After Carius left, a little while passed.
Gentle-looking maids came to Rellia's room. The maid who appeared to be of the highest rank introduced herself as Becky.
The maids explained that if she needed anything, she should ring the bell on the table or pull the cord next to her bed.
And they brought very sweet treats, which Rellia liked so much she almost screamed.
The maids smiled at Rellia's reaction and left the room.
"It's delicious…."
Rellia began to eat the cookies excitedly. She could taste the sweet butter flavor. Suddenly, the desserts she had eaten at the temple came to mind.
'I miss the kids.'
She missed her friends who came to mind along with the memory.
Rellia thought of her most precious treasures, the fountain pen and letters, still kept in her bag, as she crunched the cookies.
'Where should I hide those?'
Since they were her most treasured possessions, she wanted to hide them in a very safe and secret place.
'Maybe, like at the cottage, Mom might have created a secret space here too.'
Rellia thought she would search slowly as she finished eating the cookies.
'But then again….'
Swallowing the drink the maids had brought with the cookies, Rellia pondered.
Recently, her memories of the original work were fading little by little.
So Rellia decided to write down a few things she absolutely had to remember before she forgot everything.
Rellia brought paper and a pen from the study beyond the archway next to the living area.
"Hmm…."
With a serious expression, she began writing down the most important things first.
It was the reason why the Superion family fell apart.
'Of course, they don't fall completely.'
The Superion family was a great noble family that had been with the empire since its founding. As such, it wasn't a family that would easily fall.
However, after Yuriana became an adult according to the original work.
Misfortune began to befall the Superion family members.
In the original work, there were scenes where Cedric and Damian seriously agonized over this matter.
'So Yuriana comforted them.'
To put it simply, the Superion family's head would change.
The next head was not the grandfather's children, meaning not Mom's siblings.
'The one who took over the family was the young son of the Duke's eldest son, Zenon Superion….'
There was a reason why the grandfather's perfectly healthy children couldn't inherit the succession.
First, the eldest son Zenon lost his life on the battlefield.
'It was a battle that occurred after the Mad Dragon died.'
In the original work, after the Mad Dragon died, peace seemed to come to the continent, but it didn't last long.
People appeared from nowhere, becoming heretics who worshipped the Mad Dragon like a god, and began to grow their power.
And the second son, Carius, directly participated in the battle against the Mad Dragon and returned safely, but one day after that, he suddenly went missing.
'In the original work, Cedric and Damian were sad that they couldn't even find Uncle Carius's body.'
Finally, the third child, Attias. She was a strong candidate mentioned as the next head.
However, it was revealed that she had privately created an enormous amount of promissory notes.
'Moreover, it became known that the place where those promissory notes were used was a gambling house.'
Because of that, the Council of Elders' opposition was enormous, and in the end, she couldn't become the head.
When the Duke was in a critical situation where he couldn't lead the family, the most powerful force besides the Duchess was the Council of Elders.
The elders could decide family matters through fair voting.
Thus, the elders chose Zenon's son as the next head, and after that, the result was obvious.
'The elders started manipulating the young head to their liking, under the pretext of protecting the family that had fallen apart.'
In the original work, Cedric and Damian were greatly heartbroken and saddened by the news of their grandfather's death.
This was about all Rellia knew.
'Nothing was mentioned about Grandmother, so I only assumed she had already passed away….'
Moreover….
'I don't know why Grandfather passes away.'
However, one thing was certain: it was a sudden death of unknown cause.
Rellia bit her lip tightly.
After actually seeing her grandfather and grandmother, she felt a desire to protect them.
Also, she wanted to cure Grandmother's dementia. If it was medicine made with 'Alchemy Lottery,' it would surely be effective.
'I must protect them in Mom's place.'
First, her immediate goal was to grow up safely here until she became an adult.
'And before becoming an adult, I need to unlock as many 'Alchemy Lottery' recipes as possible.'
Especially, gathering ingredients that could treat Grandmother's dementia was important.
Rellia moved her pen again.
'After becoming an adult, I will achieve two goals.'
First, steal the holy relic from the male protagonist Route and complete the holy relic. After breaking the golden tongue's curse, find her friends.
'The timing to steal the holy relic is….'
Rellia narrowed her eyes.
The male protagonist Route was of commoner origin.
When Yuriana was young, she had run away from her drunk biological father and wandered the streets.
It was Route who saved Yuriana when she was almost caught by bad men who kidnapped children and sold them as slaves.
After that, Route was adopted into a noble family, and Yuriana became a princess.
