The girl stared at me for a moment, her expression blank and distant. Then she let out a deep sigh and slumped back down onto the bed, looking as if the weight of the world was pressing on her shoulders.
"Is this a dream?"
I heard her murmur softly, her face buried in the pillows.
Tilting my head, I watched her reaction with curiosity.
Why is she acting like this? Was my smile really that strange?
"It’s not a dream."
"It has to be a dream. There’s no way the Young Master would smile at me like that."
There was a sadness in her eyes that I couldn’t quite understand. Her darker eye skin seemed to mirror her sorrow, and her brown eyes, filled with kindness and sympathy, glowed softly, almost as if they were concealing years of unspoken pain.
Seeing her so downcast tugged at something deep inside me, and before I even realized it, my hand reached out toward her without thinking.
"Huh?"
Squeeze..!
I pinched her chubby cheeks gently.
“Ouch...”
Her skin felt soft and smooth beneath my fingers, and a wave of nostalgia washed over me. I remembered that Eralon had always loved it when Liam used to pinch her cheeks like this—it was a playful gesture that reminded me of simpler times.
“Young Master?” she whispered, her voice muffled by my grip.
As I gazed into her eyes, I felt her cheeks move as she tried to say something, her brown eyes filled with bewilderment as they locked onto mine.
"Huh? Did that hurt? Wait... This isn’t... a dream?"
"I already said good morning. Why didn’t you answer, Eral?"
Her eyes widened, surprise flickering across her face.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
"Eral"—the name that Liam used to call her by in their younger days. Hearing that name again after so long, especially from someone like me who she hadn’t seen smile in ages, must have been a complete shock.
I couldn’t help but chuckle at her astonished expression. She looked like she’d just seen a ghost.
Then, with a gentle smile, I greeted her once more, "Good morning, Eral."
Her response was a warm smile that seemed to melt away the distance between us.
"Good morning, Young Master."
.
.
.
The Elliott Empire was built on the strength of three great noble families, or ducal houses, which were known as its pillars: the houses of Osvald, Stella, and Evalon.
Among these three families, the Evalon family wielded the greatest influence, respected across the empire as the most trusted allies of the imperial family.
The Evalons were often referred to as righteous assassins who dispensed justice, a sword that restored order, and loyal knights who safeguarded the emperor and empire alike. They were also known as the iron-blooded eagles, soaring high to protect the imperial crown.
The Evalon family held numerous titles and honors, but the one that stood out the most was this:
– The House of Talent.
For generations, the descendants of the Evalon family had been blessed with extraordinary "talent."
But this talent wasn’t just a skill in one specific area. It was a kind of natural excellence, a unique brilliance that enabled them to lead and inspire their generation.
Some were born with exceptional skill in swordsmanship,
others mastered the spear,
and some were gifted in the mysterious arts of magic.
However, there were rare exceptions.
Sometimes, a child was born without the “talent” that defined the Evalon family. Or, on rare occasions, their powers were so weak that it was almost as if they had none at all.
Liam was one of those exceptions, a child who had shown no particular promise, no hidden strength waiting to bloom...
.
.
.
In the Evalon family’s grand mansion, inside the Duke’s study, Stanley Evalon, the head of the family, leaned back and sighed deeply, placing his pen down on the cluttered desk before him.
His hands were scarred, marked with the battles and trials of a lifetime, and he rubbed his furrowed forehead with them, visibly weary.
Scattered papers and disorganized documents covered his desk, complex enough to overwhelm anyone who looked at them.
Even for Stanley, the head of the Evalon family, this paperwork felt foreign and daunting.
After all, his talent lay in magic, not in dealing with mundane paperwork and administration.
But the stack of paperwork wasn’t the only thing giving him a headache.
It was his son.
Liam Evalon.
His own flesh and blood, who had vanished without a trace one day, had finally reappeared after nearly five months.
According to reports, a cavalry knight had found him wandering on the southern plains of the Elliott Empire.
When Stanley received word that his son had been found, he felt an immense sense of relief wash over him. For the past five months, he had lived in constant worry, fearing that something terrible had happened to his boy.
Fortunately, when the knights found him, they reported that Liam was uninjured. At the very least, he was alive and safe.
Stanley Evalon allowed himself a small, genuine smile, a rare sight on his usually stern face. He felt an overwhelming relief, a weight he hadn’t realized he was carrying lifting from his shoulders.