I was squatting in the hallway, resting my chin on my knees. “There’s really nowhere to go.” Dione said she’d come to pick me up at five. There was still a lot of time until then. “I should’ve at least brought a book.” I’d packed so many things to give to that annoying Alexis that there was no room left for even one book. The instructors dressed like prisoners and the ones dressed like guards kept glancing at me. No matter how much this was a training camp, it was a place pretending to be a prison, so maybe I was being too obvious. A kid dressed like a prisoner walking by stopped when he saw me. “Oh? It’s that young lady.” He was the kid who was with the chief (the guard-costumed man I just spoke to) when I first came to Egrits training camp. The kid squatted down in front of me. Looking at him , he looked really young. I asked, and he smiled. A squire is someone who runs errands for a knight and learns to wield a sword. “But isn’t that too young?” He smiled, curling the corners of his mouth. His expression said, Who’s calling who a baby? “He’s a genius. His name is Luca.” “Waiting for the chief?” “Alexis told me to wait until it was time to leave.” “Wow, you must be really bored. Do you know how to play chess?” Luca laughed and jumped up. “Come with me. There’s a chessboard in my room.” Saying that, Luca looked around. “Do you want to come too?” Then faces of boys popped out from around the corner, one after another. “That’s so cheap. I wanted to talk to her.” “She’s a noble lady and she’s answering us commoners.” “We’re going to be knights too.” “I heard the older guys said it’s hopeless as long as knights serve these noble kids.” They were whispering among themselves but didn’t dare come closer to me. “If I make you uncomfortable, I’m sorry.” “Don’t be silly. Who could be uncomfortable with such a cute noble lady?” Luca bent slightly and tilted his face toward me with a grin. “He’s really easy to talk to.” He had a cat-like, charming face with slightly upturned eyes. He’d probably be very popular when he grows up. “Are you okay if those kids come near you?” Luca nodded and told the others. “She said you can come.” The boys hesitated but approached. I quickly stood up from where I was. I walked down the hallway with Luca and three other boys. They kept looking at me with admiration, which made me a little embarrassed. Luca chuckled and covered his mouth with his fist. “It’s because it’s your first time seeing a noble lady.” “You’re a squire, right?” Squires lived in noble houses, running errands for knights. “We’re all orphans. We lived in the orphanage at Bushez Manor, but it burned down and we had nowhere to stay.” “These knights at this training camp took us in.” “Well, we don’t know if we’ll really become knights.” He brought out a chess set and a clock, and gave me one of the chairs at the table. It was a wooden chessboard and pieces, all handmade. One of the boys said, “Luca made this. He’s really good with his hands. He even sharpens all our pencils.” They really looked up to Luca. He tousled one boy’s hair; his smile was refreshing. “Hmm, if kids like these reincarnated in Korea, they’d probably become idols.” Han Jihyeok, who I thought looked like an idol, was wiped from my mind. We started playing chess. Luca’s skill was impressive. He had a ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) broad vision, you could say. I used to think chess was a noble’s exclusive game, but that was prejudice. “At this rate, I could even play against Joshua, the best chess player at the Factory.” I pondered for a long time on my turn. “If I put it here, the queen will be captured, but over there, the rook...” Near the end of my turn, I reluctantly pulled my queen back for protection. But right after that, I groaned. “I put it where the knight can capture it.” If Luca was good at chess, he’d strike immediately on that mistake. I already knew I was going to lose, so I put on a sulky face. But Luca moved the bishop instead of the knight. No, I’d seen him glance at the knight earlier. He squinted one eye and looked disappointed. “Oh, I could have captured it with the knight.” “Was that on purpose?” I was starting to understand why all these kids respected Luca so much. While we were playing chess, He suddenly shouted while touching a chess piece. Maybe he pricked his finger on a splinter. Luca quickly pushed the chessboard aside and came over to me. While Luca was speaking, A familiar voice came from the doorway. I turned my head and saw Alexis. “...Just a little prick.” He said to stop earlier, but what use was complaining to such a young kid? I nodded. Alexis