Chapter 17

After a while, Heron spoke again.

“Isn’t it funny to squeeze a ruse out of that little head?”

“When I was caught, I was impressed by the way you didn’t do so, Duke.”

Carlton thought it was a little strange. ‘He’s not the one who repeats the same thing.’ Today while he was talking to Viola, Heron seemed to repeat the same sentiment numerous times. Maybe it’s because he’s disappointed with the youngest Princess.

The duke continued.

“But she has to change a little bit from now on.”

The first time is a mistake. Nonetheless, mistakes should not be repeated. Now that he has taught her, the direction will have to change in the future. Verratoux should act like Verratoux. That’s what Heron thought. However, he kept thinking about her peach-colored plump cheeks and creamy face. Carlton continued.

“Since you met her for the first time today, I think she’ll show a different side at the welcoming dinner, more Verratoux like.”

“She should, or she’ll be beheaded.”

There seemed to be a feeling of doubt at the tip of his mind. Heron remembered her desire and her obsession with egg tarts, which was close to craziness and obsession. Viola was like a hedgehog looking for food. She had a disheveled appearance that was never seen in a pure-blooded Verratoux. Her purple hair was flowing down on her face and her plump cheeks with peach-colored cheeks.

The laxity of eating with cream on cheeks and lips. Her crazy-like gaze towards the egg tart.

A child who gives the egg tart out of her tenacity with noticeable regret. She was much smaller than seven years of her age, but strangely, Viola kept appearing in his mind.

The Duke shook his head without anyone knowing and thought to himself several times. ‘No. Verratoux should be like Verratoux.’ It’s as if he’s chanting a spell. Heron kept denying what he had been pondering. He repeated it to himself.

‘You’re my father from now on.’

‘Treat me dearly.’

Her words kept ringing in his ears. He deliberately, forcefully, once again, thought vigorously. ‘If she’s not acting like a Verratoux, I’ll behead her.’

Meanwhile, Viola returned to her room. She then laid down on the bed.

‘Wow.’

Today’s experience was exceptional. I think I’ve been to heaven and hell dozens of times. ‘Why was he there?’ I don’t know why Heron Verratoux came to Azulezia.

Then, Viola fell asleep unknowingly. Thirty minutes later, I opened my eyes wide as though I had seen a ghost, shocked.

When I opened my eyes, I saw Xenon’s face.

“How long have I slept?”

“You slept thirty minutes and twelve seconds.”

I guess Xenon has been next to me for a while. Whenever I open my eyes from my sleep these days, I would see him. It made me wonder if the butlers always stay together with their masters like this.

I also felt that the time he was attached to me now, was as much as the time he was attached to the original Viola.

‘It’s probably just a feeling, isn’t it?’

In the original story, such things as ‘The Butler was attached for twenty-two hours, eleven minutes and ten seconds are not described. In fact, there is much more unexplained content than the novel had described.

‘I’m sure he was attached to Viola like this as well.’

Viola then said.

“Get me Tundra.”

***

‘I need to check.’

A strange phenomenon occurs when Viola meets Tundra. When they make eye contact or touch each other for a while, she would get dizzy. Then, without realizing it, she lost her body to the real Viola.

‘I need to know the baseline, so I can be more prepared.’

Tundra came in. His wounds were almost healed, but he still had restraining tools on the wrist and ankle.

“How’s it going?”

“It’s gotten a lot better.”

“That’s good.” Viola nodded.

She looked directly towards Tundra since she couldn’t get used to his face. He looks exactly like Kang Han-Joon, her twelve-year-old brother, in her previous life.

“You know why I have you called, don’t you?”

“I do. You want me to be your hunting dog someday.”

“Right. Come closer.”

Viola went closer to Tundra. She couldn’t ask him to do a staring contest or hug him all of a sudden. So, she decided to check in Viola’s way.

“I need a dog. A well-trained and sharp-toothed hound.”

In the original, Tundra learns the sword from Hixen, who is staying as a guest at the dukedom.

“What’s your tool then?”

“Pardon?”

“What kind of weapon are you good at?”

“I’m..”

Tundra hesitated. Then, Viola took his hand.

She had to check it. ‘I think it’s all right to hold it lightly.’

I didn’t feel dizzy. So, it is okay to hold hands. Next, I touched his palm and fingers. There were a lot of calluses on the index and middle finger.

‘It’s still fine up to touch until here.’

Viola touched the shoulders and back of Tundra slightly. She felt his muscles. The muscle texture that Viola was touching with her finger shook like a live fish.

“Your shoulders and back muscles are quite developed, and you are wearing animal skins that are very crude.”

“..Yes.” Tundra felt his face burning.

‘Strange.’

The twelve-year-old tundra felt a mysterious feeling. ‘Do puppies who accept their owners’ touch feel this way?’ That was Tundra’s thought.

“The material is tough, and it can protect the skin, but it doesn’t have a cooling function.”

