Under the evening sky with a purple sunset spreading across it. Martha stood with her mouth pursed.
She, who had been a statue until her vision was filled with pitch-black darkness, slowly raised her head.
“I shouldn’t have lost.”
Marta clenched her fists. She exerted so much strength that her veins turned red.
“I shouldn’t have lost to anyone until I found my mom… .”
I promised myself that I would never be defeated until I achieved my goal, but I lost. It’s so ugly too.
I was forced to twist my mind, live with curses, and distance myself from people, without any sense of reward.
“Damn it!”
His adoptive father, Denier Sieghardt, saw his talent and adopted him.
However, since he lost to Raon Sieghardt, who was his cousin and was a year younger than him, it was unclear what action his father would take.
Denier was a gentle person, but it’s possible that it was all an act. He must keep in mind that in the worst case scenario he will be kicked out.
‘no. That’s absolutely not possible.’
If that happens, the last hope of finding my mother disappears. She had to hang on by her pants.
“Whoa… .”
“miss.”
Martha, who was extremely nervous, did not look back even when her butler Camel called.
“This is a letter from Denier.”
It wasn’t until she heard that Denier Sieghardt had sent a letter that Martha’s head turned. Her black eyes rolled like waves.
“Here it is.”
Martha swallowed dryly and opened the letter.
[Martha. Congratulations on your first defeat. Losing once doesn’t mean your name will be labeled as a loser, so don’t worry too much about it. Just think about why you lost and how you lost. That reflection will become the foundation for your growth in the future. I’d like to go and comfort her in person, but the mission is taking longer than I thought. I’m sorry I couldn’t go.]
There was no reprimand or ridicule. It was a letter from a father who was truly worried about his daughter.
[We are continuing to search for traces of your biological mother. I didn’t give up, so don’t give up either.]
With trembling hands, Martha folded the letter and put it in her pocket. I pressed down on her pocket as if checking her wallet.
“ha… .”
It was a letter that seemed to put the pieces of my broken heart back together. Especially because of the last sentence, all the depression and anxiety that had been weighing on her shoulders disappeared.
“Tell your father that you will keep this in mind. really. “I’m really grateful.”
“All right.”
Camel smiled slightly and nodded.
“By the way, lady.”
“huh?”
“If you are concerned about the obedience you made in the bet with Master Raon, there is also a way to put pressure on the annex. If you use the power of your direct lineage, you can handle it quietly… .”
“no. don’t do it.”
Martha shook her head resolutely. The black pearl-like eyes glowed brighter than before.
“If you lose, you lose. “We also lost miserably.”
I knew more clearly than anyone else why I lost to Raon.
‘It’s not because I let my guard down. ‘I just lost.’
Raon used that dirty auror to cut down his own sword. Since the swordsman lost his sword, the fight actually ended there.
However, the guy just threw away his sword and gave up the second fight with his fists.
It was clear that my father would be more disappointed if I showed shame to the person who fought like that.
“Even if you make a foolish promise, it would be Sieghardt-like to keep it first. “My father would say that too.”
“of course. “Denier would definitely have said that.”
“As his daughter, I cannot disgrace him.”
“sure.”
Camel smiled, raising her mouth wide as if proud.
“camel. “Do you have a knife?”
“there is. But why… .”
“Give it to me.”
“Here it is.”
Marta looked at the thin dagger that Camel gave her for a while and then took it out of its sheath.
grasp!
He nodded as if he had made up his mind and resolutely cut off the middle of his ebony hair.
“Ah, lady!”
“are you okay. “Because all I can do is let go of my stupid and dirty past.”
Marta smiled, letting her cut hair flow in the wind. Her smile sparkled like her snowflakes.
“her… .”
Camel let out a sigh, as if she hadn’t even thought of such a scene.
“Please cancel direct training tomorrow morning.”
“yes? It’s not difficult to cancel, but what are you trying to do… .”
“I have a place to go.”
Martha said and entered the mansion.
Carmel nodded kindly as she watched Marta entering the mansion.
* * *
On the last day of her vacation, Marta finished training early in the morning and left the mansion right away.
Without even eating breakfast, I ignored Carmel and the maids who asked me where I was going and headed to the west annex alone.
It was quite far, but the road was well paved, so there was no difficulty in finding the annex.
As I continued walking west, I saw a small house surrounded by a small garden.
‘Does he live there?’
Marta narrowed her eyes. It was incomparably small and shabby compared to the main building.
However, the house before he was adopted was much smaller than the annex, so he didn’t feel much. I just thought about it and walked into the garden.
‘There is someone.’
A blond boy was squatting in a flower bed, digging the dirt and planting flowers.
‘uh?’
Marta opened her eyes wide.
‘Raon Sieghardt?’