carefully opened my hand. “There’s no blood. Go back and put some medicine on it.” “Let’s go. I’ll take you to the front.” He stepped out ahead, as if waiting for me at the door. “Stubborn as always.” He was stubborn even when I read the novel, but meeting him in person, he was really steel-willed. I waved to Luca and the others. They said goodbye with sad faces. I walked down the hallway with Alexis. “Don’t spend money on me.” I widened my eyes at Alexis’s words. “You must’ve spent a lot if you’re just hanging around here. You’re the owner of this manor, so you can do whatever you want.” As we approached the locked main gate, the chief (pretending to be a guard) was just coming in. “Don’t come back here.” “Why do you say that?” “If I tell you not to come, then don’t. You have to live in the light.” “Don’t come to such a dark place.” “What should I do with you?” I felt sorry for him when I read the novel, but seeing him in person, I felt it even more. “Don’t come again...” “No place where Alexis is is dark.” I waved my hand and told the chief, I left with the chief. I could feel Alexis’s gaze on my back. I rode the carriage back to the castle with Dione. When I spoke at the castle gate, Dione quickly waved both hands. “I had fun at the shopping district too. I bought gifts for Mother! Ah, and I got something for Erilot too...” Then Dione handed me a sketchbook. It had way more pages than a normal sketchbook. “Winter break is long. I thought you could use this during winter!” Dione smiled shyly, and I hugged the sketchbook. “Then you go inside! I’ll watch the luggage move from the carriage.” After saying goodbye to Dione, I walked down the hallway. I heard Conrad’s voice behind me. I turned my head quickly and saw him smiling at me. “Yes. Sister Dione told me to rest.” I held out the sketchbook, and Conrad smiled saying that was good. “Where are you going, Conrad?” “To the relic storage.” “Yes. It’s where relics are kept. It’s the birthday of Marquis Matyuadi, the elder council member.” Ah, Grandpa must have told him to deliver something to Marquis Matyuadi, who liked relics. “Have you ever been there, miss?” “You’ll see it during history class later. They often request to view relics for the class. Would you like to go?” Since history class was soon, maybe I should see it once. I didn’t have anything else to do. I headed toward the end of the second-floor hallway with Conrad. The servants had already opened the relic storage and were organizing. Conrad checked the list he brought and nodded. “Where are the ancient coins?” So those were the ancient coins. I’d only seen round coins before, but these had an unusual shape. They were convex triangular shapes. Conrad put the list on the table and examined the coins’ condition. “Gather the clean ones. Also that flask...” While Conrad was talking with the servants, I looked at the relics. “I don’t understand why people like relics so much.” They didn’t have any special powers like holy relics. To me, they were just decorations, but the price was astronomical, which surprised me. I looked at the list Conrad put down. It had both holy relics and relics. The holy relics were marked in red. “Right. The holy relics are better.” I nodded looking at the ‘Altar Master’s Bracelet.’ It was said to store magic. I hadn’t known Astra had something . Thinking so, I turned the page. There was a picture of the Holy Grail, marked as a holy relic. “Why is there an X mark here?” Only this Holy Grail had an X mark. “That’s because it’s a lost heirloom. It disappeared in the previous generation.” “An heirloom? Was there such a thing?” It was the first time I heard that, so I tilted my head and looked closely at the picture. But it looked somehow familiar. “Where have I seen this before...?” I thought for a long time, then suddenly something flashed in my mind. It was the Holy Grail I saw in my room’s basement. The gems were all gone, and it was terribly rusty, so I didn’t recognize it at first. Is this the lost heirloom? “It’s called the ‘Holy Grail of Truth.’ It’s said to have the power to erase false power.” “Does it really have that kind of power?” I need to check it myself in my room. I put the picture back on the table. “I’m bored now. I’m leaving.” Saying that, Conrad smiled gently. He looked like he thought a kid might find this boring. “Yes, have a good evening.” Saying that, I quickly returned to my room. I closed the door firmly, checking two or three times that it was locked, then entered the dressing room. I grabbed the lantern I had hidden earlier so I could bring it with me. Then I clicked the button that opened the basement door. Lighting the lantern, I slowly went down to the basement. As usual, the Holy Grail was lying on the floor. I quickly approached and grabbed the grail. I shone the lantern closely on it. “It looks like the same grail from the picture.” I wasn’t sure because it was so damaged. “If this really is the grail...” My eyes sparkled involuntarily. Its uses would be endless! False power usually means a curse. If it’s a tool to break curses, just having it would be power. Holy relics resonate with magic. I gathered magic from my dantian and slowly sent it to the grail. The basement was silent. “Is it a replica? What’s this?” Well, there was a replication blessing stone. Replication of relics and holy relics was common. Thinking about it, they probably wouldn’t keep such an incredibly powerful grail in such a state. Disappointed, I put the grail down and hurried up the stairs. I put the used lantern back in the dressing room and opened the door as if nothing happened. “Miss, when did you come home?” The maids were in the bedroom: Hilda and Greta. Startled, I rolled my eyes. “Uh... I just got back.” “They timed it well.” They didn’t seem to find it suspicious that I came out of the dressing room. Hilda and Greta helped me change clothes. I changed into comfortable clothes and washed my hands with the water Greta brought. “I’ll have dinner brought to the dining room. What would you like today?” “I want... meat... ugh!” Suddenly, dizziness hit me. I gasped and struggled for breath. The room spun, and ringing filled my ears. “Why is this happening? Because of the grail?” Am I being punished for wanting too much? My body wobbled and my vision narrowed. The maids shouted in alarm. When I came to, I felt a strange sensation. Having felt this several times before, I immediately realized. How many times am I going to dream this? “Every time I touch the grail, I dream of Erilot.” That means it’s not just a nonsense dream. Erilot was inside a prison. From what I could tell, it was the underground prison of the Factory. She was leaning against the wall, looking resigned and powerless. I wondered who it was, but Erilot didn’t turn her head, so I couldn’t see their face. “How is it today? Do you feel like cooperating before you die?” The voice sounded distorted. All I could tell was it was an adult male speaking. Erilot was staring blankly at the air. Something was strange. It felt different from being resigned and exhausted. A hazy feeling of losing control of thoughts. At that moment, the man said, “Looks like not much time is left.” “This scene isn’t in the novel either.” The man clicked his tongue. Just as he was about to leave, a few steps away, “How much have you messed up my life...?” Erilot said with difficulty. “Messed up? It was just fate for things to be this way.” “Why are you to me? What did I do so wrong to you all?” Her voice sounded like it might break any second. The man showed no emotion even seeing that. “So why were you born with such a blessing? It’s annoying.” “Born with such a blessing?” I couldn’t understand. Wasn’t Erilot powerless, without any blessing? Before I could ask, the man left the prison cell. My vision gradually grew hazy. Like the man said, Erilot didn’t have much time left. It seemed like she would die any moment. I had no idea what had happened. “In the novel, she was executed, right?” Patak, tak! Urgent footsteps came. Two people entered the cell and started shaking her awake. “Hey! Erilot! Snap out of it!” “Erilot. Don’t lose consciousness.” The blurred faces of the men began to clear. Red hair and black eyes. Blond hair and blue eyes. “I never got to say sorry... I thought it was all your fault!” “Try to stay conscious. Until we get you to a healer—” But despite their efforts, Erilot’s strength continued to fade. Eventually, she slumped in their arms. The anguished voice faded. My soul was snapped out of Erilot’s body like it was bounced away. Then the red light drained from Erilot’s body. The world shook, twisting everything. A wave of light rushed toward me, and I squeezed my eyes shut. When I opened them again— “Oh, how sad. Your husband died during childbirth, huh?” —I was in a hospital. In the original world’s hospital. “What? What’s going on?” I looked around in a hurry. It seemed like a maternity ward, with lots of newborns gathered. But in front of one child, the red light that had come out of Erilot before she died was gathered. I glanced at the name tag on the crib without thinking. When I saw the name, all I could do was bitter laugh. I was stunned speechless. The name on the tag was... —Because it was my own name.