Navia is deep in thought, trying to figure out what she is missing, when she runs into Margaret and Minerva on their way up to the third floor.
Margaret asked, "Did you enjoy your meal with the Lord?"
"Yes."
Navia replied with a broad smile.
Margaret returned the smile and then noticed that Navia's hair was disheveled.
'Did the Lord ruffle her hair?'
"I'll redo your hair while we check out the things in the dressing room."
They went to the dressing room to look at the gifts Navia had received.
Charlotte was already inside, organizing things.
As they gathered, the conversation naturally turned to the disturbance that had happened the night before.
"But what exactly happened yesterday? Suddenly, His Highness the Prince..."
Navia answered with an expression that showed she didn't know either.
"I'm not sure. It seemed like he had escaped from somewhere."
Navia felt a sense of sympathy for Creed.
While tidying up her hair, Navia saw a ribbon and remembered something, asking Margaret, "Oh, did you replace the torn ribbon?"
"Huh? Was the ribbon torn?"
Oh?
Navia had thought the intact ribbon was naturally fixed by Margaret.
But this reaction...
"Ah, did Minerva change it?"
"No."
'Then why is the ribbon intact? Was it Lord Suleiman? That doesn't seem right...'
Then, Margaret spoke with a knowing look.
"It must be because of the maintenance restoration magic cast on the mansion."
"Maintenance restoration magic..."
"It's hard to notice because the mansion is all dark, but doesn't everything look as clean as new?"
At that, Navia looked around with newfound eyes.
Indeed, the mansion was as clean and intact as if it had just been built.
'So it's dark because of the maintenance restoration magic.'
Did the Duke do this because he found it bothersome to repair the mansion? So, he cast a spell that could restore torn things to their original state over the entire mansion?
'That can't be.'
Navia's expression gradually became calm.
Her face was completely focused in thought.
'Could this magic be related to the illness?'
The puzzle pieces started fitting together.
The picture was slowly coming together.
While she didn't have enough clues yet, Navia was able to make a plausible conjecture.
'Now that I think about it, the Duke always hid himself whenever something strange happened. Today was no different.'
Maintenance restoration magic.
Creed's mana.
Anesthetic.
The mansion darkened since he was eight years old and stopped going outside.
The one year she was originally supposed to stay.
"...Lifespan."
"Huh?"
Everyone turned around at Navia's murmur while laughing and looking at dresses and shoes.
Navia smiled as if nothing had happened.
Then, suddenly, she yawned long.
Margaret immediately reacted to the child's yawn.
"Are you sleepy?"
"Yes... I need to take a nap."
Navia, still not having strong stamina, needed to take regular naps.
They tidied the room and escorted Navia to her bedroom, each wishing her good sleep and sweet dreams.
Navia closed her eyes, feeling cozy.
After everyone left.
Swoosh.
Navia, pretending to be sleepy, opened her eyes sharply and got up.
Then, with a frighteningly expressionless face, she began preparing to go to Creed.
Her mind was filled with questions about Lark.
Navia sighed briefly and muttered to herself.
"Let's go to Creed first."
She went to Creed as if she were a spy, secretly gathering everything needed.
* * *
"I'm here, Creed."
"Grr!"
Upon seeing Navia, Creed immediately contorted his face threateningly, seemingly revitalized.
"I treated you and fed you this morning..."
I guess I can't win his favor all at once.
Navia sat down at a distance, in a kneeling position, waiting for him to calm down.
Creed watched her warily.
Pointing at Creed, Navia spoke slowly and clearly.
"Creed. Your name is Creed."
"......"
'I was right this morning. He does seem to react to his name.'
Then she pointed at herself.
"My name is Navia. Na, Vi, A."
"......"
Navia smiled at Creed, who continued to glare at her warily.
'We might be bound together in Eseled. No, we definitely will be.'
"So please take care of our dad."
Navia still called the Duke 'Duke' in front of Lark.
It just didn't feel right to call him 'father' yet, as if they were playing 'house'.
'If they decide to adopt me, the royal family will welcome it with open arms.'
Then she could call the Duke 'father' without hesitation.
When will Creed be adopted, I wonder?
"The royal family is a scary place, Creed."
"......"
"Did you come from there?"
Navia felt a sense of calmness in this non-conversation. Here, she could be honest.
