The Return of Lilietta - Chapter 252
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 252
Lillieta’s tent was given to her as large and fine as the Prince’s tent, so it was quite spacious with soft animal hides laid thickly on the floor. Even if a large adult man suddenly appeared, it wouldn’t be cramped.
‘If it succeeds, he’ll be naked again, so I should prepare something to cover him with…’
Rita picked up the cloak that Marien had folded, then placed the Black Dragon that had been clinging to her shoulder onto the fur on the floor and sat facing it. The small dragon looked up at her in bewilderment.
-Grooong?
“Gid, do you know what this is?”
She took out Bone of the Moon No. 1, which she had made into a necklace with a leather cord. In the light seeping from the lantern hanging on the central pole of the tent, the glass bead-like jewel sparkled in all colors.
-Grong…?
The small Black Dragon narrowed its eye sockets and opened its mouth wide, looking up at it. Its expression seemed to say it didn’t quite understand what it was.
“This is the Bone of the Moon. You probably don’t remember, but when you came into contact with this, you briefly returned to human form.”
Rita explained step by step while spreading the necklace cord with both hands. Then she held it out in front of the Black Dragon’s small head.
“So I’m going to experiment with this again. To see if your monsterification disappears while you’re in contact with the Bone of the Moon. This is part of the process to find a way to completely return you to human form. Do you understand?”
The Black Dragon looked at the Bone of the Moon necklace swaying in front of its nose with a blank expression.
Did Gid understand her intention and purpose? Rita carefully observed the Black Dragon’s expression and suddenly thought.
‘When he first came into contact with the Bone of the Moon, Gid’s memory wasn’t intact. He didn’t recognize me right away.’
The Gid from that time was like a fragment or piece of the human Gideon.
Would it be the same this time? If so, which point in time would she see Gid from?
She’d prefer to see him with all his memories intact, but if she was only going to see a fragment anyway…
‘…I want to see a Gid who knows the current me, my true self, not from my Rita Pascal days.’
Like Crown Prince Gideon from when he first met Lillieta del Nisa Raskail.
‘Our first meeting in my true form… would be when we were about to dance our first dance at the debutante ball, right?’
When he didn’t know she was Rita Pascal, what did he think of her? Even without knowing anything, was he interested in her?
She suddenly became curious.
Would Gideon have eventually become interested in ‘Princess Lillieta of Raskail’ rather than Rita Pascal?
Even if we hadn’t been kidnapped to the future, even if you hadn’t become increasingly obsessed with me through endless repetition, would you still…
‘…Come to think of it, that’s ultimately Pascal’s history. The history where the 16-year-old Princess of Raskail died while engagement talks with the Crown Prince were ongoing.’
Thinking such thoughts absentmindedly, she moved her hands. The long leather necklace went around the Black Dragon’s neck, and the Bone of the Moon hanging from the leather cord touched the dragon’s chest.
-…!
The small Black Dragon’s body stiffened with a start. Soon black smoke exploded outward.
Rita watched through the smoke while holding the cloak ready to cover him immediately.
By the time she swallowed dry saliva from tension, the corrupted magic power that had risen like dark clouds was sucked into one place, revealing the form that had been beyond it.
Fine black hair, smooth and pale skin, a slender neck and soft, round cheeks still with baby fat.
‘…Round cheeks?’
She couldn’t accept what she was seeing and repeated it to herself. Baby fat making his cheeks soft? Gid? That couldn’t be right.
She blinked several times, but the sight before her eyes didn’t change.
A child who looked to be about nine or ten years old at most was sitting on the fur, wrapped in black energy.
While Rita was frozen in shock, the boy slowly opened his eyes. Clear golden eyes like amber were revealed in his young face.
Though she’d never seen this child before, she could tell at a glance that it was Gid.
He resembled young Gid Pascal from when he was being trained by Pascal, and he still retained all the features from when he was an adult. Except for becoming round and cute, he was almost exactly the same.
[Question: Why does he look like that this time? Really, this Crown Prince never does anything the easy way.]
