Erekaya del Pendragon does not have anyone close to her.
From the moment she was born, what she learned was how to stand above others and command them, not how to coexist and build friendships.
Erekaya del Pendragon does not have anyone she can truly trust.
Since her childhood, those who approached her always had some ulterior motive, and they were not people she could ever deem trustworthy.
But that is fine.
Because she was born into a family that could claim to be the most distinguished house of the Empire.
Born with exceptional talents that anyone would envy, she emerged from a noble lineage that everyone would admire, complete with beauty that would draw respect.
It would be hard to find someone in the entire world who was born with more than Erekaya del Pendragon.
So, it’s fine.
Even if there isn’t a single person she can trust, even if there isn’t a close person she can complain to when she feels tired and worn out, even if there isn’t a friend who approaches her without any calculations—
She was genuinely fine. Because she was already accustomed to it all.
Yet, there were moments when she felt overwhelmed, when despite being used to solitude, she longed for someone to be by her side.
Her father was kind but too busy as the head of the House of Pendragon, and her mother was caring but often unable to tend to her needs.
Knowing this well, she did not throw tantrums; she merely buried her childish whims deep in her heart, quietly.
However, occasionally, very occasionally, she felt envy.
When she observed the loving and close-knit siblings, she often found herself mesmerized, watching them without realizing.
The younger sibling who adores and follows the older sister or brother. And the elder sibling who cherishes and cares for the younger ones.
How much had she wished and longed for just one family member she could unconditionally trust, follow, rely on, and sometimes lean against quietly?
She was well aware that such sentimentalism was utterly foolish.
…But Erekaya was deeply captivated by that foolishness.
Without any gain, without any ulterior motives, without any calculations, the relationship of mutual affection shone so brilliantly to her.
“…..”
When she regained her senses, she found herself seated not in the magic practice ground but in her own room in the dormitory.
Looking out the window, she realized that it was quite late; the sun was slowly rising beyond the horizon.
It seemed it might be too late to sleep, but at that moment, such a concern was entirely unimportant to her.
After all, as an aura user, she wouldn’t feel tired just because she spent the night awake.
“…Jin.”
Erekaya softly whispered the man’s name.
What could that man be? What kind of existence was he?
What was it about his identity that linked him to the House of Pendragon, and why was he mastering a new ‘Dance of the Dragon’ that was far more advanced than the one she knew?
Moreover, why did he possess the synesthesia that only the bloodline of Pendragon should have, and why was there a resonance occurring between them?
“…..”
The only hypothesis that could most clearly explain all these circumstances was that her father, the Duke of Pendragon, had cheated on her mother in secret.
Of course, the father Erekaya knows, Duke of Pendragon, is not someone who would do such a thing.
He has always been devoted to his family, loves his wife, and cares for his only daughter. It is unlikely that he would ever cheat on his wife with another woman.
Indeed, no one knows this better than Erekaya, his daughter, and family.
…However, one can never be too sure.
It is often said that while you may know the depths of a well, you cannot know the depths of a person’s heart.
Even a father who appears to be so kind and devoted to his family might have, at some moment, fallen for another woman and committed an indecent act.
But this hypothesis has a critical flaw.
‘For someone who inherited his father’s blood, his appearance is …’
The Duke of Pendragon is renowned as the most formidable warrior in the Empire, and simultaneously, the family is rumored to have one of the most handsome appearances in the Empire.
What they inherited from their ancestors is not only the synesthesia but also the breathtaking beauty that exceeds human limits.
Moreover, those who bear the Pendragon bloodline are born with violet hair.
However, his hair is akin to an ebony hue.
In terms of looks and appearance, it is quite difficult to regard him as a descendant of the House of Pendragon.
The most rational and plausible explanation would be that he accidentally inherited the supernatural ability of synesthesia and that someone from the Pendragon bloodline, who recognized his ability, took him on as a disciple.
However, this scenario fails to explain the reason his synesthesia resonates with hers.
