The Eldest Daughter Walks Down The Flower Path

Chapter 13

“O.A…”

These were the initials embroidered on the handkerchief. It was the very thing that proved to Radis that the events that unfolded weren’t an illusion.

Had it not been for this handkerchief, Radis would have thought it was only a fever dream, perhaps after she fainted as she hit her head when she tripped.

Meeting him was something she couldn’t believe.

‘Like an angel.’

As she stroked the initials with her fingertips, Radis folded the handkerchief delicately and held it tightly.

‘If we ever meet again someday… I’ll return it.’

Then, she went to the ladies’ room and arranged her clothes, tried to fix her ruined high heels, then prepared herself before she returned to the banquet hall, bracing herself for the scolding that she was sure to get.

’Even so, if you have the courage for it, you’ll get through it all no matter how hard it is.’

The kind voice gave her courage.

As she returned to the banquet hall, she looked around to take in her surroundings and found a familiar coat of arms.

It was a shield engraved with doves, the crest of the Rosilde family.

Radis approached the middle-aged man wearing clothes that bore the family crest.

Realizing that she had approached him, the man greeted her with a gentle smile.

“Good evening. You are…?”

“Good evening. My name is Radis.”

And having to force herself, she added.

“From the Tilrod family.”

“Ahh, Miss Radis. I am Felice Rosilde.”

“It is an honor to meet you, Sir Felice.”

Radis, who wasn’t familiar with how conversations went in high society, immediately went straight to the topic after a short moment of hesitation.

“I know a lot about the reputation of the Rosilde family’s subjugation squad. I heard that it is one of the shields that protect the Empire from the forest of monsters.”

Felice smiled and shook his head humbly.

“I’m just doing my duty.”

“No, you’re a really great man. By the way, are you recruiting new soldiers?”

Felice looked at Radis with a slightly awkward smile.

His eyes seemed to be scrutinizing her.

Seeing his gaze, Radis realized that she had made a mistake.

In this place, she was talking to him while wearing this outfit.

If I had at least met him in proper attire while holding a sword instead of this pink frilly monstrosity…!

Then, Felice opened his lips.

“Truthfully… It’s not the recruitment period.”

Radis, whose cheeks had turned red, bowed her head.

“Excuse me, I apologize for making a mistake…”

“But I can’t refuse such an admirable lady’s request.”

“Pardon? You’re saying…”

“You mentioned that you’re from the Tilrod family, correct? I’ll send someone later.”

“Thank you very much, Sir Felice!”

“You don’t have to be grateful. In fact, no matter how many people there are, we don’t have enough in the subjugation squads.”

Radis was so happy that she wanted to jump up and down.

The Imperial subjugation squad she was part of in her previous life was impoverished.

The Empire’s support was nothing short of a rat’s tail, and most of the necessary supplies were provided only after they had begged for the aristocrats’ support in nearby areas.

Although the difference was that the squad members were allowed to take as many mana stones as they could want.

On the other hand, when she entered a subjugation squad belonging to a noble household, the mana stones that they were to acquire were automatically surrendered to the noble household. Even so, the squad members were treated better there than in the Imperial subjugation squad.

Except for the regular subjugations, they were given vacations, and they could also get regular purification ceremonies at the temple.

And the best thing was that she could leave the Tilrod family this way.

‘The Rosilde household was famous for treating their soldiers well during the subjugation. If I could get into their squad…!’

As Radis was about to turn around, she felt her heart swell with hope.

But then over her path, a gray shadow was cast.

“Found you.”

It was Huber.

He looked enraged as he looked alternately between her and Felice Rosilde, his fists clenching and unclenching.

“What’s with this bastard?” Huber said.

Radis was astounded.

“What? Bastard?” Radis asked

“Is this bastard bothering you, Miss Radis?”

“You seemed to have misunderstood something. I’m the one who talked to Sir Felice.”

Radis said this straightforwardly.

“And it’s none of your business who I talk to.”

Her words seemed to have struck a nerve with Huber.

Huber stopped clenching and unclenching his fists and instead kept them closed. He approached Radis one step at a time.

He was visibly incensed, and as he spoke, his voice was so low that it seemed to boil.

“I’m trying to treat you nicely, but you keep trying to test me.”

Radis stared at Huber, but he continued to speak.

“Your mother left you to me. Do you think you have a choice? You’re mine today. How dare you make me angry.”

Huber grabbed Radis by the arm.

He continued to act more roughly, and their surroundings buzzed as other people noticed the commotion.

She could have rejected Huber here, but she didn’t want to make a fuss, so Radis quietly followed him.

When they reached a deserted hallway, Huber turned to her and yelled.

“I’ll fix that bad habit of yours today!”

But as he turned around, Radis aimed at the back of his head—at a vital point—and landed a punch.

——

4. Mana stone

“Kegh!”

