The Princess’s Final Wish Before Her Time Runs Out - Chapter 4

Recently, Rashid’s surroundings had been chaotic. Nothing had particularly changed, but the atmosphere was different from before.

The Duke’s family members were indifferent to Rashid. Whether it was his father, the Duke, his stepmother, Mrs. Boren, or the servants, it was all the same.

They didn’t ignore him, but they didn’t exactly take good care of him either.

Tericia Hespelt. Except for one person.

‘Rashid. My brother.’

‘Rashid, let’s go together. I’ll be with you.’

He tried hard to shake off the soft voice that lingered in his ears.

As Tericia began to compete with Rashid according to Mrs. Boren’s wishes, the distance between them grew uncontrollably.

But. That day, that dawn.

‘Rashid!’

Tericia’s appearance, running towards him with a desperate face and calling his name, was very unfamiliar.

Her face was pale white, trembling without even being able to approach him…

His sister, who looked like she would burst into tears at any moment, returned to her room without saying a word. He heard that she had been sick for several days after that and had only recently recovered.

Since that day, Rashid often thought of Tericia.

Her pale face, her disheveled hair, her uncharacteristic appearance kept coming to mind. She seemed to have something to say, but in the end, she turned away without saying anything.

What was she trying to say?

“Young master, shall I bring you a snack?”

Sarah, his personal maid, asked, noticing that he had been staring at the same page for a while.

This was also one of the things that had changed. Sarah was a loyal maid, but she wasn’t one to say such affectionate things.

But these days, she would observe him and take care of him like that when she thought it was necessary. As if she had been asked to do so by someone.

“…No, I’ll take a walk.”

Rashid closed the book and stood up. He didn’t think it would be any use to read any more.

As if summer was coming, the garden he had come to after a long time had turned a deep green.

The detached palace garden of the Hespelt Dukedom was so lush that it could be called a small forest. It was so dense that some people would get lost even in the middle of the day.

Rashid liked this place because his thoughts would get organized as he walked alone. He took a deep breath, and the cool scent of grass entered deep into his lungs.

“It was good to come out…”

The moment he thought it was better than being inside.

“Rashid?”

She appeared before his eyes.

“Sister?”

Tericia, who had been occupying his mind until just now, was standing before his eyes.

“You came out for a walk.”

“…Yes.”

Although she was smiling on the outside, Tericia’s heart was burning inside. She didn’t know what to say.

It was good that she came out for a walk because she was frustrated, but as she walked, she ended up in the detached palace garden. When she thought that the detached palace garden was also close to Rashid’s residence, Rashid was there before her eyes like a lie.

Tericia just moved her lips because she didn’t expect to run into him like this.

‘Has he lost a little weight?’

Tericia thought of Rashid as she had seen him a few days ago. He looked younger and more delicate than she remembered.

But what came to mind was not the him of now.

‘Sister.’

The last time he said goodbye with a cool, calm face. That image was etched in her mind.

‘Didn’t you want me to die, Sister?’

Tericia’s body swayed greatly. It felt like all the blood was draining from her body.

“Sister!”

Rashid moved his body, thinking she was about to fall, but she barely straightened herself up by grabbing a nearby tree.

“…I heard you were sick.”

Rashid had already come close to her side. Rashid’s hand was reaching out to Tericia, as if to support her.

“I’m fine now.”

Tericia smiled faintly at the sight.

It was like this even before the regression. Even when their relationship was at its worst, Rashid was worried about Tericia.

Even when she treated him coldly, he would just smile bitterly and worry about Tericia. It was just that she couldn’t accept that concern purely.

‘I forgot. You hated me, Sister.’

No, Rashid. I just…

“You don’t look well, Sister.”

Thump, her heart sank.

Rashid’s voice overlapped with the one from before, and a shiver ran down her spine. It was a little thinner than before, but it was the voice in her memory.

“I’ll take you to your room.”

“…It’s okay. I can go alone. Escort me when you grow up a little more.”

Rashid’s face hardened. His pride was hurt by her refusal of his hand. But he wasn’t foolish enough to say that.

“I’ll go in first.”

Tericia ignored him and moved first.

“Ah.”

But Tericia, who hadn’t moved a few steps, looked back at Rashid as if she had something to say.

Rashid also looked at her at the sight. The sound of leaves rustling in the wind could be heard.

“Rashid, I…”

Her lips moved several times as if she was about to say something, but in the end, she couldn’t say anything.

“Get some rest and go in.”

Tericia turned her body with a bitter expression. She looked particularly lonely.

Was Sister, was Tericia that kind of person? Rashid stared at the place where Tericia had disappeared for a long time. He couldn’t move.

What was she trying to say?

Rashid was curious about that.

＊＊＊

Adler Reissfeld was guided to the Princess’s reception room in the main building.

A stepdaughter living in the main building and an heir living in the detached palace. Adler scoffed and leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed.

Luxurious furniture and extravagant decorations. It was an excessively extravagant taste.

He didn’t like the owner of this place from the start. He was sure that they wouldn’t understand each other.

If it weren’t for Loven Heinz’s request, he wouldn’t be sitting in this place.

He wanted to ignore it, but if he didn’t grant this request, Heinz would probably stay at his house for days.

“I’ll just listen to it once and be done with it. Ah, annoying.”

Click.

While he was thinking about this and that, the door to the reception room opened.

