Demonas

Family (3)

After the snack break with Rowan, Altair returned to her room. She felt as though she had just gotten over a difficult hurdle.

‘Was a conversation with my father ever this difficult…?’

Altair sighed feverishly as she sat at her desk. Spreading her hands so that her palms were visible.

No scars, no calluses. An aristocrat’s hand.

‘How long is this fantasy going to last…?’

It was daunting to play as my 12-year-old self considering how I have to rely solely on my memories without any information.

From the small question of what the gift from her father was to the way she spoke and the habits that she had at that point of time to her relationships.

There is just too much information that she was missing.

‘I’ll need to sort out what I need to remember.’

Eventually, she searched through the drawers and found some papers and pens. Then, Altair started to quickly write something down.

[ Imperial Powers

Year 609 (12-years-old) – Present Day (Ahin’s 10)

Year 610 (13-years-old) – Father’s death

Year 614 (17-years-old) – Ahin Estarrot appears

Year 617 (20-years-old) – First monster invasion

Year 619 (22-years-old) – Outbreak of war

Year 625 (28-years-old) – Second monster invasion

Year 626 (29-years-old) – Death ]

This was a record of the historical events that revolve around her memory of her previous life.

Having stopped writing, she glanced over the paper, once again, lost in thought.

‘Father’s death. The first monster invasion. The war that never seems to stop. Ahin’s awakening and betrayal.’

This is excellent.

Except for the death of her mother, who had died when she was young, the list goes back to almost every single incident that she has regrets for in her previous life.

Whoever sent her back to this point of time seemed to whisper, ‘Try to change it if you can.’

She slowly closed her eyes.

‘Ahin, is this your test?’

It turns out that the man who everyone pointed out to be the devil was the devil.

But he was different from the devil portrayed in various stories. He wasn’t the kind who pinpoints the weaknesses of man and whispering seductive words or taking away souls from unreasonable contracts.

The devil, who was more like a knight than anyone else, who always protected the empire, even though his efforts were not recognised.

There are still five years left until the 7th Princess’s birthday banquet, where he would officially make his social debut.

As she is now 12 years old, Ahin, who is two years younger than her, will be 10 years old.

Since Ahin is still young, there was little harsh slander about him and it was only at the level of being mere rumours. In other words, there was still a chance to make a change.

Besides…

[ Everyone he meets, man or woman, young or old, will feel disoriented… ]

Altair recalled the stories she had heard about him.

The ability to ‘captivate’ others must’ve belonged to the devil, too.

I must get rid of the perception of him having that ability before his social debut. By doing so, I would then be able to get rid of the others.

She tapped her fountain pen on the paper as she drew up a plan for the future.

First things first, I need to meet him. After confirming his current state, we should work together to control his devil.

This was the other reason as to why she wanted to learn swordsmanship from Arsene Estarrot.

Under the pretence of learning swordsmanship from the Count, I will be able to visit the Count regularly, allowing me to have the chance to visit him secretly.

I couldn’t miss this opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.

Liechton Rodner, a good-looking swordsman from the past, unfortunately, he would now be her scapegoat.

Altair, upon concluding, then created a blue aura and burnt the paper.

Standing up and moving to the front of the window, her gaze reached Rowan, who was giving orders to the knights in the lower gardens.

‘Oh, there’s one more thing…’

Scheduled a year from now. Her father, Rowan Chernobog’s death.

This was one of the past events that I wanted to change at all costs.

But unfortunately, she didn’t know much about Rowan’s death.

One evening, when the raining was falling heavily, her father hurriedly sent her younger self down to the Western section of the Chenobog estate.

After a three day journey, Altair finally stepped onto the land of her hometown. With a voice filled with excitement, she greeted those close to her. It was then when she found out about the obituary.

An accidental death.

[ It was a sad accident caused by a wagon being overthrown on a slope as the road was especially rough that day… ]

At least that was what to officials who investigated the accident said, but she did not believe them.

How many people flocked around her, the duke’s sole heir, to gain her favour after his death?

Altair could name a number of them who could have been involved in the death of her father.

Nevertheless, at that time, she could not afford to dig and find the root cause of this problem.

When I was a child, I struggled not to lose my family to other greedy family members and relatives.

When she finally took over the duchess and gained power and strength, her father’s death had already become a distant past.

She had sent her knights to investigate the events that occurred in detail and to find information from the black market. However, the search ended with no results.

This time, I will not let my father die in such a painful way.

‘God or anyone, are you listening…? I have no idea why you gave me back so much lost time, but I’ll waste this opportunity that you’ve given me.’

Tightly embracing the children’s rapier she received as a gift from Rowan, her eyes were bright, just like the sky.

Just you wait, I’ll change their fates and make sure I will never have regrets about it again.

***

Liechton Rodner was at a loss, having been selected to be a teacher for a young aristocrat’s first sword-handling lessons.

These types of positions are popular as the teacher usually doesn’t have to work very hard or do their best to prepare the student, yet they are heavily compensated.

Furthermore, the young aristocrat that he’ll be teaching is the only successor of the Duke of Chernobog, who is said to have the highest power in the empire, excluding the imperial family.

He had applied to be a teacher with relatively low expectations…

Platinum hair tied up like a foal’s tail, flushed cheeks that haven’t lost their baby fats, a doll-like nose, and big blue eyes.