I thought it was a servant, but it wasn’t. The guy planting flowers was Raon Sieghardt, who gave him his first defeat.
Raon seemed to have spotted her as well, shaking her hands and standing up.
“What’s going on?”
“… … .”
Martha did not answer, but stood in front of the flower bed Raon had tended. The flowers looked healthy and vibrant, probably because they were watered quickly.
‘Did this guy have a hobby like this?’
I thought he was not like a child, but he was like a child again, so I was a little embarrassed.
‘how will we do it.’
The reason Martha came to Raon today is simple.
Rematch.
After hearing my father’s words, I thought about losing, but I couldn’t remember how I lost.
Since I don’t know that, I don’t know how big the skill gap was or whether there was a way to make up for it.
In other words, I couldn’t reflect.
So a rematch was necessary.
I wanted to fight Raon without my head getting hot and see the difference in skill.
“Whoa… .”
Martha let out a shaky breath and raised her head. She looked into Raon’s eyes, which were as calm as a lake, and she carefully opened her mouth.
“I want to be with you again.”
“It’s a bit ugly that you still haven’t admitted defeat.”
“no. It’s not that I don’t admit that I did it. I just don’t know how it happened. “I came here because I wanted to know that.”
“… … .”
Raon’s eyes twinkled briefly. He seemed to find it surprising.
“Then what is the price?”
“what?”
“If the loser wants to challenge the winner, shouldn’t he bring something with him?”
“Damn! “Fighting doesn’t necessarily require a price!”
“I need it.”
“Ugh… .”
Martha let out a soft moan.
‘This is the point.’
This aspect of never taking any losses made Raon feel like he wasn’t a child.
“doesn’t exist? “It would be difficult if I didn’t have it.”
Raon crossed his arms as if he had no intention of fighting.
“Uhm… .”
how will we do it. Biting her lip, she looked at Raon and then saw the flower underneath it.
‘Should I just step on it lightly?’
Watching them take care of their flower beds at this time, it was clear that they cared for the flowers. If you touch them a little and provoke them, they may attack you.
“It seems like you like flowers in a way that doesn’t suit you.”
Marta slowly moved her feet toward the flower bed.
“not really.”
Contrary to expectations, Raon tapped the trowel and shook his head.
“what?”
“I don’t like flowers, I don’t even know why I like them. “I just polished it up a little bit because of her mother.”
“… … .”
Martha, who was about to step on a flower in the flower bed, suddenly stopped.
“why? “Aren’t you going to step on it?”
Raon smiled slightly and nodded as if he knew their intention.
“Damn it.”
Marta cursed and took her foot away. When I heard her say that she had planted her flower bed for her mother, who loved her flowers, my desire to step on her flowers disappeared.
“shit.”
Just as I clicked my tongue and was about to turn away, the door to the annex opened and a beautiful woman with long blonde hair tied back came running out.
“Raon!”
“uh?”
Raon’s eyes, which were as cold as ice, showed confusion.
“Uh, Mom.”
“I said I couldn’t see it, but I was taking care of the flower bed. “But who is this friend?”
There was curiosity in the woman’s eyes.
‘Is this person Sylvia Sieghardt?’
A woman who is called a disgrace to her family and an outcast, who left her family to find the man she loved and then returned to save her child.
Is it because I had a similar experience?
To Marta, she did not see herself as a poor person, but as a mother who had courage for her beloved child.
“Chi, not a friend, not a person. “I’ll sort it out, so go in.”
Raon stuttered for a rare reason.
“This friend is pretty too. Black hair and black eyes? ah! “You are Martha!”
Sylvia clapped her hands and smiled broadly.
“… … .”
Martha nodded silently.
“I heard you sparred with Raon. Are you injured anywhere?”
I can tell because the eyes are like those of a longing mother. Sylvia’s rosy eyes showed that she was really worried about her own body.
“are you okay.”
“I was worried, but I’m glad.”
Sylvia smiled slightly.
“I heard that Brother Denier brought a very talented child, but that wasn’t all.”
She looked at her here and there and told me that she was really pretty, very pretty.
“So what’s going on here?”
“I came because I had something to tell you. “It’s all over, so I’ll go.”
It was when Martha nodded again and was about to leave.
Grumble.
The reward for skipping breakfast after early morning training came.
“ah… .”
Martha’s face turned red. She turned around and was about to run when something warm grabbed her wrist.
It was Sylvia. She smiled and nodded her head.
“Go eat and go.”
Martha didn’t know why, but she couldn’t shake off that slender hand.
* * *
What is this?
Raon narrowed his eyes when he saw Marta sitting across from him at the table.
‘I have no idea.’
It is understandable that Sylvia told Marta, whose belly clock rang, to go eat and go. Because she is such a good person.
However, the scene where the madwoman is dragged by Sylvia, sits down at the table, and patiently waits for her food is an unexpected scene.