It was the appearance of the Hespelt Princess, Tericia Hespelt.

“I’ve kept you waiting.”

Adler, who had imagined a luxurious and arrogant young lady, was inwardly embarrassed. The princess who appeared before his eyes looked elegant and calm.

She neatly tied up her golden-brown hair, which could have looked flashy, and wore no decorations other than a set of earrings and a necklace, which made her stand out even more.

“No, I came early.”

Adler stood up from his seat and paid his respects.

“I’m Adler Reissfeld.”

“Please sit down.”

Tericia Hespelt was not a luxurious and arrogant princess. There was an elegant beauty that he couldn’t possibly think was the owner of this room.

“I heard you were looking for me.”

“Yes.”

Tericia, who had dismissed the maid, poured tea directly into Adler’s teacup.

Adler’s eyebrows raised slightly at the sight of her sincerely showing respect to the guest she had invited.

“I heard that you’re only doing research at the academy right now.”

It was Tericia who spoke first.

“Yes, it’s perfect for my aptitude.”

“Is that so.”

It wasn’t wrong. Adler Reisfelt didn’t like teaching others.

He had grown up hearing that he was a genius since he was young, so he couldn’t understand others who couldn’t understand what was obvious to him.

After being disowned and kicked out of the family due to his twisted personality of only being good at what he wanted to do, it was his supervising professor at the academy who took him in.

“I’m going to suggest something that you hate.”

He knew the general content. He was surprised that it wasn’t a story about teaching him, but a story about teaching the young master.

“There are many good teachers at the academy.”

I don’t want to. He came because of Loven Heinz’s request, but he didn’t want to do what he didn’t want to do.

“Yes, there are many. The problem is that there aren’t many teachers that I want.”

“What…”

It was an ambiguous answer to an ambiguous question.

“Please meet my brother, Adler Reisfelt. It’s not too late to decide after meeting him. If you become my brother’s teacher and successfully complete the third education of the Hespelt Dukedom, I will give you a fair price.”

“You are the princess of Hespelt. I think there is a limit to the price that someone who doesn’t have the blood of the Dukedom can give me.”

Tericia quietly kept silent, noticing what he meant by saying this.

It was a useless provocation.

The old herself might have been angry, but now she was just indifferent. It wasn’t wrong, and she knew that the words weren’t important.

What was important was that Tericia was now the princess of the Hespelt family.

“As I said, even if I don’t have the blood of Hespelt, I am the princess of Hespelt.”

Tericia’s voice was calm.

“But I didn’t grow up so carelessly that you can judge me so easily. You seem to believe the words of gossips more than what you see and feel.”

“…I misspoke.”

“I accept your apology.”

Adler corrected his thoughts.

She wasn’t an easy person. The words and the voice that uttered them were never light.

She knew exactly what he meant by saying that, and she didn’t fall for it.

She was sixteen, he said. She showed a maturity that was not like her age.

He thought it would be really boring if all the sixteen-year-olds in the world were like that, and he almost laughed.

“Rashid is a smart child. However, because of my mother…”

She frowned slightly here.

“He just didn’t receive the rights he should have received. I want to give that child the rights he deserves, even now.”

“It doesn’t seem like this is a story that has been discussed with Mrs. Boren.”

Tericia replaced her answer by quietly drinking tea.

The man’s mind became busy. Why was the princess trying to be at odds with her mother?

“How are you going to handle it?”

Even though his question was short, Tericia quickly understood.

“Well. A way will come up.”

It was a mysterious answer, but Adler realized that it was useless to try to dig any further.

In any case, the person who invited him was the princess, and he only had to meet the young master according to the princess or Heinz’s request. The rest was none of his business.

“I’m going to take a test.”

“Go ahead.”

“If he doesn’t pass my standards, I’ll drop him.”

“Of course. But that won’t happen.”

When he showed a certain amount of positive reaction, Tericia told him her request.

“There are only two things I want. The first is for you to make sure that my brother’s third education is done properly. The second is…”

“The second is?”

Tericia smiled brightly.

“I’ll tell you the second one if you become my brother’s teacher.”

“I understand. I’ll assume that you’ll arrange the place.”

“I’ll send you a formal invitation soon.”

He felt uneasy because he felt like he had been tricked by the princess, but he decided not to worry about it.

In any case, no matter what anyone said, he had to like his student. It was meaningless to argue about it here.

He looked around the reception room, thinking that he should get up now. It was new, but the room didn’t suit the owner at all.

Tericia smiled as if she was embarrassed at the sight of Adler’s appearance.

“The reception room doesn’t suit me.”

“It’s better to change it as soon as possible.”

It was Adler’s own compliment. Tericia smiled as if she had noticed it.

“It’s not a place I’ll be in for long anyway.”

“Yes?”

“I’m going to do construction. Not for me, but for Rashid.”

“Then…”

“A legitimate son in the detached palace and a stepdaughter in the main building. How funny is that.”

It was something that couldn’t be denied.

“I have no intention of being played by such a comedy.”

Tericia stood up, saying those words as the last. It meant that her business with Adler was over.

“You’ll like Rashid when you meet him.”

There was confidence hidden in Tericia’s voice. She nodded lightly and left the room first.

Adler became interested in Tericia, not the heir of the Dukedom.

A smart brother recommended by that princess. He thought it would be okay to meet him once.

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