I’m dealing with a 12-year-old girl who doesn’t seem to feel oppressed or pressured even though she was about to face off with the head of the Imperial Guards Corps.

“Teacher! You have to move both your arms and body together, not just aimlessly swinging your arms! You’ll be the first to die in battle if you are using the sword in such a mess!”

The sharp criticism was followed by a power command, exactly like an instructor.

His movements seem to be in perfect balance to an untrained eye, but in the eyes of Altair, who was strengthening her tendon with aura to compensate for her weak body, it seemed infinitely insufficient.

“Concentrate! Your wrists are weak, sir! As a swordsman, this is as if leaving your life out in the open!”

Soon enough, as a warning, short and powerful blows were applied to his wrist several times.

A little girl who he was supposed to be training was twisting around a child’s rapier and going up against a regular in the 1st Division of Capital Defense.

It was humiliating to call himself the title ‘teacher’.

Even her father, Rowan Chernobog, came down to observe the battle after having received a report.

He was usually a levelheaded man who always had a poker face on, but at this moment, there was nothing he could do to stop his eyes from shaking helplessly.

But Altair herself had a completely different idea and motive.

“Is this not enough? Do I have to show him how to deal with aura users…’

The moment she lost her concentration, her sword, now moving according to her instincts, aimed to strike at his neck, but it was stopped a small distance away.

It happened so quickly that Rodner himself went rigid and froze. The black knights of the Duke surrounded them to prevent any casualties from occurring. From his seat, Rowan jumped up.

“Altair!”

Rowan strode towards his breathless little daughter.

With one knee on the ground, he pressed a hand onto Altair’s shoulder.

“Where the hell did you learn and pick up this stuff?”

“What do you think? After seeing my ability, do you think I’m talented enough to ask Count Estarrot for lessons?”

Somewhat dismissing Rowan’s question, she asked proudly, raising her chin.

“I’ll take you to meet him in another way very soon. I’m not patient enough to wait any longer.”

The employees who noticed Rowan’s intentions moved quickly. It appears that Estarrot was going to be receiving a very interesting visit.

Rowan, who was pressing the centre of his forehead ordered in a low voice.

“Altair, you should change your clothes and get ready to go out.”

“Father? What are you talking about…?”

“Hurry up.”

It was a firm tone that left no room for any discussion.

‘I feel like I’ve just made a huge mistake…’

In a fit of frustration, I got myself involved in a coaching struggle, and I didn’t bring it out yet, I thought I’d spent enough time with the sword to break it in one stroke…

‘Is someone trying to pin the blame onto Ahin Estarrot…?’

Swallowing, she went back to her room and let herself be dressed in the hands of all the maids, some of which had already gone out to get ready all the necessities to go out.

***

It was a rather harsh scene.

First, the carriage of the Duke of Chenobog entered the Estarrot’s residence while being escorted by the White Lion knights.

As if to counter them, they were greeted by the golden knights of Estarrot, who had been lined up in a straight line on both sides.

It seems as if the two household’s knights are confronting each other and are about to face off in a fierce battle.

Soon after, the carriage stopped completely and Ahin’s father, Arsene Estarrot, who was waiting at the end came forward and greeted them.

“Here you are, Duke of Chernobog.”

Dressed in finely embroidered silver robes, he looked as if Ahin had returned from her previous life, except for the fact that he did not have red eyes.

A solid physique, ebony black hair, facial features that are so beautiful as if they had been sculpted, and tightly closed lips.

Those daunting golden eyes, just like a wild beast, seemed to overwhelm their surroundings with a commanding atmosphere.

Unlike Ahin, who always seemed precarious, this was a man was one who appears as being reliable and stable.

Rowan, who got off the carriage, responded with a soft glow in his clear eyes.

“It’s been a long time, Count Estarrot. Now that I’m done with formalities, I’ll be talking to you on my own.”

“That’ll be an honour.”

Both sides were exchanging greetings in a calm and civil manner, however, the subordinates lined up behind them were all nervous.

It was because the meetings between these two aristocrats, who ruled the empire, have never ended well.

Moreover, Chernobog’s knights, who were not aware of the details of the situation were left on their own to guess. This eventually led to them guessing, ‘Is the Lord finally going to declare war on Estarrot’s land?’ In the meantime, the young duchess was determined to stop any of that happening by throwing herself forward should anything go wrong.

At the same time, the little duchess was struggling to contain her childlike excitement.

She was screaming inwardly, unable to take her gaze away from the gentle and mighty warrior that is standing in front of her.

‘This is what he is. The one and only, Count Estarrot, Arsene Estarrot.’

It was extremely worthwhile to see him in person.

No, it’s even worth dying once.

[ If only Count Estarrot were here… ]

That was the words that the officers under command frequently lamented when facing a crisis that was too hard to handle during the war.

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However, after having died once, there is still a chance to miraculously physically meet with such a person and even go up against him with a sword.

Although this might not be a very favourable situation, she couldn’t stop her heart from beating quickly.

‘How strong will he be? Could he possibly be even stronger than Ahin Estarrot?’

She climbed out and sighed at the Count, and smiled unwittingly when their eyes met.

When the Count first caught sight of her, he looked surprised. Rowan, who hadn’t missed it, sighed unceasingly.