Chapter 03
—
At last, I arrived at the stairs leading up to the tower.
“Cheep!”
The stairs to the top of the western tower were thick with dust, probably because they were hard to clean every day.
Following the round shape of the tower, the stairs spiraled round and round. It seemed to have no end.
‘When will I ever get to the top…?’
I started climbing the stairs, feeling like I was crying while eating mustard.
How much time had passed?
My whole body was drenched in sweat, and my legs felt as heavy as lead.
If I were an ordinary three-year-old, I would have given up and started crying before I’d even climbed half as far.
I want to cry too!
“It’s too hard!”
Eventually, I couldn’t climb any more steps and collapsed with a thud.
Through a small window at my feet, I could see what was happening below. The soldiers of the Tesarus family were running around frantically, looking for me.
“There she is!”
A sharp-eyed soldier, barely visible down below, finally spotted me. The eyes of all the bustling people turned towards me at once.
If all those grown men come up, I’ll be caught.
‘I have to run away!’
I had to start running again.
I could hear the sound of them thundering up from below.
I couldn’t stop for a moment. If I’m caught, this is the end!
But no matter how hard I tried to run with my chubby little legs, I couldn’t go fast. I ended up waddling like a duck.
“Countess!”
A booming voice calling me echoed through the entire tower.
Hurry, hurry!
I barely made it to the top of the western tower.
I put all my weight into pushing the thick wooden door. It was so heavy that I could only manage to make a tiny gap. Squeezing with all my might, I slipped through the crack.
What greeted me was an unexpectedly beautiful view, enough to make me forget the pain in my body for a moment.
“Wow…!”
A gasp of admiration escaped me.
The scenery of Elmeras, with the sun setting low, was serene and peaceful. Seeing the tiny people below, like miniature figures, I felt the preciousness of everyday life.
With that scenery behind me, a large bald eagle flew onto the rooftop.
A clean white head, clear irises, and densely packed, vividly clear wing feathers—a female bald eagle with a blue ribbon tied to her foot.
“Marilyn!”
My mother’s eagle, Marilyn, landed with force on the perch. I dragged my exhausted legs over to her.
“Marilyn, take this.”
Only then did Marilyn look at me. The eagle’s sharp gaze felt frightening for a moment.
Maybe I was having a ridiculous delusion. There’s no such thing as magic. My tiny body would be nothing but a single bite for her.
‘Maybe I’ve done something foolish.’
Just then, Marilyn hopped down from the perch and stood on the floor. Then she waddled over towards me.
Her gentle and cute movements, devoid of any aggression, eased my tension.
*Thump!*
A thunderous sound came from the direction of the door. It was the sound of people coming up.
My heart started racing.
Alright, I’ll just try anything!
“I-I want to give these back to their owners.”
I carefully took out the items I had been holding and showed them one by one.
“Keith Lorelai Flanders.”
A trump card engraved with ‘L&A’.
“Albert de la Valliere.”
A bookmark that said, ‘Whenever you need me.’
“Leif Auredei Romanov.”
And finally, a child’s wooden sword handle.
Marilyn, as if she understood, fluttered and nodded her head.
Marilyn turned her back to me, flew up low, circled the rooftop once, and came back down.
She flapped her wings and held out her feet, and I placed the items in them. Marilyn carefully grabbed them with her sharp talons, making sure not to tear my skin.
My heart swelled as if it might burst.
“Boo-take!”
I screamed it out, as if throwing up the words.
Marilyn flew far into the sky and quickly became a speck.
My heart pounded.
Did I really do well? Will even one of them come to me? Will they recognize the tokens?
Various emotions swirled inside me.
“Countess!”
*Creeeak!*
The heavy door swung wide open, and the butler, Alfred, rushed in first.
Behind him, several soldiers wearing armor engraved with the Tesarus family crest poured in. They were all breathing heavily, as if they had just finished some grueling training.
“How on earth did you get all the way up here…?”
Alfred asked, bewildered.
It was no wonder he was surprised—a three-year-old had climbed to a height that even the fit soldiers found exhausting.
“Now, please come this way. It’s dangerous.”
Alfred gestured cautiously, his face full of worry that I might fall from the tower.
But I backed away.
It was because Étienne had appeared, gasping for breath.
“Making such a fuss over a mere child!”
Noticing my hesitation because of Étienne, Alfred glared at him fiercely. Étienne wiped his sweat with his sleeve and snapped,
“Come here right now!”
He strode towards me. His soaking wet hair looked like he’d just been swimming.