The artificial spirit’s irritated muttering echoed in her mind. Rita rubbed her face dry to collect herself.
‘Childhood… Gid? Why?’
Really, why on earth?
She felt like her head might explode, but she first wrapped the cloak around the boy. Black energy was being rapidly absorbed into the Bone of the Moon around his neck, revealing his naked body.
“Uh…”
Boy Gid looked down at his cloaked body in bewilderment, then raised his head to look at Lillieta. His clear eyes containing her image widened and began to shine.
Rita called his name as calmly as possible.
“Gideon?”
“Fairy?”
Her question and his overlapped. She asked back in confusion.
“Fairy?”
“You are a fairy, right? I knew it wasn’t a dream! It wasn’t my imagination or a mirage! We’ve met again like this!”
The boy muttered in an excited tone, then looked up at her with a face flushed red.
“But this time you’re in adult form? Can fairies change their age at will?”
“Wait, what on earth are you—”
Just as she was about to question what he was talking about, she felt a presence within her detection range that she had spread out just in case.
Someone was approaching her tent.
[Warning: User, someone is approaching your tent!]
‘I know!’
If Gid was discovered now, it would be difficult to explain.
Rita scooped him up, cloak and all, and looked around the tent. The boy grabbed onto her neck in surprise.
“Wah?”
Though it was fairly spacious, it was still just a tent, so there wasn’t really anywhere to hide a person. She had no choice but to push the boy under the makeshift bed.
“What, what? Why all of a sudden—”
“Sorry, but Gid, hide here for a moment. You absolutely can’t make any noise, understand?”
Rita pulled down the blanket from the bed to hide the boy’s form while earnestly pleading with him. The boy nodded in bewilderment.
“Oh… okay. I’ll be quiet.”
“Thank you, you’re a good boy.”
When Rita smiled and whispered, the boy’s face turned bright red up to his neck. She didn’t see this as she was busy pulling down the rest of the blanket to drape it appropriately over the bed.
Shortly after, a voice came from outside the tent along with a clearing of the throat.
“Knight, this is Elision. I’m sorry for the late hour, but I have something to discuss with you… may I come in?”
“Yes, please come in.”
Rita swallowed a sigh and untied the cord that bound the entrance cloth. The silver-haired Prince entered the tent with a troubled yet gentle smile.
“Excuse me.”
She offered the chair where Marien had sat earlier to clean her magic gun to the politely greeting Prince, and she sat on the edge of the bed. Very carefully, mindful of the boy hiding underneath.
After exchanging light conversation about how dinner was and whether there were any inconveniences staying in the tent, Sion brought up the main topic.
“I heard from the Captain of the Guard. Tomorrow you’ll be observing the joint training between the Imperial Guard and the militia.”
“Ah, yes.”
“Thank you so much.”
Elision bowed his head politely. Then, unable to raise his head, he continued in a trembling voice.
“I know that you’re going to do what I should have done but couldn’t. I’m truly, truly grateful.”
“…I could imagine that it wouldn’t be easy for a Prince from the Kingdom to integrate the militia. This is something I can do easily because I’m a third party, so please don’t worry about it.”
“But Knight… we’re receiving too much help from you. You were originally going to stay briefly to find a way back to your homeland… but we’ve come to depend on you like this.”
“Helping fulfill the revelation is also my job. It’s fine, so don’t worry about it.”
“…In that revelation.”
Sion raised his head. His wavering blue eyes gazed at Lillieta.
“Really… was it me wearing the golden laurel crown? Me, and not someone else?”
“Yes, it was you.”
Rita answered immediately without hesitation and added.
“You will sit on the throne, wear the golden laurel crown, and proclaim the founding of the nation. A glorious country that embraces all the exiled and wandering, that will prosper for long ages, will begin with you.”
The Prince let out a hollow laugh.
“Haha…”
He muttered with drooping eyebrows.
“When you say things like that, it makes me want to depend on you even more.”
“Pardon?”
“Because you paint such a brilliant future for a fallen kingdom’s prince who comes to you in the middle of the night without notice, whining, without showing even a hint of annoyance.”
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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