Episode 34

 It was the first time ever since I was born that I saw such a sad aura. A deep melancholy incomparable to Lancel’s aura, mourning the death of Camille.

‘What is making her so sad?’

Just looking at Veronica’s deep blue aura, rolling like the waves, made me feel so depressed. 

“Don’t be shad. Eat bread. Sister can eat ith all.”

I thrust the bread again at the girl who did not take the bread I was extending, but continued to stare at me.

A person needs to have a full stomach to endure his sorrow. Veronica, who looked about sixteen, was skinny like a piece of wood, so it was a bit pitiable to look at. 

‘Liatris isn’t poor like Dahlia, this is weird.’

The bread I was giving her was also the bread that Yuric brought. 

‘Children should eat well!’

Veronica might be on the older side among the Lagrange children, but if she was in my past life, she would look like a high school girl who still wears her school uniform to go to school. 

I used to go hungry when I was her age, too. My mom used to lock me up in my room for days without food because my grades didn’t go up. At that time, the hunger that resulted from not being able to eat properly haunted me for quite some time. 

‘Why is she looking at me like that?’

I was reminded of that time, and I pushed the bread to Veronica whose expression was unreadable. 

I felt like I was some kind of bizarre animal, her face was pale as if she was surprised to meet an alien.

“Hm. Nevermind. I don’t like bread.”

“Is that sho?”

I nodded at Veronica’s refusal and then bit the croissant. I learned from Dietrich that I should not ask others twice. 

‘I can just eat everything myself! Dietrich isn’t even around.’

I was going to share it with Dietrich, but I can’t even see him anywhere.

“Yum, yum.”

“..........”

Veronica stared at me until there’s nothing left of the croissant, and then disappeared without a moment of greeting. 

I thought I would never see the girl who looked at me and showed a strangely unpleasant expression again, nevertheless, she was as pretty as a beautiful painting. 

…….until she appeared in the withered rose forest the very next day. 

“Veronica?”

“Hi, Yuric.”

“Why are you here?”

Yuric, who was holding me, turned pale when he saw Veronica. At first glance, he had a look of fear on his face, then I tilted my head to the side.

‘She’s not a scary kid, though.’

“Did you just say ‘you’? Yuric, you’re not very polite to your elder sister, aren’t you? You need an education.”

Veronica came close to us with a dazzling smile. Yuric raised his voice in a fit of anger at her words.

“Elder sister, as if! You and I aren’t even siblings!”

Veronica greeted me, ignoring Yuric who stamped his feet on the ground while holding me.

“Hmm, hello.”

“Sister, henlo.”

I fluttered my small hands towards Veronica and shook them, patting Yuric’s shoulder. 

It meant to put me down, but although he must have understood it, he stubbornly hugged me tighter. 

‘Can’t breathe!’

“What are you going to do with this kid?!”

“........oh?”

“Aren’t you taking advantage of Dietrich’s absence and trying to hurt Anissa!”

‘No, I’m sure that’s not it.’

Veronica’s aura right now had no violent intention to kill. In fact, it was quite a good feeling to me, I opened my eyes wide and looked at her.

‘Maybe, she has an ability to make up an aura? There’s no way that can be.’

“If not, why would you come to the Dahlia Palace?!”

Veronica, who was about to answer Yuric, suddenly closed her mouth. Then, she soon admitted to his words. 

“Yes, you’re right. If it’s not for that reason, I wouldn’t come here.”

“I was right!”

With Veronica’s acknowledgement, Yuric stretched his shoulders triumphantly, and backed away, as if he was anxious.

‘Stupid.’

“Ledme gow.” (Let me go.)

“No, Anissa. You go back inside the palace.”

“I’m goeng to sister.”

“Didn’t I tell you no?! She’s dangerous!”

“Nyo.”

As I struggled wildly, Yuric had no choice but to let me go. Having landed on the ground, I sluggishly walked towards Veronica, avoiding the boy who stood in my way.

“Sister, you came because you’re hangry, right?”

“.......”

It was funny that she was more bewildered by my actions than Yuric. She was startled at the sight of me approaching her. 

‘You can try to hide your feelings, but I have my ways to know them.’

“Huh?”

“I came here to hurt you!”

‘Liar. No one can make up their aura.’

If the actions were different from the aura, it was obvious that the actions were not true. I snorted at Veronica’s argument. 

