Find the One Who Abandoned Me - Chapter 94

Gillan’s younger sister, Callie Andres, responded cheerfully, and Carolie took Kaphir by the wrist and led him out to a nearby balcony.

The moment they stepped out, Carolie planted her hands on her hips and stared at him. Kaphir avoided her eyes, sweat beading at his forehead.

“I’m pretty sure Mom told you not to hang around with them.”

“W-well, today Mother and Father aren’t here, so—”

“But I’m here. And I’m going to tell.”

“Carolie, please… I don’t even understand why I’m not supposed to talk to her! She’s smart and great at swordsmanship!”

“It’s not her brains or her sword skills you care about—it’s her looks.”

Kaphir hiccupped.

“I don’t really know why either. But Mom’s told me more than once to stay away from that family. I can only look the other way for so long.”

“C-Cake. I’ll give you a week’s worth.”

“Are you seriously trying to bribe me?”

“A month’s worth.”

“…Fine.”

Kaphir finally exhaled in relief. To be fair, Circe didn’t exactly hate the Andres family—she just… clearly disliked them. Not out of fear or distrust, but more like quiet disapproval. She didn’t want her children getting involved with them.

“Still, I don’t get why your mother is so against them,” he muttered.

“I told you, I don’t know either. Oh—”

Carolie’s eyes lit up with an idea.

“Let’s ask my sister. She’s smarter than us, so she probably understands Mom’s reasoning better.”

“Oh…”

—

At that very moment, Calliope was deep in conversation with Vice-Captain Kelvin. It had started with simple talk—how things were going in the Royal Knights, how Isaac was adapting—but the subject gradually shifted.

“Sir Esteban is a brilliant knight, no doubt,” Kelvin said. “But sometimes… it’s as if he’s running from something.”

Calliope blinked slowly. She’d never seen Isaac train in the palace, but the reason was clear enough.

“There’s been a lot going on lately. Even someone as skilled as he is can feel anxious.”

“Yes, that’s true. But…”

“Is something bothering you?”

“It’s not exactly a problem, but… he seems to be chasing a goal he can’t quite define. Like he’s unsure what it even is.”

“An undefined goal?”

Calliope tilted her head slightly. She could only think of a few people Isaac might aim to surpass—but if even he couldn’t name the goal, it must be something different.

Hmm. My Isaac’s keeping something to himself again, isn’t he?

She didn’t worry too much. He’d never been the type to openly spill all his thoughts. But if she nudged him gently enough, he’d open up eventually. She smiled and changed the subject.

“Come to think of it, I’d hoped to invite Instructor Bellona tonight, but she refused. Said she hated these kinds of events.”

Kelvin chuckled.

“Ah, yes. That’s very much like Bellona.”

There was a trace of bitterness in his smile.

Calliope was aware that Bellona didn’t quite fit in with the other Royal Knights. Due to an old, ridiculous law left behind by the former king, the number of female knights had dwindled. Being a commoner didn’t help her either. She was often looked down on—even dismissed as just a mercenary.

It wasn’t hard to guess how exhausting that must have been.

“Please take care of her,” Calliope said gently. “She’s a good person—and incredibly talented.”

“Ahem. I know that. It’s just that… she seems to have no interest in my support.”

“Oh?”

“N-no, I mean—she doesn’t seem to need my help.”

“Is that so?”

“Absolutely. She’s a very independent knight.”

“Really?”

“Of course.”

“Should I set up a meeting for the two of you?”

“…”

Calliope gave him a soft, knowing smile.

“Please do.”

“It’s no trouble. But only if you agree to help me with a favor in return.”

“…Deal.”

“Aha.”

As the two shared that light moment, they were suddenly interrupted—by Kaphir and Carolie marching straight up to them. Carolie, dragging Kaphir by the arm, said she had something important to ask.

Calliope, curious, excused herself from Kelvin and led the two of them to a quiet corner.

“What is it?”

“Kaphir keeps playing with the girl Mom told us not to hang around with.”

“That’s not why we came here!”

“Oh? There’s someone your mother specifically told you not to play with?” Calliope asked, raising a brow. It was the first she’d heard of such a thing.

Carolie nodded firmly.

“Yep. The Andres family.”

“…The who?”

“The Andres family. Especially Callie Andres—Kaphir’s completely smitten. He’s totally lost his mind.”