As time passed, the two reunited on the day of a banquet at the imperial palace.
'It was exactly that day when I knelt before Yuriana and apologized….'
Ugh….
Recalling that day, Rellia's complexion turned pale. It was a terrifying, horrible, and fearful day in many ways.
'…It's okay, that won't happen anymore.'
Rellia shook her head quickly, trying hard to push away the memory of that day.
Anyway, Route was a swordsman who gained strong power through the wish granted by the half holy relic.
'He was also one of the warriors who contributed to defeating the Mad Dragon….'
In other words.
'That means it's impossible for me to take the holy relic from someone like that by force.'
It would be best if she could steal it naturally without using much force.
And there was one very good timing.
That timing was after the Mad Dragon died and peace came.
The male protagonist Route and the female protagonist Yuriana worried about how to handle the holy relic.
In that process, the original Route had lost the holy relic once.
'When Route lost the holy relic. I'll aim for that time!'
After breaking the golden tongue's curse with the completed holy relic, she would find her friends.
'And I'll confess. I'm sorry for deceiving you. Please forgive me….'
Rellia moved her pen again.
'And the second goal I need to achieve after becoming an adult is….'
Second, prevent the misfortunes that befall the Superion family members.
'I'll cure Grandmother's dementia and prevent Grandfather's death.'
Along with Mom's siblings too.
This was gratitude toward her grandfather, who would take care of her until she became an adult.
The misfortunes that would befall the Superion family were events that would happen after Rellia became an adult. Fortunately, that meant she had time to prepare in advance.
'I will definitely achieve both.'
Rellia, who put down her pen, took what she had written diligently and headed to the bed.
Seeing the rabbit doll on the bed, longing for her friends surged up.
Rellia hugged the doll tightly.
She missed and worried about each of her friends' faces.
Though she could now live relatively comfortably and safely here….
'Is everyone doing well…? Are they okay?'
They were all children with many wounds.
Oscar had wounds too hard to bear at a young age, Calix was a lonelier child than anyone.
Also, Griffith was a child who didn't know how to care for his own inner self, and Romeo, though he didn't show it, was a child with more fear than anyone.
As she thought of those children, her nose tingled and tears welled up.
Rellia clenched her hands tightly and prayed.
That those children who protected her only with memories could become happy.
'No matter what emotional wounds they receive, like I did… may they overcome them with the memories we shared.'
She hoped they wouldn't suffer for long.
After that, time flowed quickly.
The Duke of Superion announced Rellia's existence to the vassals and elders who came and went from the main residence.
He said she was a child who looked exactly like Elizabeth, whom he had brought for his mentally unstable wife.
And he ordered them.
For the sake of the Duchess's illness, they should treat Rellia just as respectfully as they had treated Elizabeth.
Thanks to that, Rellia began to live a life like a dream.
The most joyful thing was, naturally, the food.
She could eat food more delicious and abundant than when she lived at the temple, anytime she wanted.
'It's like a dream….'
The maids were kind, and the time spent with Grandmother and Grandfather was happy.
In particular, Rellia had a new hobby, which was looking at her mother's portrait.
'Really, when she became an adult, there's no resemblance to me at all.'
Mom was a tomboyish girl when she was young, but when she became an adult, she was an elegant and pure beauty.
'No wonder Emperor Perseus couldn't recognize her at all.'
Rellia took time once a day to look at her mother's portrait and mirror and study the resemblances. That's how she filled the empty space in her heart.
That didn't mean Rellia spent her time just comfortably and happily.
There was something that made Rellia uncomfortable, and that was the presence of her uncle Carius and her aunt Attias.
In particular, Carius was very displeased whenever he saw Rellia receiving the utmost respect from vassals and servants.
He often picked fights with Rellia. Of course, only where the Duke couldn't see.
"…Fraud."
Rellia's expression hardened whenever she saw Carius calling her a fraud.
'Why is he so childish at his age….'
However, Rellia never lost and always retorted to him.
"I've never committed fraud."
"Hmph."
Honestly, it was childish-level provocation, so it wasn't really damaging. At most, just a little uncomfortable?
And Attias, whenever she saw Rellia, would stare at her silently with observant eyes….
'Why does she keep looking at me like that….'
That gaze was a bit uncomfortable. It felt like she had to speak first.
"Um…."
"……!"
Eventually, when Rellia couldn't bear it and spoke, Attias would go "Whoosh!" away like a stray cat without any response.
'I don't think she dislikes me though.'
As those days continued, Rellia also started to adapt now.