Étienne reached out his arm to grab me.
Just then, a piercing eagle cry tore through the sky, and several bald eagles flew in. They circled around me, raising their talons threateningly at Étienne.
It was as if they were trying to protect me.
“Wh-What is this…?”
Everyone present stared in shock, their mouths agape.
“Wh-What the! Hey, get lost!”
Étienne swung his arms wildly. But whether he was scared or not, his movements seemed clumsy, and the bald eagles didn’t get hit even once.
“It’s the Tesarus magic.”
Alfred said dreamily. A faint glimmer of tears caught the sunset light on his face.
Under the protection of the bald eagles, Alfred lifted me into his arms. Fatigue washed over me, and my whole body ached. Snuggled in Alfred’s arms as he carried me down from the tower top, I blinked my heavy eyelids.
“If only Lady Adelaide could have seen the Countess today… it’s a pity. She always wished for the bald eagles to cherish the Countess as much as she did.”
Alfred smiled gently. That warm smile was tinged with sadness and longing.
“Lady Adelaide, when she used the Tesarus ability, was truly beautiful. Perhaps because those memories with Lady Adelaide remain, the bald eagles also cherish the Countess.”
Even amidst the overwhelming fatigue, I could feel his longing for my mother in his words.
“It would have been nice if we could have been told who the Countess’s father is… but that’s difficult now. The power of Tesarus will certainly be a great advantage. I, Alfred, will also serve the Countess with all my heart.”
He was the only one who had cared for me in my past life when I was tormented by my aunt and uncle. So I could trust his words. As a sign of complete trust, I leaned my weight into his shoulder and let him hold me.
I am immensely grateful to Alfred… but I needed more proper protection.
I hope the things I sent today can change my situation.
‘Please, even just one person, please come.’
Help me.
With that desperate wish as my last thought, I fell into a deep sleep, as if fainting.
—
***
The rabbit doll came back to me.
In my past life, Robert had torn it beyond recognition, but this rabbit was my comfort doll. I was overjoyed to see the intact rabbit doll again.
That aside, I was having a terrible time. Weeks had passed since I sent Marilyn off. But no one came for me.
Were all three of them ignoring it? If the fiery love between them and my mother was just a midsummer night’s dream to them…
‘No, maybe they haven’t received the tokens yet.’
What if Marilyn didn’t deliver them? What if the Tesarus magic didn’t work?
One thought led to another, stretching out endlessly.
“I told you to stop that gambling!”
Startled by the sharp noise, I hugged the rabbit doll tightly.
“Do I have to cut off your hands for you to stop?”
As usual, the morning began with Juliana’s shrill voice.
Étienne, who loved gambling and drinking, had been going to casinos and gambling dens every single day since arriving in Elmeras.
As a wife, it would be infuriating to see your husband come home every morning, reeking of alcohol, saying he lost money.
But I didn’t feel a shred of sympathy for Juliana, who had already hired a contractor to change the family name, even though she wasn’t even my legal guardian yet.
Étienne reeked of alcohol as he made excuses.
“Yesterday was just bad luck! Some weirdo showed up and won all the money! Hic!”
“Is that supposed to be an excuse?”
The argument between the two grew fiercer.
Furious, Juliana threw a glass cup at him. The glass hit the stone floor, shattering into pieces that scattered everywhere.
“Eek!”
I screamed involuntarily. At the same time, my body was lifted into the air.
“Stop it, you’re scaring the child.”
A man said, as he lifted me up by putting his hands under my armpits.
Juliana’s eyes widened at the appearance of this unfamiliar intruder.
“Who are you…?”
The first thing that caught her eye was the man’s rather shabby, comfortable clothing. Juliana, looking him up and down, frowned. Étienne, standing beside her, wore an expression of shock.
“You… you!”
His face flushed red as he pointed a trembling finger at the man.
“It’s him! This bastard! He cleaned out the whole gambling den yesterday! A nobody with unbelievable luck, tch.”
“What?”
Juliana looked at the man again, shocked. Hostility and wariness flashed in both their eyes.
I dangled from the man’s arms, looking at the two of them.
*Thump, thump.*
My heart began to pound with anticipation.
Maybe, just maybe…!
“I appreciate the compliment, but my business isn’t with you, mister.”
I forcefully turned my head to look at the man’s face. The first things that caught my eye were his wild red hair and blue eyes.
Those eyes were looking at me.
I’d never seen him before, but I knew who he was at a glance.
“Are you my daughter?”
Keith Lorelai Flanders.
The first father candidate.