“That’s not true!”

Calliope paused, a strange feeling creeping over her.

She had already been sensing something unsettling about Gillan Andres, and now Carolie was saying Circe had warned them not to associate with the family—a long time ago, no less?

Calliope glanced to the side, then replied as if it were nothing.

“They are… a bit unusual. It looked like they were isolating the eldest sibling when I visited them once.”

Carolie turned to her with wide, betrayed eyes.

“You visited them? You played with them too?!”

“No, it was just a polite visit. And besides, Mother never told me not to associate with them.”

Kaphir cut in.

“So we’re not supposed to be around them just because they ignore their oldest kid?”

“Well… what stood out was how naturally Callie seemed to accept it. That kind of detachment says something. There’s probably something off there. No need to get too close.”

“Still…”

Kaphir hesitated, then said resolutely,

“Maybe I can help her realize that what they’re doing is wrong?”

Calliope raised an eyebrow.

“You like her that much?”

“N-no! It’s not like that.”

Calliope sighed. Well, at least it wasn’t Gillan he was getting involved with. And honestly, Callie didn’t seem dangerous—just a little odd.

She patted Kaphir’s head in a resigned, almost fond gesture. But then he said something strange.

“She helped me pick your birthday present, too.”

“…What?”

Calliope tilted her head.

“You mean the book?”

“Yeah. I knew you liked books, so I wanted to get you something really unique. Callie said her family had a bunch of rare ones, and she gave me that one. It looked old… I couldn’t really read it.”

The moment he said it, Calliope recalled the bookshelf at the Andres estate—filled with magical tomes. And the gap she’d noticed there. So that was where it came from.

“…I see. I didn’t know. Well, thank you—make sure to thank her too.”

“But I gave it to you! It was my gift!”

“Of course. I’m more grateful to you.”

She leaned in and gently pressed her cheek against his, a quiet show of affection.

“Well, since you clearly like her so much, we’ll let it slide for now. But if anything happens—even a little—we’re ending this, understood?”

“Got it.”

“…Okay.”

Calliope smiled softly at their obedient replies. Who would’ve guessed these two would grow into such well-mannered siblings? She loved how sweet they were—but she also needed some time to herself.

After confirming that Isaac was still mingling comfortably with the other knights, she slipped away onto the balcony. Dealing with so many people always left her drained.

She sat on a bench and rubbed her temples, just trying to clear her head. That’s when someone swept the curtain aside.

At first, she thought it might be Isaac.

But it wasn’t.

“…Gillan Andres?”

“Yes. It’s me.”

“Could you not speak like we planned to meet here?”

“Ah—my apologies.”

“It’s rude, you know. A man entering the balcony where a woman is resting alone—especially when that woman is engaged.”

“Forgive me. But I had no choice—it’s urgent.”

His smile was crooked. Likely embarrassed from when she’d caught him using magic last time. And to make matters worse, Calliope now knew from Duke Glayderth that the assassins had been under mind control magic.

So—was he the one behind it?

And if so, why?

Her gaze grew sharp and cold.

“Well, I’ll let it go this time. You clearly snuck out here, avoiding attention.”

“I did.”

“Then what is it you wanted to say?”

“… …”

He remained silent. Calliope let out a faint laugh and idly toyed with the petals of a flower beside her.

“Seems like you’re not ready to talk. Should we change the subject, then? Oh, I saw you brought Callie with you today.”

“She begged to come. I had no choice.”

“Well, I doubt the count and countess would refuse her if she asked—not when it’s her request, not yours.”

His mouth tightened. She’d struck a nerve.

That expression, once just vaguely unsettling, was now easier to read. Maybe it was because she understood the situation better now.

“Don’t make that face. I get it. I really do.”

“…How would you know?”

“Ahaha. Haven’t you heard? I was cast out for a while—lived like a commoner.”

His eyes widened slightly in surprise.

“To strangers, I might seem like some noble lady who returned from a quiet retreat in splendor. But I had my share of rough days.”

But what she referred to wasn’t her time living among commoners. That life, though poor, had been filled with love—from her mother, from kind neighbors.

No.

She was talking about the time after her mother’s death.

The time she’d been left forgotten in the Marquis’ estate.

The time she lost everything, including Isaac.

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