"Master? Why are you… silent? Don't you want to accept my gift?"
"Ah!" Linda gasped, her face flushing even redder. She quickly tried to compose herself and coughed. "I'm sorry, rlin. I'm just surprised that you prepared a gift like this for . To be honest… I'm really happy."
A sincere smile blossod on her face as she gazed at rlin with gentle eyes.
rlin breathed a quiet sigh of relief. He had worried Linda would misunderstand his intentions, but clearly, she hadn't.
"Would you like to put it on for you?" he offered.
Still smiling, Linda nodded slightly and tilted her head forward. Though rlin was taller than most children his age, he was still a head shorter than her.
rlin carefully lifted the necklace and fastened it around her neck.
When he finished, he stepped back and nodded with satisfaction.
"It suits you very well, Master," he said, admiration clear in his voice.
The necklace had co from Celestia's jewelry store, which he had visited earlier. The shop was filled with many exquisite pieces.
rlin hadn't cared about the price. He had plenty of money, not to ntion Margaret's five-star gold card.
In fact, when he bought it, Cashira—the staff mber assisting him—had said he didn't need to pay, knowing about his special connection with Margaret.
"You're right, rlin. This necklace is beautiful," Linda murmured, her heart swelling with happiness.
The necklace was a pale blue, its pendant shaped like an ice crystal flower that sparkled under the moonlight. Simply by looking at it and feeling its texture, Linda could tell it had been made with care and love.
"This necklace is called Snow Star, and it has a story behind it," rlin explained shyly. "About two hundred years ago, there was a couple with a great difference in age and status."
"The woman was a princess from the northern kingdom, where snow stretched as far as the eye could see. The man was a forty-year-old knight from her palace. They loved each other, but fate stood in their way. In the end, they were forced apart, and the man was exiled by the royal court."
"During his exile, he never forgot his beloved. Even until his death, he kept her in his heart. He had this necklace made, hoping his love for the princess would remain eternal, and as a reminder of his greatest regret—his failure to act boldly."
"If only he had dared to accept the princess's offer to escape the palace and live in a distant land, things might have turned out differently."
After telling the story, rlin sighed deeply.
He had heard it from Cashira, but he wasn't sure how true it was.
Still, he reasoned that the head of a branch of one of the richest family businesses on the continent wouldn't make up nonsense, right?
Linda was montarily stunned by the words. For so reason, the word "regret" kept echoing in her mind.
'Regret? If I continue to reject these emotions… might I still end up feeling them?' She wondered.
The image of an adult rlin, cold and expressionless, with two beautiful won by his side, surfaced in her mind. It sent a chill down her spine.
This was the first ti she had felt such fear—even when facing the continent's most powerful figures, she had never been this frightened.
Like glass shattering violently on the floor, the chains binding Linda's heart finally broke apart.
At that mont, the familiar notification sound rang in rlin's mind.
"[Ding! The affection of the heroine, Linda Thalsis, has increased by 1 point. Affection now: 100 (perfect). Congratulations, Master, you have successfully lted the heart of the unconquerable heroine in the novel! The rewards have been sent. Do you want to receive them now? Yes/No?]"
...
The Clay family mansion was vast, surrounded at the front by a long black fence that enclosed the entire estate. Outside the gate lay a two-lane road lined with trees on both sides.
The road was wide enough for two horse-drawn carriages to pass side by side and turned dark at night.
Guards stood watch around the gate, ensuring that no intruders dared step onto the property.
Just then, a small shadow approached the gate. The guards were startled and imdiately went on alert. However, when the moonlight revealed the figure, they saw an eleven-year-old boy standing before them.
He was rather tall but thin. His simple clothes were torn and full of holes, giving him a shabby, pitiful look.
One of the guards stepped closer, gripping the hilt of the sword at his waist.
"Who are you, boy? Do you know this is Clay family territory?" he asked in a stern tone.
He didn't imdiately drive the boy away, thinking the child might have been invited by Ardhis or another family mber—or perhaps was a relative of one of the servants or guards.
Though it was unlikely, the possibility still existed. They had all been taught by the family head not to judge anyone too quickly.
The boy, none other than Tharvis, looked frightened. But he couldn't forget his purpose—to et rlin.
Suppressing his fear, he raised his head and looked at the soldier with determination.
"Sorry to disturb you, guard, but I ca at the invitation of Young Master rlin," he said honestly. "I t him about sixteen days ago. He told he would make a great alchemist and asked to co before the end of the month. Since tomorrow marks the beginning of a new month, I ca tonight, afraid that the ti he gave would run out."
The guard was clearly surprised to hear that. Fortunately, he hadn't driven the boy away earlier. Even so, he couldn't just take his word for it.
"Do you have any proof that Young Master rlin really invited you?"
"I do." Tharvis gave a small nod, then took out the Clay family badge rlin had given him and handed it to the soldier.
The guard accepted it and examined it carefully. His eyes widened slightly as he exclaid, "This really belongs to the Clay family!"
His gaze shifted back to the poorly dressed Tharvis, curiosity flickering in his eyes.
'This kid said Young Master rlin promised to make him a powerful alchemist? Could it be that he truly has talent?' he wondered to himself.
If that were true, what a marvel it would be!
rlin had already shown them that he had changed a lot. For that reason, the guard trusted the young master's judgnt in choosing soone.
With a smile, the soldier stepped aside and said, "You may enter, kid. But Young Master rlin is currently away. By my estimation, he'll return in a few hours. Co in first; I'll inform the head of the family about your arrival."
Tharvis felt relieved by the friendly gesture. He had expected a conflict, but the guard turned out to be kind.
"I understand, and... thank you."
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