touch What's Mine and Get Out
Don't Touch What's Mine and Get Out
Lunder, the Ducal Territory.
A massive procession of carriages lined up in front of the grand mansion. They were carriages engraved with the Imperial crest.
Inside, they were packed with local specialties and gifts presented from all over the Empire.
At the unannounced arrival of the Imperial carriage procession, the key figures of Edelheid poured out.
"What is all this?"
"I am not sure. It seems there is some auspicious occasion we are unaware of."
Leaving the murmuring vassals behind, Cassius stepped forward as the representative.
"You have worked hard traveling such a long distance. However, for what business has the Imperial envoy come to Edelheid? And what are those carriages?"
"These are items sent by His Imperial Highness the First Prince-jeonha to his friend, Lady Renoa-nim."
"...Friend? Renoa is the Prince-nim's?"
Cassius's brow furrowed.
"His Highness the Prince-jeonha deeply regrets that he cannot come to the Ducal territory in person due to focusing on his studies, so he has sent these royal gifts in lieu of a visit."
The crowd stirred at the envoy's words.
"That illegitimate child is a friend of the Prince-jeonha?"
"Nonsense. Is she not the girl who brought shame to the family by dragging a slave around!"
"But for that to be the case, there are so many gifts......."
Renoa, the illegitimate child, was the shame of Edelheid.
They thought it would be a relief if she just didn't lower the family's prestige while at the Academy.
Yet, in that short time, she had forged a close bond with the Prince.
And to the extent of being called a friend, not just a relationship between a monarch and a subject.
It was an unbelievable achievement.
The vassals could not find the words to continue.
Meanwhile, there were also voices like this.
"If the Prince-jeonha cares for her so exceptionally......"
"If we play our cards right, couldn't we weave the bond between Lady Renoa and His Highness even deeper?"
"It means a direct line to the Imperial family will be established. Even if becoming the official wife is too much, a position serving by his side might be worth aiming for."
These were the same people who, just minutes ago, had unanimously condemned Renoa for shaming the family.
Now, they were busy with blatant greed and calculating gains and losses.
From that day on, the way the vassals looked at Renoa also began to change subtly.
A bridgehead connecting the Imperial family and Edelheid.
If used well, she might bring a great gift to the family; it was like catching a big fish with an earthworm.
"Disgusting."
Renoa scathingly cut down the vain delusions of those vassals.
The person involved wasn't even considering it, yet third parties were setting the stage as they pleased. It was absurd.
"Still, as the vassals say, won't you have to get married someday, Agassi?"
At Irion's offhand remark, Renoa, who was in the middle of reading, flinched and her shoulders stiffened.
"What... do you mean?"
"Once this matter is resolved, you'll go back to living as an ordinary young lady's life, so won't you get married eventually?"
Renoa was someone who desperately sought success.
As a woman, there would be no means of seizing power as fast or certain as marriage into an influential family.
"The problem is whether there's anyone who would take our Agassi, considering her bad personality......"
Thinking that cleaning up after her would be entirely his responsibility, Irion already felt the future was bleak.
Irion threw out a trivial joke and then checked Renoa's reaction.
Normally, this would be the timing for her to pounce on him, telling him not to talk nonsense.
However, she was terrifyingly quiet.
"What about...... you?"
The voice that finally came out after a long while was steeped in hesitation instead of sharpness.
Renoa pretended to read while stealthily observing Irion's movements out of the corner of her eye.
She probably wanted it to seem like a question asked indifferently.
But her shoulders, stiff with tension, revealed her anxious inner feelings without filter.
Would her heart be hurt by hearing an unexpected answer?
Or had she revealed her true feelings too blatantly with this shallow probing?
Harboring such girlish worries.
"I am a slave, you know? Do I even have a choice?"
"Are you an idiot? I'm asking 'what if'."
"Hmm."
Irion pondered.
Since he had come to another world after all, he had thought about building a harem, but that was strictly a wish.
He didn't have a detailed plan yet.
When Irion remained silent, Renoa went a step further.
"Well.... If you really don't have a plan, I could keep you with me for the rest of your life. Specially."
It was at that moment.
The air in the room came to a standstill.
Only the rustling sound of the curtains in the wind blowing from outside echoed exceptionally loudly.
It was an unexpected direct hit. Even Renoa herself seemed to regret it after speaking, as she gripped the book so hard the pages wrinkled.
"I mean. It's not like that......"
"No, I don't want to. For whose benefit?"
But at the rejection that flew back like a sharp blade, Renoa, who was about to make a hasty excuse, froze.
Her gaze fell from the book.
She stared blankly at Irion's face.
"......You don't want to?"
"Isn't that obvious? What human in the world would want to be a slave for their entire life."
It might be strange to say this at the point where he had returned to Renoa's side of his own volition.
But Irion hadn't returned that day because he wanted to be a slave. He only did it because he couldn't leave Renoa alone.
Once everything was settled and Renoa returned to the person he knew, Irion would set out to find his freedom again.
"And honestly, my abilities are far too excessive to remain a slave. If you have a conscience, Agassi, use me in moderation."
"......."
The sincerity she had thrown out indirectly after making up her mind was transformed in an instant into the tyranny of a bloodless, tearless, wicked master.
Renoa's expression, which had been frozen in shock, sharpened. The surging shame and sense of injustice were replaced by anger.
"You stupid fool."
"Pardon?"
"With that intelligence, even if you regain your freedom, you'll probably be caught as a slave again before long. In that case, it's better to be my slave for the rest of your life."
"Suddenly cursing at me......"