I wanted to snort smartly like Dietrich, but maybe because my nose was small, I couldn’t make anything but wrinkling my nose. 

“Uhum…..”

Veronica’s expression seemed to suggest that I must have smelled something awful instead of trying to snort at her.

“Sister, should I gibb you bread?”

“Oh?”

“But, I don’t have any delicyous bread like yesterday….”

As I trailed off, I looked back at Yuric who looked at me with a confused face. 

‘You’re not bringing any bread with you today?’

He scratched the back of his head as I stared at him with an earnest wish in my eyes.

“......If you want to eat, I’ll bring some.”

“Ryght now?”

“Not now! I’m telling you, Veronica is a dangerous kid!!!”

‘No matter what you say, she doesn’t look like it.’

When I narrowed my eyes, not believing it, he struck his chest in frustration.

“She’s a kid who killed her entire family and entered Lagrange! Argh!”

The moment Yuric shouted those words, Veronica’s aura turned red, he was struck by the wind from the wings of Zagan and fell back.

“Damn it! They really came here to attack us! Amon!”

Yuric, lying on the floor, raised his body and summoned his shadow demon at the same time. It was difficult to breathe when two demons with disgusting auras suddenly gathered in one place. 

I frowned at the stench that came everytime Zagan flapped its wings. 

“Nyo!”

I rushed at Amon who was baring his teeth at Zagan and hit his head. The wolf-like demon faltered and made a squeaking sound. 

“You too, nyo!”

Zagan looked a little more calm and I ended up hitting him on the bridge of his nose. Zagan pulled back sullenly, fluttering its subdued wings.

“Both of you, gyo!”

‘Why should we listen to the princess?’

‘I will tell Baal!’

When I mentioned Baal’s name in reply to the demon’s voices inside my head, I saw their eyes shake. 

‘As expected, Baal is really the king.’

He seemed to have no charisma, but it looked like he had power. I made Zagan and Amon slip back to their places using Baal’s name, and then turned around. 

The masters of each demon were looking at me with a strange expression. After the demons, I yelled at them.

“Faything is not allowed!”

“.........”

“Go and get shome bread, both of you!”

‘Seeing that you are both Liatris’s children, don’t come to Dahlia as you please without bringing food!’

As I placed my hands on both sides of my waist and shouted, Veronica was the first one to come with a coy face. I clasped my hands to the sweet smell coming from her hands.

‘Isn’t that a macaroon!’

It was a high-end snack which I have never seen even in pictures after I was reincarnated. My eyes glittered at the enchanting scent which was incomparable to the croissants. 

“Have you ever eaten something like this?”

“I habbent eaten like it.”

I looked at Veronica waving the macaroons in front of me with sparkling eyes.

‘She’s not just going to tease me and not give it to me right?’

She refused, but I was going to give her my croissant!

“Do you want to eat it?”

“You’re gibbing it to Anissa…..?”

Veronica thrust the macaroons at my cautious question. I accepted the palm-sized snack and cried. 

“Why, why are you crying?”

“It’s the firth time Anissa habb this…..”

In fact, I haven’t even eaten any macaroons at home because I was wary of opening the refrigerator, let alone having enough pocket money.

In addition, the macaroons Veronica gave me looked more luxurious than the ones I’ve glanced at.

I hesitated a little and opened my mouth towards the macaroons.

‘Uhue.’

A sweet and soft peeling that melted as soon as it touched the tip of my tongue, overcome with my emotions, my tears came out. 

“So delicyous….!”

“Really. I’ve never seen anyone cry just because it’s delicious.”

Veronica wrinkled her pretty nose - which looked a dozen times prettier since she gave me macaroons - and grumbled. 

“How did Dietrich raise such a child?”

Yuric, who was flustered trying to understand what the hell was going on, reached out to me. 

“Don’t eat something like this! What if it’s poisoned!”

Having eaten only a little of the macaroon as much as the size of my nails, I hid the snack in my hand to avoid the boy. 

“It’sh not poishoned! “

“Give it to me!”

“Ah, nyoo!”

“Are you starving in Dahlia? Hah? Are you starved?”

I made my body round and hid the macaroons tightly in my arms. I could hear Yuric sighing above me. Either way, I pushed him away with a lot of force from my body. 

‘Nobody can take my macaroon!’

[T/N: Aw, so that’s why she’s always hungry for food. Our poor Annissa. ;’( Go Anissa, protect your macaroon!]