Whether it was Carius or Attias, she could just ignore them.
Rellia spent time with Grandmother and Grandfather every day, and in that process, she satisfied her emotional stability.
She played games that helped with dementia with Grandmother, and read books with Grandfather.
Those times were more precious to Rellia than anything.
And this very moment was also one of the important times for Rellia.
It was time to gather 'Alchemy Lottery' ingredients and check what she had gathered.
The ingredients found during the few months since arriving here were considerable.
To find ingredients, she had to move her body and walk around, and thanks to that, there was almost no place in this large ducal castle she hadn't visited.
It seemed she had found all the ingredients that could be found in the castle.
After that, she even went around touring the territory with Grandfather.
'There are too many recipes, so making the Philosopher's Stone is out of the question….'
Rellia shook her head repeatedly.
Fortunately, once ingredients were found, the dragons would gather them automatically, so that was a relief.
'Anyway, since the goal isn't to make the Philosopher's Stone, I just need to gather ingredients for the necessary items.'
Rellia clicked on the alchemy tool on the screen and looked at the ingredients for the recipe she had marked as a favorite.
'What I need most right now are the ingredients for the medicine to treat Grandmother….'
[Alzheimer's Treatment]
- List of Required Ingredients
∙ Beautiful Grass 99 (36/99)
∙ Memory Fragments 10 pieces (0/10)
∙ Old Fabric Piece (0/1)
∙ Crystal of Memories (0/1)
∙ Ash of Flames 9999 (0/9999)
She discovered an ingredient called Beautiful Grass while walking through the ducal castle's garden.
Since the dragon would automatically gather ingredients at certain intervals, she just had to wait now.
However, she had no idea where to find the remaining ingredients.
Except for Beautiful Grass and Ash of Flames, the other ingredients had slightly different text colors. Perhaps because they were special ingredients that couldn't be found through auto-search.
'Do I need to find them outside the territory?'
Rellia chewed her lips slightly as she pondered.
'Fortunately, Grandmother's symptoms are gradually improving….'
Rellia smiled as she thought of her grandmother.
The Duchess was not mentally sound, so sometimes she called Rellia 'Elizabeth' and sometimes 'Rellia.'
Because Grandfather had told her, when she was in her right mind, she recognized Rellia as her granddaughter.
Thinking of Grandmother made her heart warm, but when she looked at the recipe window, she sighed.
'Come to think of it, I'm getting angry.'
Originally, her wish was to go to this game world, not to go to another world and obtain this game.
Of course, she was still glad to have this game….
She didn't ask for new recipes to be added.
"Even in my past life, it wasn't this infuriating of a game…."
Rellia looked at the innocent alchemy tool and the wiggling dragons.
'Are you telling me to make the Philosopher's Stone or not?'
No matter how much it was end content, wasn't it too much?
Just then. As if answering what Rellia had said internally, the alchemy tool floated a new speech bubble.
[Master! You're having difficulty clearing the recipe!(๑•́₋•̩̥̀๑)]
"…So you do know?"
Sometimes this happened. When she asked something internally, the alchemy tool would float a speech bubble like an answer.
It seemed to have gained self-awareness when crossing over to this world. Because of that, recently, the alchemy tool's speech bubbles popped up before the system window.
[Then would you like to unlock ingredients with Crystals?(๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧]
Rellia narrowed her eyes.
This game originally had such a system.
Either wait naturally while spending time until ingredients could be found, or use Crystals, real currency, to unlock ingredients. It was one of the two.
Actually, once unlocked, gathering from then on was quick, so the more money spent, the more advantageous it was.
However, there were special ingredients that couldn't be helped even with payment, and to obtain those, there was nothing but repetitive labor.
Either solve residents' requests and raise 'Relationship Affinity' to receive as a reward, or achieve sales accomplishments at the Alchemy Lottery shop to receive them.
However, currently, missions like residents' affinity or sales accomplishments were blocked.
'Besides, the method to obtain these ingredients isn't even shown.'
She wondered how on earth she was supposed to get these special ingredients.
'But that's not all….'
Rellia looked at the part where the gold value was written on the game screen. The Crystals Rellia possessed were 0.
'I don't have Crystals….'
The reason she had 0 Crystals was because she had used all the remaining Crystals before dying in her past life.
She wasn't someone who frequently paid real money, but she didn't never do it either.
In her past life, there were quite a few times she unlocked ingredients she couldn't find with Crystals.
"…Is there a way to charge Crystals?"
At Rellia's muttering, the alchemy tool floated a speech bubble as if it had been waiting.