Even for Irion, whose immunity to insults had risen considerably, being told his intelligence was low was quite hurtful.
"You're disturbing my reading. If you're going to talk nonsense......"
"Should I leave?"
"...Stay in the corner."
Irion crouched in the corner.
In the old days, he would have killed time by joking around with Bibi.
Now that even she was gone, there was absolutely nothing to do.
'I wonder where she is and what she's doing now.'
If Bibi hadn't truly betrayed Renoa but had been fully loyal.
She wouldn't have fed her poison for something that could have been settled with a single word.
It was right to interpret it as a situation where she had no other choice.
Just as the people in the forest mansion had made a contract not to disclose what happened in the mansion to the outside.
Bibi, too, must have had no choice but to ruin Renoa's body because of some kind of contract.
But that, too, was an act no different from betrayal from the Witch's perspective.
There was no way the Witch would leave Bibi alone. She would surely pay the price. In some way.
She might be tortured, or if not that.
'She might already be dead.'
It was simply frustrating since he didn't know whether she was alive or dead.
-Beolkeok!
At that moment, the door swung open roughly without warning.
"You two are together again. Why is a guardian knight sitting on the sofa playing around?"
It was Sylvia, the youngest of Edelheid.
Renoa furrowed her brow.
She did not hide her hostility.
"Didn't the Madam teach you to knock when entering a room?"
"She taught me that there's no need to show manners to an illegitimate child. Half-sister."
Sylvia strode into the room.
"Get out. I never gave you permission to enter."
"Do I need your permission? Nothing in this family belongs to you. You're even just borrowing this room."
"......."
"You don't have to glare like that. I'm leaving right away."
Where Sylvia stopped was in front of Irion. She gave a beaming smile.
"Hello?"
"Um, hello?"
"Get up. Let's go."
"Go... where do you mean?"
At the sudden demand to accompany her, Irion just blinked blankly.
Had he made an appointment with Sylvia? For that to be the case, this was the first time they had even spoken.
He couldn't even guess what the situation was.
"We're going to my room."
"To Sylvia-agassi's room?"
"I've taken a liking to you. So, from today on, you're mine."
"Pardon?"
"You'll also prefer following me over someone half-baked like her. So, let's go to my room."
To Sylvia, Renoa had never once been flesh and blood.
They just happened to share the same surname; in her eyes, Renoa was nothing more than something wearing the mask of an older sister.
Occasionally, she followed Florencia whenever she went to the villa.
Because if she went there, she could see something very amusing.
None other than the sight of Renoa being beaten. Watching that made her feel strangely good.
Even at a young age, she realized it.
That this person, despite being her sister, was far lower in rank than herself.
That every time this person was abused, her own authority as a legitimate daughter shone even more clearly.
Renoa deserved to remain a toy who crawled on the floor for the rest of your life to satisfy Sylvia's sense of superiority.
But.
'What is this all of a sudden.'
Despite being an illegitimate child, she goes to an Imperial banquet, becomes friends with the Prince at the Academy, and on top of that, he even sends gifts.
It was impossible.
It was something that shouldn't happen.
Her own position was being threatened.
'It's all because of this slave.'
There was no way a half-baked person could achieve such feats on her own.
It was clear that it was because this slave had taken on all the difficult tasks.
So, if she just took him away.
Renoa would fall back to the bottom as before, and the glory she possessed would entirely become the lot of Sylvia, the true Lady of Edelheid.
"What are you doing? Get up."
If there was something she wanted, she would get her hands on it. Sylvia had the right and was in a position to do so.
But a mere slave?
There was no need to even speak of it.
"Uh......"
Irion, who couldn't possibly know her intentions, was simply flustered.
Unable to make head or tail of what was going on, Irion sent a look for help to Renoa.
Unlike Irion, Renoa immediately recognized Sylvia's filthy intentions.
It was a woman's intuition.
"What is this outrage, barging in suddenly? Stop spouting nonsense and get out of my room right now."
An even more blatant hostility.
But to Sylvia, it only felt laughable.
"For someone who's an older sister, your words to your younger sister are harsh. Anyway, this is why illegitimate children lack class. I, the real Lady, must be patient."
A statement as if she were showing mercy. Sylvia sighed and shook her head.
"I told you to get up, so why aren't you getting up? If I tell you to do it, you must do it."
"Um...."
"It seems your training isn't finished yet. I'll have to take you and give you some training. How should I do it? As expected, the rod is the answer to making one listen well, right?"
While Sylvia was in the middle of setting a training policy as if Irion were already hers.
-Deureureuk.
Renoa pushed back her chair and stood up. Ttogak-ttogak, she walked toward Sylvia.
Renoa stood before Sylvia with an expressionless face. Sylvia was still smirking.
No matter how hard Renoa glared, she wouldn't dare lay a finger on her, the legitimate daughter of Edelheid.
Just as she was expecting her half-sister to helplessly accept her situation with her head bowed as always.
"I quite like that training policy."
A sneer flowed from Renoa's lips.
"Pardon?"
It was the moment Sylvia was about to furrow her brow, not understanding what was happening.
-Jjaak!
The sharp sound of flesh striking flesh echoed.
"Augh...!"
With a short scream, Sylvia's head snapped back, and she collapsed to the floor.
Clutching her burning left cheek, she couldn't even perceive what had happened.
Renoa's shadow loomed over Sylvia.
"Just as you said, the rod is the answer for a beast that doesn't understand words."
Renoa indifferently brushed off her stinging palm. She dropped her gaze toward the dazed Sylvia.
A chilling aura settled in her green eyes.
"Don't touch what's mine and get out. Before I tear you apart and kill you."