“The south is warmer than here. Near your cabin, there is rough terrain.”

She got to know him through physical contact. Viola thought it would be all right as long as they didn’t hug each other.

“And you lived in such a poor place that you were attacked and helplessly kidnapped by such a poor band of bandits.”

“Yes.”

“You and your father were mountain hunters.”

Viola continued without hesitation. Anyway, it is a novel, so she knew everything.

“The son of a hunter.”

Viola moved her hand. She rubbed the callus of Tundra. ‘Hmm. Is this okay?’ She clasped her fingers tightly. Testing one thing or another, she continued as not to be suspicious.

“I would say you wanted the bow. That’s probably why you have calluses in your index finger and middle finger, right?”

“..That’s right. I learned how to bow.”

Tundra bit his lips slightly.

‘Odd.’ This feeling is not unfamiliar. ‘Why..It felt like I have Viola somewhere. It can’t be.’ But strangely, he kept feeling strange.

‘What is this..this feeling.’

Viola’s voice was heard.

“I don’t need a hound that doesn’t even know what his own teeth are.” Tundra looked puzzled.

He couldn’t understand what she was saying. Of course, she was a novel reader, so it was something she knows very well.

Hixen, who will be Tundra’s teacher said, ‘This bastard has exceptionally good fuselage vision and excellent reflexes at close distances. He was born with explosive physical abilities through momentary muscle contraction and relaxation.’

「 Above all, your body is specialized in ‘dark.’ You need to master the sword. 」

So, Viola said. “You should learn the sword, not the bow.”

Okay.

Finished checking.

Finger flick was all right.

She had to understand it well. If she loses her body to Viola by mistake, She doesn’t know what would happen.

“I’ve never handled a sword before.”

‘I wouldn’t have had a chance anyway.’ It’s an expensive weapon for a black hunter to handle. It also requires systematic training and costs a lot of money to train ‘black.’ Therefore, it is difficult to handle swords properly unless they are aristocrats.

Viola whispered in the ear of Tundra.

“For me, learn the sword.”

Clank.

She released the restraint on his wrist.

Clank. Viola then let go of his other wrist.

“I need a hound who learns how to use a sword.”

Clank, clank.

Lastly, she even loosened the restraints on both ankles.

“I will introduce you to a great swordsman.”

I made brief eye contact with Tundra. Inside, I counted the numbers. ‘One, two, three.’ About three seconds was fine. She continued to experiment. However, after three seconds, she started to feel a little dizzy. ‘This is still okay.’

Four seconds. Five seconds.

‘Now I’m at the limit, huh?’

Tundra avoided my eyes first. He lowered his eyes slightly, and his face was all red. What’s wrong with him? Why is he feeling so shy? His face is really red. ‘Maybe it’s because he’s in puberty. Maybe because he’s embarrassed.’

“Well, my Lord.”

“Why?”

“Originally, don’t aristocrats hesitate to touch a man’s body?”

Viola burst into laughter.

“A Man?”

“Yes.”

For Viola, it is hard to see Tundra as a man. Although her body is seven years old, her mind is twenty-one years old. So, it is impossible for her to see a twelve-year-old child as a man.

‘And now that I’m aware of it..’ This kid can’t even look at her eyes because his face is so hot. Tundra is tapping the ground with his toes. It’s just so cute.

The kid asked seriously.

“..I’m not a man?”

“You are a dog.”

“Then, I need a hand.”

Hmm. What should she say to that serious expression of his? Sometimes he looked like a ferocious beast, but now he looked desperate for something.

Is she saying that child is a child then?

Viola put her hand on Tundra’s head. She then rubbed it.

Tundra didn’t hate the touch. It was a comforting touch. Especially now that there’s nothing left for you in this world.

There was no one.

And always a sense of loss in the corner of his heart, Tundra missed people’s touch and voice.

He opened his mouth. “To be a good man, I’ll learn how to do it.”

“Really?”

“I promise.”

Tundra wanted to learn more about swords.

“If I learn the sword diligently..”

Tundra’s eyes turned to Viola’s hand. He looked at that hand that was placed on his head earlier. ‘Will she stroke me again like that? And will she admit me as a man?’ He wished she could do that. He sincerely felt that way.

“Master.” Tundra knelt down.

All of a sudden.

Tundra kneeled in front of Viola and fell.

“I promise to brush my own teeth.”

One day he’ll be recognized as a man.

He then kissed Viola’s feet slightly.

This was an action by slaves when they swore allegiance to their master, or when a debtor expressed extreme courtesy to their benefactor.

Tundra, sleep with a reverent mind. God gave the best example that he could do. Viola almost kicked Tundra.

‘Oh, it’s gross!’

There is no such custom in Korea in the twenty-first century that is like this. So, she was not used to it. The feeling of being treated with respect is nothing but embarrassing. She was out all day today and wasn’t able to wash up yet.

‘What if my feet stink?’