[You can charge Crystals with this world's currency! The required Crystals may differ by recipe difficulty! ( •̀∀•́ )✧]
"Are you诱导 me to pay right now…?"
[◔ ̯◔…]
"……."
I'm speechless….
"But special ingredients can't be obtained even with payment. Which of these ingredients can be solved with payment?"
['Ash of Flames' is a regular ingredient, not a special ingredient. Regular ingredients can be unlocked with Crystals! ( •͈ᴗ-)ᓂ-ෆ ]
"Hmm…."
Not a bad method. Moreover, that ingredient required a whopping 9999.
Recipes requiring that many ingredients were rare.
Then it would be better to unlock it quickly so it could be gathered automatically.
"Then I need to earn money…."
Rellia pressed the inventory.
'If I sell these, it would become money.'
Honestly speaking, if alchemy wasn't illegal, she could establish a company enough to dominate the five empires.
'But I can't get rid of the Temple.'
There was only one method.
'Sell alchemy potions without getting caught by the Temple.'
That wasn't that difficult.
'I just need to tell Grandfather.'
As the head of a great noble family like the Superion family, he would be able to arrange ways to distribute alchemy potions.
'Moreover, the Temple generally doesn't touch great noble families.'
It was a story she heard recently from Grandfather.
One of the great nobles of the Askard Empire was caught selling alchemy potions, but suffered no damage at all.
The priest in charge of that matter was said to have been dispatched from the central Temple and lived in that region for a long time.
'He probably received money and hushed up the incident.'
Anyway, there was a way to earn money safely.
For that, she first needed Grandfather's help, but she also needed many items to sell.
Even though the ingredients gathered in her past life were quite substantial, there were also lacking ingredients.
Wait, before that….
'…I need to expand the inventory.'
Rellia furrowed her brows.
The inventory was almost full, so every time she found new ingredients, she had to organize the inventory.
In her past life, it was expanded to the maximum, but now it became possible to expand further.
[Shall I expand the inventory?(•̀ ▽ •́ )φ]
'I don't have Crystals.'
[Shall I charge Crystals?( •̀ᴗ•́ )و ̑̑]
"……."
First, she needed 500 Crystals to expand the inventory by 10 more spaces and unlock Ash of Flames. Rellia pressed the Crystal charging screen.
On the screen, a sparkling illustrated Crystal was floating.
<100 Crystals = 100,000 Shillings>
'Shilling' was the currency unit of this world, and 1 Shilling had the same value as 1 Won.
Then she needed 500,000 Shillings right now. In terms of past life currency, that meant about 500,000 won.
"…Why is it so expensive?"
[◔ ̯◔…]
"……."
Rellia first took out about 20 stamina recovery potions she had made with existing ingredients.
'I should sell each for 25,000 Shillings.'
And she found the basket she used when going on picnics with the maids and put them inside.
'First, let's sell these. I should sell them to people in the castle.'
And if that's not enough….
'It can't be helped. I'll have to run errands and get allowance.'
Grandfather might give her plenty of allowance.
Rellia picked up the basket like that and came out of her room with energy.
And as soon as she opened the door, she ran into Becky who was coming this way.
"Oh my, Miss! You're coming out at just the right time! It's meal time. I'll guide you to the dining hall."
"…Okay."
Rellia went back into the room, put down the basket, and followed Becky.
She couldn't skip meal time no matter what.
'I should eat and then start business.'
She needed to eat a lot and gain strength.
Rellia entered the dining hall with determination.
"The Lord and his wife have gone out for a moment. They said they'll have dinner together, so don't worry."
Even at Becky's kind words, Rellia's brows furrowed slightly.
It was because of the person already seated in the dining hall.
Carius, who was sitting at the main seat, also distorted his expression as soon as he saw Rellia, as if he was displeased.
Not wanting to lose the contest of wills, Rellia walked proudly and sat down diagonally across from Carius.
"……."
It was the closest seat to where Carius was sitting. He glared at Rellia.
The two looked at each other with expressions saying 'I'll ruin your meal time.'
Though she had spent the last few months here, this was the first time the two had a meal together.
It was because Carius had never attended the banquets where Rellia was with the Duke and his wife.
At the same time, the meal began to be served.
"For today's lunch, we prepared the food Miss likes best. Oh, come to think of it, Lord Carius also likes this food the most, doesn't he?"
The chef who brought the food personally smiled pleasantly.
At those words, Carius's eyebrows crumpled fiercely.
The servants served the food the chef brought onto Carius's and Rellia's plates in good portions to eat.