The very reason resonance occurs is that the closer the blood relation, the more similar the appearances of the metaphysical world and the soul, which creates a confusion in each other’s synesthesia.
Simply being two individuals with synesthesia situated close to one another does not lead to resonance.
Additionally, Erekaya’s instincts and the synesthesia she possesses whispered in her ear.
That man and the synesthesia he possesses seem so similar to her own ability that it almost feels like it belongs to her.
Furthermore, the form of his soul bears a striking resemblance to that of Erekaya’s.
It is so similar that she harbors the ridiculous thought that her own soul might be dwelling within him.
Her heart races. It feels as if she has finally found that lost other half of herself, a presence she had never known throughout her life.
She needs to confirm, she must check. What kind of relationship does he have with her? Why is he making her feel this way?
…And is it true that he is related to her by blood?
All of it. Everything.
A few days later, inside the dining hall of Nineveh, Claire was bustling around while sitting across from Jin, who was quietly eating his meal.
“The schedule for the duel assessment has been announced. They plan to hold it exactly a month from now,” she said excitedly.
“…Oh, really?”
“But are you okay? Is it possible the wound from last time is causing some aftereffects…?”
“It’s nothing like that. I just… haven’t been getting much sleep lately.”
Jin gazed at Claire with tired eyes, heavy dark circles beneath them.
Lately, he had been sneaking into the magic practice ground every night like a little rat, dedicating himself to mastering the ‘Dance of the Dragon’ under Erekaya’s guidance.
“Why on earth is she making me practice swordsmanship at dawn instead of broad daylight?”
— Hmm, isn’t it more mysterious to train alone at dawn than in the daytime?
“…What?”
— In truth, there was a time when I found the ever-clingy Altina von Rudel Sarias such a nuisance that I would sneak out at dawn to practice swordplay alone in the magic practice ground.
“And?”
— I thought that since I was training alone at dawn, my past self would inevitably catch me at least once. And wouldn’t that situation have been a perfectly picturesque scene?
With that, Erekaya suddenly cleared her throat, her voice ringing out like a narration in a play.
— The woman did not particularly like men. This was mainly because their usual behavior seemed so reckless and unrefined that a lady who valued noble etiquette could only view their actions with distaste.
— However, one day, in the quiet, still hours of the early morning, she happened to catch sight of a man practicing swordsmanship alone, making sure not to draw the attention of others.
— Gone was the carefree demeanor that usually surrounded the man; he was now entirely focused on his training. He was so engrossed that he didn’t even notice her presence.
— It was then that she realized that hidden beneath what appeared to be just a slacker was a layer of diligent effort accumulated through blood and sweat.
— From that moment on, she became conscious of him. On the surface, he seemed to portray an air of invulnerability, yet behind that façade, he shared a single ‘secret’ of desperate effort to avoid being dismissed by anyone.
“That’s utterly ridiculous, like a cheap melodrama.”
As Jin held back the urge to contort his face, Erekaya clicked her tongue in response.
— And this is why it’s difficult to have a conversation with fools who don’t understand a woman’s heart. Listen carefully; the moment a woman becomes most aware of a man is when she witnesses the gap in his demeanor.
“…Gap?”
— Women are creatures of emotion. Women tend to feel a sense of tenderness when they see a man who usually appears self-reliant revealing his struggles through endless effort.
“Tenderness? I can’t imagine you holding onto such a cute sentiment.”
Was all this just a setup to create a nonsensical scenario for digging into the depths of someone’s psyche night after night without sleep?
As Jin sighed, searching through his food-laden tray for meat, he heard a voice nearby.
“But why do you only eat meat and skip the vegetables? You need to eat them for good health.”
“I told you before, stop talking like my mom—”
Jin looked up to see Claire chewing on something in her mouth.
A shiver ran down his spine. If so, then who exactly just said that?
— You foolish one, behind you.
At Erekaya’s words, Jin turned to look behind him and froze.
“Can you come here for a moment?”
There, with a terrifying smile, stood Altina.
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