Episode 36

The teacher who would teach me the sword — Baal — was not in the palace, but for the sake of practicing alone, I dragged the sword and headed for the garden.

'I can't afford to be lax.'

Dietrich is still a child. Derek Lagrange, on the other hand, is an adult who has power and wealth, along with the power of the shadow devil.

If no one was going to protect the villain Dietrich, I thought I should protect him. Because he was my only family.

‘Did Anissa also feel this way?’

Anissa knew that Dietrich was using her, but thinking that he was her only family, she couldn’t get away from him.

I wondered if Anissa and Dietrich in the book also formed a bond like we did now. 

‘At least, the Dietrich right now is not a bad kid.’

In ‘The Rose Wars of Men’, Dietrich’s childhood wasn’t given much importance. 

In the original version, he may have been a more ordinary boy than expected before he became the Grand Duke. I didn’t know what incident triggered him to become a villain.

'Though I think anyone who grows up in this environment will become a villain.'

I like Dietrich right now. But I couldn’t even relax my mind. 

Because I know how Dietrich Lagrange, who was called the Evil Grand Duke, was like before he met the saint Charlotte. 

‘If Dietrich really decides to use me, what should I do….’

Even now, I couldn’t say that he was just a kind kid, but we still had a relationship we’ve built up for years.

If he really uses me like a tool because I am Hermann’s younger sister, more than being scared, I thought my heart would really hurt. Just imagining it makes me tear up.

‘Let’s leave before that happens.’

For now, he thinks of me as a younger sister and cares for me, but he’s a boy who would become the greatest villain amongst the villains who will act in a chaotic manner according to his interest.

It wouldn’t be strange if one day he decides to cut my head off. 

Whether it was to help Dietrich or to easily get out of Lagrange, I needed the power to protect myself.

Eredia’s abilities were of great help in reading people's hearts and feelings, but it was of little use in protecting my body.

‘That Sacred Tree doesn’t even grow anymore.’ [TL-Shin Song Su again, it translates to holy water, but since it was a seedling given to her, I decided to go with Sacred Tree.]

I heaved a sigh as I glanced with narrowed eyes at the sacred tree I received from Josef. 

‘It would have been better to have signed a contract with a shadow demon.’

“Vassago!”

It didn't appear properly in the novel, but I shouted the name of a powerful demon that was sometimes mentioned. 

Vasago had more power than Baal, but he was a devil who could not become king because of his unrepentant personality.

All the other demons had contractors but they were weak, so I wanted to take Vassago on my side.

However, only the dry sound of yellow bushes shaking in the wind can be heard.

‘As expected, it’s too much for me.’

After all, Anissa was the daughter of Duke Euclid, thus, the blood of the north didn’t flow within her. I raised the corners of my mouth with my face resting above the water fountain.

The pink-haired girl followed me with a pretty smile. The gently lowered eyes formed a half-moon shape.

‘I look so refreshed. No matter how I see it, it was a good role.’

I pouted my mouth thinking of Dietrich, Yuric and Veronica who had villainous beauty.

‘Anissa is a typical southern beauty.’

If anyone heard it they might laugh at the sentiment of the local region, or sarcastically say whether all southerners were good looking, at least in the original novel it was described as ‘bad guys in the north, good people in the south.’

‘Some say that the blood of the Northern people was mixed a little with the blood of the demons.’

As if to support the rumor, the children who were able to handle the shadow demons were all born in the north. 

The first Head of Lagrange, who existed even before the empire was formed, had a mixed blood between a human and a demon.

People knew that he was a very wicked human being, so there were rumors going around, but I, who have read the book, know for a fact that he was really the child of a demon.

'Should I say that he's a thousand times worse than Derek?'

As the incarnation of Asmodeus, the worst demon who was only interested in fulfilling his lust, he died of a sexually transmitted disease after living a very promiscuous life, tormenting innocent northern women instead of having many wives.

'So it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that his blood had spread all over the North.'

I thought of Veronica at the moment. Although not as much as Asmodeus, she uses a succubus to stimulate sexual desire and play with people.