Huber, who was hit squarely, fell over with a short yelp.

When she heard Huber’s head make a huge sound as his head went down to the marble floor, Radis gasped sharply.

“…D-Did your skull get cracked?”

Radis looked around while Huber had fainted.

Fortunately, his head seemed to be intact, but it couldn’t be said that he was in pristine condition.

She hit the back of his head, but she saw blood flowing out of his nose.

“Did your nose hit the floor? Ah, I should have just hit the back of your neck and made you faint.”

She regretted it belatedly, but the water had already been spilled.

If a nosebleed would block the airways, he could die just like that.

Radis hoisted Huber up because she couldn’t let him die, despite being the shameless man that he was.

As she stood with Huber’s arm over her shoulder, she heard an ominous crack at his shoulder joint, but it couldn’t be helped.

Even if he was thin, Huber’s frame was still larger than hers, so she couldn’t carry him easily.

Fortunately, there were several unused rooms along the dark hallway.

She entered one that had a scented candle lit up, its fragrance peculiar, and with the bed covered with luxurious sheets.

Radis dragged Huber into the room and threw him over the bed.

“Huu!”

Huber was quite heavy, so Radis had to sit at the edge of the bed, trying to catch her breath.

She wiped off the sweat on her forehead with a soft silk blanket.

Then, she shifted her gaze and looked at Huber.

And she gasped sharply once again.

She threw him roughly over the bed, but as she saw Huber strangely buried between the pillows with his neck bent at an angle…

It looked like he was dead.

Frustrated, Radis grabbed Huber by the collar and laid him down properly. She also wiped off the nosebleed that had flowed down to the silken sheets.

As she did this, she saw that Huber’s face was a little swollen, but at least he didn’t look dead anymore.

As she wiped his collar, a familiar object entered Radis’ sight.

There was a blue gem the size of a grain of wheat, shining faintly as it was hung loosely over Huber’s neck.

‘A mana stone…’

Radis stared at the gem.

This gem contained power that was beyond the logic of nature.

In her previous life, Radis had to go through so much just to obtain one of these.

She fought against fearsome demonic monsters, dug up their remains with her sword, then found the gems within the dark flesh.

She washed them clean… then brought everything back to the Tilrod family.

Radis faintly touched the cold surface of the blue gem.

And at that moment—

“……!”

The blue energy that was flowing within the mana stone disappeared.

Radis almost screamed.

She hurriedly pulled out the gem.

Huber’s mana stone had lost its light, quickly turning gray. It soon hardened like stone.

Then… It shriveled into dust and… disappeared.

“What?”

Radis looked at her hand.

It was the same.

Nothing seemed to have changed.

“No, not my hand…”

Radis slowly calmed herself down and placed her hands over her thighs.

She straightened her posture.

And she focused on what was within her.

This feeling.

“…What? Why? How did this happen?”

Radis couldn’t believe it.

She couldn’t even be certain of it.

It was too faint for her to be sure.

“I have to check. A mana stone… I need another mana stone…”

But she didn’t have one. The same was true about the Tilrod family. Radis’ gaze turned back to Huber, who was still unconscious.

 

* * * 

Radis asked a passing servant to find Huber’s wagon and coachman.

Perhaps this happened often because the coachman didn’t suspect Radis when she said that he got drunk and fell unconscious.

And Radis pretended to support Huber, not saying anything more as she got onto the carriage with the man.

The faithful coachman took Radis to the Cradium Merchant Guild.

The guild was quite affluent, and Radis suddenly recalled a memory from her previous life that she had almost forgotten.

By the time that Huber was swindling Jade and Margaret, Radis warned them because she could feel that Huber was lying.

It was a rare occurrence that Margaret and Jade were on the same side, but back then, they had ganged up on Radis.

’You’re naïve, but my, you sure have a lot of doubts. Mister Cradium knows a lot about mana stones—no one around here knows more than he does about mana stone distribution. Why are you suspecting him?’

Jade had spoken up as well.

’Your mother is right. Huber showed us the mana stone storage hidden behind the bookshelf in his bedroom. It’s incredible. Who else can we trust if not that person?’

In the present, Radis looked around Huber’s bedroom.

There was only one bookshelf there, so she had no reason to search further.

When she scanned the titles, all of them were noblemen’s poetry and books about philosophy, and she had to wonder if Huber ever tried to read one before.

Out of all the books, almost every one of them were new, except for one that was a bit frayed.

Radis pulled out that one.

Drrrng.

With a heavy sound, the bookshelf moved.

As she expected, there was a secret space behind the bookshelf.

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And it was full of mana stones.

Red, blue, violet, yellow, green…

The smallest ones were as small as a wheat grain, but some others were as big as a fingernail.

The small gems that emitted their own light were just right there, as though they were slumbering.

“Why are there so many?”