In the guest study on the third floor of the Geraint residence, Annan was quietly flipping through the newly acquired dragon language dictionary.
He was nearly finished with it.
The phrase his late grandmother had said to him, with so vague mories, Annan had also recalled and largely surmised.
If nothing was unexpected, his grandmother had said at the ti:
"You have succeeded, Annan... if you still rember this na. I knew you would succeed. If you feel you are in danger, go directly to the capital of Noah and let the Silver Baron help you return ho. Now that Maria already possesses the ability to counter the corrupt, she can protect you well before I fully awaken. But if you must do sothing in Noah, handle it before you co back. Annan, you’ve grown up. Act like a man and do what you need to do. I support you."
The short and intricate pronunciations of the dragon language, when translated by a Frostspeaker, turned into a long string, and it beca even more when translated back into normal communicative language.
The implication was, go wander about. If you’ve had enough or can’t cope, then co back.
...I never expected my grandmother to be such a person.
This was sowhat surprising to Annan.
He had originally thought that as the "God of Tradition," his grandmother would be quite strict and conservative—perhaps upon knowing that Annan, the only heir, was stranded outside and could encounter various dangers, her first reaction would be to order Annan to return imdiately to the Winter Duchy in order to ensure the stability of the inheritance.
However, it turned out that his grandmother specifically told Annan not to hurry back.
"To act like a man"... what does that an?
...Are you telling to go beat up the corrupt as a form of revenge?
Annan’s expression was sowhat nuanced.
But I’m not necessarily stronger than him, am I? Or is grandmother referring to sothing else?
...Could it be she was talking about Kafney?
"...Hiss."
Annan took in a sharp breath.
Then after carefully considering it, he inhaled sharply again: "Hiss—"
It’s possible... indeed... that could be it...
Knowing that his grandmother might know Kafney, Annan suddenly felt a peculiar toothache.
Annan did have a fondness for Kafney. But at this point, it could only be called liking... similar to how one would feel about a classmate of the opposite sex who had a nice personality, was good-looking, and often played together with him, but it hadn’t reached the level of "love."
And for this reason, upon learning that "family" had noticed Kafney’s presence,
Annan subtly felt a bit embarrassed...
This awkwardness... hasn’t even been blocked by the Heart of Winter?
"And... still rembering the na, what does it an?"
Annan frowned slightly as he pondered.
He thought long and hard, combining the fragnts of mories from before.
In the end, Annan realized... if it truly was Annan’s first round, he must have crossed over at a very young age, possibly even from birth.
Considering that Annan had once heard from old Alvin that little Annan had been sickly a long ti ago... all possibilities existed. But Annan leaned more towards the forr.
Winter people don’t na their children at birth, but only when they can read and write—because of the high infant mortality rate during winter years.
If you na a child who dies early, it becos hard to forget about it, and even harder to forget just how many children have died. But if you haven’t had the chance to na them, the mory gradually fades.
And for the Ri family, there was another reason—without the Heart of Winter’s reversal, it would often be difficult for heirs of inadequate quality to live to adulthood.
And at that ti, Annan had almost died. At the age of eight, he received the na "Annan" and began formal swordsmanship training under Ivan.
Looking back, it was Annan himself who had suggested, which led his grandmother to help persuade Ivan Ri, to give himself the na "Annan."
After all, "Annan" is a neutral, more feminine na, aning "rciful." It was clearly not a na that should be given to a son in Ri—as a man’s rcy implies weakness, incompetence, being a burden, and needing the protection of others.
And when the na "Annan" is pronounced with the Ri accent, it sounds closer to "Anna" because of the way Ris speak.
——How could the son of a grand duke possibly have such a na?
Unless I’m mistaken, this must be to align with his "true na."
Because Annan rembers, there are so rituals that require the input of one’s "true na" to activate. Perhaps Annan worried that if he used another na, he might not et the condition of the "true na" and thus be unable to activate those rituals...
And it was indeed to persuade others that Ivan invented the tale that he "hoped his grandmother would have a heart of rcy for this child, so that his destiny wouldn’t be so perilous."
Now when I look at the grandmother’s attitude towards Annan—how could she possibly not have a heart of rcy for Annan?
Her heart of rcy was practically overflowing.
"No wonder after I ca through, I found that this body shared my own na..."
Annan muttered to himself in a low voice.
Just then, he heard soone knocking at the door.
Annan turned around, surprised to find Kafney.
——Prince Annan.
With a tray of tea and pastries in her hands, Kafney softly called out to Annan.
"Kafney? Uh..."
Annan turned his head back, montarily losing himself in thought.
Kafney was dressed in a white, waist-cinched dress that outlined her slender figure. The beret she usually wore was gone, and her black wavy hair cascaded down to her waist. She wore sandals on her feet.
"...Are you very hot?"
Annan asked subconsciously.
Kafney glanced at Annan, and he took the cue to shut his mouth.
It was the first ti he saw Kafney in pure white clothes, and he felt sowhat dazzled.
Annan rembered that Kafney always wore dark-colored dresses, like a delicate doll. She also disliked wearing shoes, always barefoot, donning a very thin, fluttering dress as she walked around her room.
Now that they were staying temporarily at Geraint’s house, Kafney had dutifully put on shoes...
Annan took the tray from her and set it on the table. After taking a sip of the tea Kafney had just brewed, he casually asked, "Feeling any better?"
"Yes. I’ve been fine for a while now."
Kafney glanced at Annan and murmured softly.
After a whole day of settling down, Kafney’s emotions had stabilized quite a bit.
Though she still seed a bit downcast, she had adjusted her state of mind.
"What do you want to do now?"
Annan closed the dictionary, turned on his stool to face Kafney standing in front of him, and asked in a gentle voice, "Do you need my help?"
"...Would you accompany back to the palace?"
Kafney hesitated for a long ti before speaking softly.
Annan paused, about to agree imdiately.
But just to be safe, he asked another question, "...To see whom?"
If it was Philip, Annan planned to dissuade Kafney... If it was the fourth prince or the Eldest Princess, that would be all right.
However, the fourth prince had barely recalled part of his mory under treatnt and was still in confusion, not fully recovered. Perhaps Kafney just wanted to check on her father’s condition...
But the answer Kafney gave completely exceeded Annan’s expectations:
"To see... His Majesty the King."
She said softly, "My grandfather."
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