He cut his hair, and I think he cut off his temper along with it.
“Raon likes meat stew. So we always have a stew on our table.”
“Ah yes.”
Silvia laughed out loud, wondering why she was so happy, and Martha just answered with her head down as if she was embarrassed.
-What is that girl doing now? Isn’t that kind of personality to begin with?
‘I don’t know what’s going on either.’
This was the first time such an unexpected situation had occurred since I was born into the Sieghardt family.
The meal came out soon. It was stew, grilled beef, vegetables, and warmed bread.
“Are you one year older than Raon?”
“yes.”
“Is there anything difficult during training?”
“Not much.”
Silvia talked to Marta while eating, and Marta answered her questions well while eating.
‘her… .’
Raon tilted his head.
‘Why is he really like that?’
Marta is a person who starts swearing when someone talks to her. He never imagined he would see such a favorable appearance.
“hmm… .”
Raon gulped down the stew without knowing whether the food was going into his mouth or nose.
“We are really good at cooking, but the quality of meat is a bit lower than the main restaurant. “Chew it thoroughly so you don’t get sick.”
“… … .”
Martha’s hand holding the fork trembled at Sylvia’s advice.
I was prepared to stop her because I was afraid she might have a seizure, but she lowered her head and ate the meat again.
I don’t know much about human emotions, but I felt like I could feel some unknown sadness and longing in her hands.
“It was a good meal.”
After such an awkward meal, Marta stood up.
“How did it taste?”
“It was delicious.”
“I’m glad. “Please be friendly with Raon from now on.”
Silvia waved to Marta at the door.
“yes.”
Martha gave a surprisingly normal answer and left the annex.
‘What is it really?’
It was clear that he had come to start a fight, but I couldn’t understand why he suddenly behaved like that.
-Did I eat something wrong?
‘Maybe so.’
Human emotions seem to be really difficult.
* * *
As soon as Martha left the annex, she bit her lip. She didn’t go as soon as she looked like she was going to cry.
Resembles.
Her face, hair color, clothes, and voice were different, but her rose-colored eyes were very similar to her missing mother.
So when she grabbed my wrist, I couldn’t shake it off.
Raon probably thought I was crazy.
It was my first time seeing his eyes shake like that.
I thought about leaving late, but it was a good idea to go out after eating. Sylvia’s kind eyes and voice.
When I heard my mother nag me to chew my food thoroughly, it really felt like I was with my mother.
So I wanted to find my mom even more.
‘White blood religion. ‘You bastards.’
The guys who kidnapped my mother are one of the Oma, a white blood cult. I will find her mother even if it means killing all of those fanatics.
Martha returned to the main building, promising herself again and again.
“Miss, where have you been… uh? “Did you cry by any chance?”
Carmel, who was sweeping in front of the door, widened her eyes.
“What are you talking about! “Who’s crying?”
Marta wiped her eyes and shook her head. She quickly opened the door and stuck her head out to enter her mansion.
“camel. “Can you get me some good quality beef?”
“Beef? That’s possible. “But what are you planning to use it for?”
“Because it is useful. “Get it and put it in front of my room!”
As soon as Martha answered, she closed the door and ran up to her room.
“Heh.”
Carmel smiled softly as she looked at that.
“I wonder if you realize that you look much better now.”
* * *
next day.
Raon headed to the training center as soon as he finished his early morning exercises. No one arrived as usual.
I had a hard time thinking about Martha who came to see me yesterday, but I decided to just think of it as a dream.
After warming up lightly, I started training with a soft sword. As the sun rose, the children entered the training ground one by one.
As I was swinging my sword while listening to the chatter of the trainees, all of a sudden all the sounds went off.
I turned my head and saw Marta walking towards the wide open gymnasium.
The trainees stared at her with their mouths wide open, perhaps because of her short hair.
“Raon Sieghardt.”
Martha stopped in front of her.
“You can’t pick up the words that have passed away. “I won’t dismiss the argument we’ve had for a while as a clumsy apology.”
Her eyes were calmer than yesterday. She seemed to be looking at a still lake.
“Instead, we keep our promises.”
“promise?”
“A promise made before sparring that the loser will obey the winner.”
After saying that, she turned around. Looking into her eyes, it seemed like she had completely accepted defeat.
‘It’s bigger than I thought… .’
She was no ordinary person after all the change she had made in such a short period of time. However, she still doesn’t know why she ate yesterday.
“Why are you blocking the road? go away!”
As he was tilting his head, Marta kicked Dorian, who was standing awkwardly in front of her.
“Aww! “I’m sorry.”
“Tsk.”
She clicked her tongue and returned to her usual seat.
Raon laughed. It seemed like the only thing that had changed was my attitude toward myself.
‘There are only strange people here.’
