Chapter 17

# 17

|

* * *

The next morning.

Next to Nabiya, several lamps and candlesticks had been placed.

Rustle.

"Mark magic... This isn't it."

Rustle.

"Hmm. This one isn't it either..."

Nabiya quickly flipped through the pages, scanning the content she already knew, but there was nothing worth referencing.

'I don't have time to look further if not now...'

She had taken a nap, but she was extremely tired from trying to find clues about her ability.

Nabiya stretched and glanced at the last remaining book.

It was a thin book covered in dark red leather.

〈Deities of the Outer World〉

Nabiya picked up the book.

"Could my regression and the Black Moon be related to this?"

In the world, besides the gods that formed it, there existed 'deities of the outer world.'

The book described the existence of these outer deities as follows:

The outer deities are indifferent to human good and evil, and consider humans to be worthless.

Moreover, the outer deities are the embodiment of chaos and possess the ability to break the laws of this world.

This meant they had the power to easily ignore the rules that govern magic.

Magic is a great power, but it cannot control life and death.

In this sense, regression, which is clearly related to life and death, was a power that did not follow the rules of this world.

'If my ability really comes from an outer deity, that would be even stranger.'

Furthermore, she had even developed the ability to steal others' magic.

'Could there be some secret about my biological parents?'

Biological parents. Nabiya unconsciously bit her lip at the word.

She had been placed in a basket and abandoned at an orphanage when she was just a baby.

The only clue about her biological parents was a single card with a name written on it.

The single word 'Nabiya' written in beautiful handwriting.

'Even if I was to be abandoned, they at least had the grace to give me a name.'

Nabiya's eyes turned cold, but she quickly resumed her thoughts as if nothing had happened.

There had been no one with silver hair or red eyes near the orphanage in the past 20 years.

'The only clue about my biological parents was that card. It's as if they deliberately intended to isolate me completely.'

Could it be that she was abandoned at the orphanage because she was an unnecessary existence?

'If that's the case, I can understand.'

She had seen, heard, and experienced so much at Agnes where even the affection they had raised her with was easily discarded.

Nabiya, with eyes as if she were submerged in a deep swamp, tidied up the books and left the library.

She had no special achievements, so her steps back to her room were heavy.

She was also so sleepy that she felt drowsy.

Nabiya noticed Charlotte coming to meet her with a worried look.

"Did you stay up all night?"

"A little."

Is there such a thing as staying up 'a little'? Charlotte couldn't hide her disappointment but said with relief,

"Lord Spencer has taken four days off. There are no classes, so you should get some sleep now, Miss."

"Are you not hungry?"

"Oh."

Now that she thought about it, she realized she hadn't properly taken care of her meal while investigating the Black Moon.

Once she recognized her hunger, her already flat stomach felt even more empty.

"Can I have some warm soup?"

"Of course. I saw that apples came into the kitchen yesterday, so I'll bring some juice made from them this morning."

Apple juice?

Nabiya looked at Charlotte with a slightly open mouth and a surprised expression.

Apples were quite common in the capital, but to Nabiya, they were as precious as gold.

The sweeter the food, the more Nikan had strictly forbidden her from tasting it, saying it would spoil her.

"Miss?"

Charlotte, puzzled, waited for her response, and Nabiya's cheeks turned slightly red.

"Ah, yes. Please bring that too."

"Please? I should bring it for you, of course."

Charlotte smiled softly, seeing Nabiya's delight at the apple juice.

She felt a mix of pity and satisfaction.

'I should bring a large cup full of it.'

Such juices and desserts were never Nabiya's share. If she wanted to bring them, she would have to steal them, but Charlotte was confident.

She was very quick-handed, which meant she was skilled at stealing or switching things.

The kitchen would be chaotic with the cook and other servants, so she could seize the opportunity.

'Besides, it's not the time when the servants of the young master or Miss Vivian are active, so I can definitely bring it.'

"Go rest in bed. I'll be right back."

Nabiya nodded and entered her bedroom, while Charlotte hummed a tune as she headed to the kitchen.

Click.

When she opened the kitchen door and entered, she saw someone she didn't like.

"Oh. Charlotte?"

Maki, Ann, and Laura—Vivian's dedicated maids.

'What are they doing here at this time?'

Charlotte looked at the three with puzzlement. Had Vivian woken up early today?

It wasn't impossible, so she thought it could be the case.

What was strange was not just that.

'What about the cook and the other servants? Where are they?'

The cook might have gone to rest after preparing meals for Nikan and the direct bloodline, but it was too strange that none of the kitchen servants were around.

It was as if someone had deliberately left the kitchen empty.

Charlotte's eyes narrowed with a premonition when Maki spoke to her.

"Are you here to prepare Miss Nabiya's meal?"

Charlotte knew Maki wasn't the type to show interest in what she was doing, so she felt something was off and tried to block her approach.

"Yes. You should focus on your work; you must be busy."

"Hmph."

The two of them had almost entered the mansion at the same time.

Both were good at their jobs and had sharp senses, which allowed them to quickly advance to the positions of dedicated maids to the young ladies.

But their fates diverged here.

One became the maid of the real young lady, and the other became the maid of the fake young lady.

Charlotte had no complaints about this, as she had no intention of staying here for life. She was satisfied with taking care of Nabiya, who didn't require much attention.

But Maki didn't think that way.

She looked down on Charlotte for serving Nabiya.

"I really envy Charlotte. Preparing Miss Nabiya's meal should be quick, right? We have so much to carry, it's heavy to death."

"Ha ha!"

Ann and Laura, standing next to Maki, couldn't hold back their laughter as they watched Charlotte fill a shallow dish with soup.

Charlotte looked at them coldly, putting down the soup and turning around.

Maki exaggeratedly said with a surprised look,

"Are you upset? It's just a joke! Hehe."

"..."

Charlotte turned her head, feeling exasperated, but stopped.

Maki was deliberately showing off several glasses filled with freshly squeezed apple juice.

Noticing her gaze, Maki said slyly,

"Miss Vivian is so kind that she shares the juice with us. It's best to take plenty. Right, girls?"

"Since no one else will drink it except for Miss Vivian, we might as well take it all."

"Ahaha!"

As their mockery went too far, Charlotte, with a pained expression, tried to retort but held back.

'I promised to bring apple juice to Miss...'

If she didn't, they might take all the juice.

Charlotte's heart burned with anger as Maki took out several cups and filled them one by one, as if taunting her.

"There are five glasses of juice. One for Miss, three for us. What should we do with the last one?"

"Ah, has Miss Nabiya ever tasted apple juice?"

Maki chuckled and turned to Laura, giving her a nod.

'Put it in.'

Laura then took a small vial from her pocket, quickly mixed its contents into the juice, and hid the vial again.

The movement was so small, and Maki and Ann were covering for her, so Charlotte didn't see it.

Maki turned back with the glass in hand.

"Charlotte, give this to Miss. It's okay to bring one glass of juice secretly. If there's a problem, we'll say we brought it."

Maki's eyes gleamed cunningly as she said this.

"You should win Miss Nabiya's favor in advance. When she becomes the princess, she might give you something. That's how social life works."

On the surface, it was a plausible reason, but both Maki and Charlotte knew that the princess was just a puppet.

Maki twisted her lips.

'After causing us trouble with that unnecessary stunt yesterday, we can't just let that fake one off.'

They had deliberately waited for Charlotte to come, having even obtained a laxative to take revenge on Nabiya.

"Here, don't refuse. Take it."

Maki placed the glass of juice, which she had mixed with the laxative, on the tray with Nabiya's meal.