"I am a returner. This is my ninth and final life."
"......"
"See this Black Moon? The Black Moon is a sudden ability I acquired. Why would something like this appear? Especially in my last life."
"......"
"The Black Moon can steal magic. But strangely, it doesn’t work on the Duke's ability."
"......"
"Does that mean the Duke's power isn’t pure magic?"
Is that why it's related to the many secrets here? Navia felt closer to Lark. As they spent more time together, the distance between them rapidly decreased.
And so, her anxiety grew.
Fear grew.
Having something precious means having a weakness.
Navia knew all too well that desire becomes a vulnerability.
"I want to be family with the Duke, but I'm scared I might not be able to do anything."
'But doing nothing out of fear won't improve anything.'
I've experienced that too much.
"If I am honest, will the Duke be honest with me?"
Navia felt strange as Creed seemed to understand everything she said.
"Did I talk too much? You must be hungry."
Navia unpacked the basket she brought.
She soaked bread in the thick soup and offered it to Creed, who quietly accepted and ate.
'He looks a bit... like a puppy.'
Navia smiled happily at his eating and unconsciously stroked his head.
He flinched.
"Oh, did you not like that? Sorry."
When Navia withdrew her hand, Creed cocked his head slightly before returning to his bread soaked in soup.
'He doesn't seem to mind...?'
It's better to be cautious, so she didn't stroke him again.
"When I saw you before, I had to look up quite a bit, but now we're about the same height."
Navia deliberately spoke to Creed in a gentle, soft voice. She hoped that he would sense no hostility in her voice.
"If Creed becomes my brother, he should call me sister Navia."
It was a bit funny.
Navia said teasingly,
"You have to call me sister Navia, Creed."
"Grrr!"
Navia felt a bit downcast when he suddenly got irritable.
"Not now, though."
Creed wolfed down everything she offered, from bread and soup to fruit.
"You eat well, don't you? The Duke doesn't like sour things."
"......"
Navia saw that he seemed quite pleased with the fullness and took the opportunity to check his wounds.
'It's strange to see improvement in just a few hours.'
Still, she checked each wound out of concern.
Creed kept flinching and hesitating because of the sudden approaches of the pale girl.
Her touch was very unfamiliar.
Why was she treating him so gently?
He didn't understand the words of the voice that kept speaking to him, sounding tender yet firm.
"Haven't you awakened yet? It's really frustrating. You're like a defective product!"
The only things in his world when he was lying on the ground, battered by magic, were the kicks flying at him and the sharp voices.
"It's okay."
Those words were unfamiliar.
"You'll be okay now, Creed."
He found himself listening more and more to the voice that kept speaking to him.
Navia packed the dishes back into the basket and stood up.
She had left like this earlier too.
Creed's hand twitched.
Clink. His movement made the chains produce a small sound.
Navia looked back at Creed with a puzzled expression, but he showed no change in posture.
"I'll come back, Creed."
Navia left, closing the prison door behind her, unaware that Creed's blue eyes were persistently following her.
Navia felt strangely encouraged after sharing her secrets with Creed.
'I'll tell him my secret.'
If he doesn't believe her, she'll just pass it off as a joke.
That's what Navia thought, then she wondered if she had always been so impulsive.
'...Is it the Duke's influence?'
Thinking about it felt odd.
She had struggled countless times to resemble Nikan, wanting to belong, to pretend to be kin. But it was hard to resemble someone so cruel, cold, calculating, and accustomed to wearing a mask.
She had admired those traits and strived to emulate them.
Training made those traits familiar, but now she felt different.
Here, she wasn't desperately trying to resemble someone. She was naturally persuaded and melted into it. She learned it by heart.
Navia glanced towards Lark's bedroom before entering her own room.
'...Should I tell him now?'
She swallowed dryly and approached his bedroom.
Knock, knock.
"Duke, I have something to tell you."
But there was no reply, even after waiting.
Knock, knock.
"Duke?"
She started to worry at the lack of response.
'If he has collapsed again...'
Click.
So, she took the liberty of opening the bedroom door.
"Duke."
But the room was empty.
'Where has he gone?'
She felt a bit deflated, having come with a resolute heart to find Lark but seeing that he wasn't there.
'I'll have to tell him later.'
Then, she was determined to say that she was a returner and might, or rather, would definitely be able to help him.
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