"You like this food?"
Carius asked with a snort.
"Yes."
Rellia answered with an expression saying 'So what?'
"……."
This food was hard to find in the capital.
The key was wine made using grapes with a special fragrance produced only in the Superion territory.
It was a method of steaming beef aged in that wine together with fragrant mushrooms.
It was food anyone could eat without resistance, but Carius's way of eating was a bit different.
He preferred to eat it with special spices imported from across the sea.
Carius reached for the tongs to the glass dish containing the spices. And then he sprinkled a lot of the spice that looked like dried grass on top of the steak.
As he put down the tongs, Rellia also reached out and began sprinkling lots of spices.
"Ha…!"
Carius looked at Rellia as if dumbfounded.
This spice had a bitter taste along with a unique scent. It made the mouth feel clean, but ordinary people didn't really like the scent.
But a child eats with this spice?
Carius looked at Rellia with furrowed brows.
Honestly, during the past few months, Carius's suspicion toward Rellia had faded a bit.
There were several times when he felt a sense of déjà vu that this girl might really be his sister's daughter.
But Carius rationalized to himself that it absolutely wasn't.
Perhaps he instinctively didn't let go of the suspicion because the guilt that would follow was too heavy to bear.
"……."
Carius narrowed his eyes and looked at Rellia.
He wondered if this child was really tasting it properly, or if she was being stubborn and copying him.
Honestly, this spice was a flavor that ordinary people, especially children, would find hard to eat deliciously.
To the extent that Carius was the only one in Superion Castle who ate this spice.
Even his parents, the Duke and Duchess, didn't like this spice.
Rellia cut the meat large, put plenty of spice on it, and put it in her mouth.
"Hmm…."
With her head buried in her plate, she chewed vigorously and then swallowed with an ecstatic expression.
Carius's expression hardened as he watched that sight.
It was the first time he saw a child eating that spice so deliciously, so ecstatically.
He wondered if she was faking it, but Rellia started eating diligently again, not caring about Carius at all.
Moreover, Rellia went a step further and sprinkled the spice even on the soup and salad.
"……."
Carius lowered his head and looked down at his own plate.
Suddenly, tears almost welled up.
It was because he suddenly thought of his childhood.
In the Superion ducal castle, only Elizabeth and Carius liked this spice.
The two liked this spice so much that they would sprinkle it not only on main dishes but also on salad and soup, which everyone else said was bitter.
The reason this spice was brought into the ducal castle was solely because of the two siblings' peculiar palates.
As a child, Carius had considered the fact that he and his sister had this commonality, just the two of them, to be very special.
"……."
Carius barely composed his emotions and raised his head again.
Rellia was not paying any attention to Carius and was almost finishing her meal.
The glass dish that had been filled with spices was now completely empty.
Carius gazed at Rellia with trembling pupils.
The similarities with his sister that he had discovered in this child over the past few months passed through his mind one by one.
If those things had been just one or two, he could have simply passed it off as 'It's all faked.'
But there were too many. An absurdly large amount.
Beyond simple déjà vu, there were several times when he felt his heart drop, thump, thump.
Today was the same.
As one more thing was added today to those accumulated commonalities, he reached an unbearable level.
As if small dots gathered one by one and finally completed a huge circle.
The things his head acknowledged but his heart couldn't acknowledge came crumbling down.
"……."
Rellia, who finished her meal, only then glanced at Carius.
'What, he didn't eat anything at all?'
The food placed in front of Carius was left untouched as if new.
'Does he hate eating with me that much…?'
Honestly, she was flustered. She didn't know he disliked her this much.
'Hating to even eat together means he hates it more than dying.'
It was a bit extreme, but one of the most important values to Rellia was meals.
Moreover, Carius's pupils were moistly wet. Meaning he cried.
'If a full-grown adult cries… he dislikes me that much.'
Rellia touched her hair awkwardly and looked at the empty glass dish.
'Or maybe he's sulking because I ate all the spices….'
Is he a surprisingly frail and sensitive person?
Rellia rose from her seat with a sour feeling.
And just as she was about to leave the dining hall holding a maid's hand.
"Wait."
Carius stopped Rellia.
"……."
When Rellia turned to look at him, Carius hesitated for a moment then spoke.
"Have you ever eaten Maclia?"
"……."
What's Maclia?
Rellia turned her head to look at Becky.
"No, Miss hasn't tried Maclia before."
"……."
Before long, Carius removed the napkin he had placed on his knees and stood up from his seat.
He motioned with his chin for Rellia to follow him.