'It’s like you're stepping on the other person with your heels.'

I lowered my hair while thinking of Veronica’s blonde hair which looked as sweet as a honey.

Dietrich had black hair, so there was no need to mention him, and Yuric had very dark red blonde hair, but mine was pink, which looked fragile as if it would fall off if I touch it.

‘How come I didn’t get caught when I’m so different?’

If people doubted my origins, would it be possible to manipulate their aura?

I should practice cleansing auras even if I have to grab on to Lancel whom I rarely see these days.

‘Ah, I should stop lazing around.’

“Byahh!”

I rose from my seat and swung the sword in the air. Along with the sound of the wind blowing, the ruby ​​embedded in the sword shone brilliantly.

“Byahh!”

“Yapp!”

“Byaah!”

Although I wasn’t as good at handling weapons as Deitrich, and I didn’t really want to cut anyone with the sword, the feel of the sword I tightly held in my hand was good.

I may be obsessed with trying to become strong as fast as possible, but a child’s body easily gets tired.

‘Why am I sleepy again when I don’t even have much time left?’

If I did even something small with this body, I became hungry, my legs hurt, and I quickly get tired and feel sleepy.

‘What if I become a hindrance instead of being of help to Dietrich?’

I got a little depressed so I hit my head on my arms which I placed on top of the banister. 

“Hing….”

Drrrr—

As I was crying, something bumped my ankle lightly.

‘What was that?’

I quickly raised my head and looked around but as always the garden of the withered roses was quiet without even a single mouse. 

The identity of the thing that rolled over me with a rattling sound was a macaron. I looked at the macaroon wrapped inside a pretty pouch embroidered with lace as it rolled around here and there.

“Macaroong?”

As I spread open the pouch and sniffed with my nose, the enticing smell stimulated my senses. I couldn’t eat the snack right away when I didn't know who dropped it and sat up from my seat.

“It, it wouldn’t be gyod if it is poishoned.”

When I remembered Yuric’s resolute face, who held me and said that I should never carelessly eat food from strangers, I couldn’t open my mouth so easily.

‘But it smells so sweet!’

As I was contemplating, a snack of similar shape rolled from afar.

The dark brown macaroon, which makes me salivate even when just looking, was coated with chocolate.

As I went a little further and picked up the macaroon, another eclair fell from above.

‘E, Eclair!’

I’ve seen macaroons as I passed by, but I’ve only seen Eclairs in pictures. I was so curious how it would taste, so I decided to try it when I went to college.

'I couldn't eat it because I died before the semester started.'

As I picked up the Eclair, a packaged donut rolled up a little further away. 

‘How did the person know I like donuts!’

Even if I went to a very popular bakery, I was the type of person to only pick a pretzel to eat. 

‘Hansel and Gretel? No, no. Hansel and Gretel walked around sprinkling snacks to find their way.'

In the end, I couldn't get rid of the temptation of the sweet path, which was obviously a trap, and stepped forward little by little.

If I felt a bad aura, I would have been a little careful, but only the sweet scent of the macaron comes up.

‘Because the aura is more important than what one can see.’

“Another wan!”

As I picked up all the bread and desserts that were scattered here and there, I almost had a mountain of bread piled up as much as my body.

There was a sound of water flowing right near the place where the last macaron fell, so I turned around and found a fountain that was a slightly bigger than me.

‘Cho….chocolate fountain!’

Oh my god. I've never seen anything like this before. Next to the fountain were even fruits and breads that could be coated with chocolate to eat.

As I ran quickly toward the fountain where my nose smelled the thick and sweet scent, I clapped my hand without knowing that the bread was falling.

“Chocolee!!!”

“Do you like it?”

Veronica, who came from nowhere, peeped out her face next to the chocolate fountain.

‘I love it!’

I felt like I would burst into tears, so I snapped my lips tightly closed and puffed my cheeks.

“Its, It’s a chocolee founshain?”

“Yep. What do you think?”

“I like ith a lott.”

I eventually cried and held Veronica’s hand. As I clung to her, I thought she looked a little embarrassed, then turned her head to the side with a hum.