Chapter 75

Bichen overdid her role as an adopted daughter, Chapter 075. Soon, Zeron brought Bizhen, who had been waiting outside, into the room.

"Father!"

Bizhen, who had called him "Father" with a cheerful voice, suddenly became serious when her eyes met her mother Isabella's.

"Mother is here too."

"Bizhen, what brings you here?"

Mother, though trying to act solemn in front of her, couldn't hide her true nature.

"Well…."

Bizhen's eyes turned to Viola.

After all, the one who called her to this place was none other than Viola.

Viola spoke up.

"I said I would show you a spirit."

"That's right. Viola said she would show me a spirit."

Bizhen was filled with excitement and hope.

Spirits in the world.

A spirit mage being born in Bellatu.

To the purebloods of Bellatu, this was an incredibly rare and wondrous event.

"Water is said to gush out."

Though trying to restrain herself in front of her father and mother, Bizhen was like an excited puppy.

She looked as if she might drool if left unchecked.

A magnificent water spirit that gushed like a fountain and a waterfall. The fact that it was a spirit king candidate, the spirit lord Kel, made Bizhen's heart race.

"Mother, you didn't invite my brother, did you?"

"No, I didn't invite Bizhen."

"Father didn't either, right?"

"Right."

"The hosts of this gathering are the two of you, and you can't deny that."

The hosts of this gathering were not Viola but Heron and Isabella.

The hosts did not invite Bizhen.

"Brother Bizhen is a thoroughly educated successor candidate, and despite that, he came here in response to my call, to a place he wasn't invited to by Father and Mother."

"That's true."

Isabella's eyes narrowed.

Viola's words had a point.

Now, the situation made Bizhen look like she had acted too rashly.

It was unbecoming of Bellatu.

"One, Bizhen is a curious child. That curiosity turns into a desire to explore, and a child with a strong desire to explore can grow into a fine adult. I don't want to scold her."

"I didn't ask you to scold her."

After all, Viola didn't want Bizhen to be scolded.

She finally said what she really wanted to say.

"If someone other than me had called Brother Bizhen, would he have come here?"

Viola shifted her gaze to Bizhen.

"Brother, you know this is against etiquette, right?"

"T, that's…."

Bizhen was a bit flustered.

She was so captivated by the spirit that she hadn't thought that far.

She had made a mistake in her excitement, more so than usual.

Viola smiled.

'You can't say yes.'

To know it was against etiquette and still come to an uninvited table?

It would be better to say she hadn't thought about it.

The floodgates were open.

She was curious. She had a strong desire to explore.

Because of that, she couldn't see anything else and delved deeply into one thing.

'That's better.

Instead of the flustered Bizhen, Viola continued speaking.

"Still, the reason he came here is because the one who has a spirit is Viola Bellatu, right?"

"………."

"The one who is in direct competition with you for the successor position is me, and the fact that I have a contract with a spirit lord is something Bellatu must grasp. You must have thought it was more important than anything else."

"Y, yes."

Viola subtly touched Bizhen's emotions.

"So you wanted to see me."

"Yes. I wanted to see Viola."

Bizhen's eyes began to sparkle.

Thinking about it, everything Viola said seemed to be true.

She had been pondering this recently.

Why do I feel bored without Viola?

When will Viola come back?

Bizhen's conclusion was this.

'I want to compete with Viola and see who is stronger.

But after hearing Viola's words, she now understood.

It wasn't so much that she wanted to compete with Viola to see who was stronger, but that she wanted to see Viola, who had acquired new power.

Viola smiled and looked at Isabella.

Then she asked.

"Brother, do you still want to kill me?"

"Huh?"

Bizhen hesitated.

The successor candidates were taught that it was natural to kill each other.

In her head, she knew it was right.

But for some reason, she no longer wanted to kill Viola.

Her true feelings were like that, but her mother's presence held her back.

'If I say no, Mother will be disappointed.'

A disappointed mother would be heartbroken.

She would be incredibly sad. Bizhen was afraid of that.

"Of course…."

"Be honest. I don't like a brother who lies."

Bizhen had to seriously conflict.

She herself didn't know what being honest meant.

"If you want to kill me, you can say so."

Yes, say you want to kill me.

That's the right thing to do! Just as Bizhen was about to speak.

"I want to be with you. I am the White Bellatu."

"……."

Viola didn't take her eyes off Isabella.

"I like a brother who is honest. Be honest with me."

After a long while, Bizhen answered honestly.

"I don't want to kill you anymore."

***

Isabella said.

"Go back to your room, Bizhen."

Bizhen, who hadn't seen the spirit, looked dejected but couldn't disobey her mother's command.

She returned to her room with a lingering sense of disappointment.

Some time passed, and the meal concluded.

Heron couldn't help but smile slightly.

It was a fleeting moment, and no one saw his smile.

'My wife has scored a point.

I'm not sure if this is the 'soft approach' Viola was talking about.

But Viola had managed to get Bizhen to say she didn't want to kill her.

Furthermore, she got Bizhen to say she wanted to be with her.

"I am the White Bellatu."

She saw it as a good choice for the White Bellatu.

In the end, Viola had shown Heron and Isabella that she had made Bizhen her ally.

"I didn't say I wanted to kill my brother. Yet Bizhen has become my person."

"There is a slight issue with calling Bizhen your person. Bizhen is the Black Bellatu, and you are the White Bellatu. It's better to see it as a cooperative relationship."

"I called him, didn't I?"

"That alone doesn't establish a master-servant relationship."

"I understand. I'll agree with Mother. It's a cooperative relationship."

It didn't matter if it was a cooperative relationship.

"The key is that Brother Bizhen responded to my call despite breaking etiquette, and ultimately said he wanted to be with me."

She shifted her gaze to Heron.

"Is my method wrong? Am I a twelve-year-old with a wrong dream?"

If Bellatu, Zeron should have been severely punished.

That was the right thing to do.

But Heron didn't think Viola's method was entirely wrong.

"You haven't gone wrong yet."

Zeron had sworn loyalty to Viola and reported all his faults.

'If he hadn't given his heart to Viola, Zeron would have fled.'

The continent is vast and expansive.

There are even the Western and Eastern continents across the sea.

If he fled far enough, even Bellatu would find it difficult to track Zeron down.

"He confessed his faults and waited for punishment in front of me. It would be hard for a disloyal person to do that."

"Then, can I handle Zeron's punishment as I see fit?"

"But the fact that he attacked Bellatu remains unchanged."

As the head of Bellatu, Heron had the duty and responsibility to maintain discipline.

"Three months' suspension."

Isabella looked at Heron.

'Just that?'

She didn't show it, but Isabella found it hard to accept.

This would undermine Bellatu's discipline.

But Zeron shook his head.

"I don't want to be a weakness or a burden to Lady Viola, Duke."

He thought he should receive a harsher punishment.

"Please impose a fitting punishment."

Heron chuckled.

"Go ahead and impose it yourself, and report to me."

Zeron bowed in gratitude and left the Winter Castle.

He looked around.

There was no one around.

Zeron's face showed no trace of a smile.

"This was clearly a mistake, and it was my fault."

His voice carried in the wind.

"Therefore, I will impose a fitting punishment on myself."

He pulled out a dagger from a subspace and cut his fourth finger on his left hand.

"When my finger regains its meaning, I will reattach it."

Zeron smiled and returned to the Winter Castle.

Then, a sudden curiosity struck him.

"But will Lady Viola be heartbroken if she sees my hand?"

He tilted his head.

"I don't know. I don't want her to be sad."

Zeron reported that he had cut off his own finger, and the matter was concluded.

***

A few days later, it was late at night.

A heavy rain poured from the sky.

It seemed like countless water spirits were knocking on the window.

"Hehe, the great one has appeared."

Pongpongi appeared, though not summoned by Viola.

According to him, when the water vapor is so abundant, he can naturally be summoned.

"I didn't know Bellatu had such a reputation in the spirit world?"

"Really?"

"Yes. They are very notorious. They have cut down many spirits."

"R, really?"

After all, historically, Bellatu has cut down many spirit mages.

So they must have cut down many spirits too.

"Well, it doesn't concern me. I am destined to become a great spirit king, and I have a broad-minded nature that doesn't worry about trivial matters."

The blue-haired figure turned into jelly and approached the window, slipping through the frame.

"Ah, so good."

His voice was thick and sticky.

He sounded like an uncle entering a sauna.

"Hmm?"

But Pongpongi noticed someone.

"Who's that?"

Viola approached the window and looked down.

A familiar face appeared.

Tundra.

'Where is Uncle Hixon?'

Hixon was nowhere to be seen, and Tundra was returning alone, at this late hour.

How much time had passed?

Knock knock.

A knocking sound came from the door.

When she opened it, a drenched Tundra appeared.

Seeing Viola, Tundra smiled faintly.

Like a pet dog missing its owner, Tundra had missed Viola.

"I have returned…."

Thud.

Tundra collapsed.

Pongpongi, now in human form, approached Tundra like flowing water.

He poked Tundra with his index finger.

"Hey, you're bleeding a lot."

Thick blood was seeping out.