Chapter 251
“Uhk! Uhk! Waaaah!”
A white-haired child burst into tears.
Three neighborhood kids stood around him, sticking out their tongues and taunting him.
“Raheim’s the only one with dark skin! It’s dark!”
“He’s dark because his mom is dark!”
“So weird! Raheim is weird!”
The child, called Raheim, sobbed big fat tears like chicken poop and shouted back,
“No, I’m not weird!”
“Raheim’s skin is dark!”
“But his hair is white! That’s the opposite! He’s weir—!”
Tatadat!
At that moment, someone came sprinting toward the scene of Raheim being bullied.
“You brats are teasing him over that!?”
Smack!
“That’s way weirder, you poop-head stupid dummies!”
A small girl, around the same age as the kids, suddenly appeared and kicked their knees.
She had beautiful sky-blue hair and skin as white as the falling snow around them.
“She hit Roha!”
“Who are you?!”
The three kids rushed her, but they couldn’t do anything against the fiercely stubborn girl. She wildly swung both arms and kicked their knees like mad.
The kids panicked and ran away in terror.
“Don’t mess with me, you little jerks!”
After shouting a string of curses at the fleeing kids, she turned her head.
There sat Raheim, still dazed and crying, slumped on the ground.
“Stop crying already! Quit it! Quit!”
“……”
Raheim, intimidated by the girl, quickly stopped crying.
Seeing how well he obeyed, the girl gave a satisfied grin.
“You’re him, right? The son of the lord of Snowfield Castle, Raheim.”
She held out her hand. Raheim, still frightened, just stared at it blankly.
“My name’s Maelyn Villene. I’m the official heir to the Ivory Tower, and when I grow up, I’m going to be the Tower Lord!”
Raheim recalled hearing that people from the Ivory Tower were visiting Snowfield Castle today. It was the reason his father told him to hide somewhere quiet until they left.
He replied timidly.
“Y-yeah. But I’m not really a real son…”
“If your dad’s the lord, you’re his son! What are you talking about?”
“But I can’t even be lord.”
“So what? Just play boldly!”
“My skin’s dark too.”
“Ugh, how annoying!”
She kicked Raheim’s knee too.
Raheim screamed and grabbed his knee, hopping around like he was in a chicken fight.
“Quit whining and come on! Your parents and my parents are all waiting.”
Maelyn grabbed Raheim’s hand and started dragging him along. Raheim, flustered, protested.
“Wait! I—I’m not supposed to go!”
“Why not? You’re the lord’s son too.”
“I…”
Raheim hung his head low.
“My dad wants to hide me.”
“……”
“My brother’s going to be the lord, not me.”
Maelyn let go of Raheim’s hand, spun around, and looked him straight in the eyes.
Even leaning forward with her hands on her knees, Maelyn was still taller. Raheim fidgeted nervously.
“My dad told me something. Never let your guard down.”
“W-what?”
“I might be the official heir, but that’s only because the Tower Lord has no kids. Anyone could be a rival, anyone could take my place. So I have to be the best, no matter what.”
She clenched her tiny fist tightly.
“I’m going to be the Tower Lord, so I’ll never let my guard down!”
“……”
Raheim’s pupils trembled.
“You’re the same. It doesn’t matter if your dad hates you or your skin is dark. You can still become the lord of Snowfield Castle.”
“…Ma-Maelyn.”
“So let’s go.”
Maelyn smiled brightly and took Raheim’s hand, pulling him up.
“You keep challenging, and I’ll keep protecting. Then, when we grow up, you’ll be the lord, and I’ll be the Tower Lord.”
“……”
She raised her other hand.
“Promise me?”
If he went into the palace now, he would be defying his father for the first time.
His father called him a disgrace.
His mother also suffered because of it.
He wanted to protect his mom.
What would he need to do to protect her?
If he became the lord.
If he became the highest authority in this castle.
Wouldn’t that stop anyone from mistreating his mom?
“…Yeah.”
Raheim raised his head and linked his pinky with Maelyn’s.
It was a snowy afternoon.
Shhhhhhhh.
“……”
Raheim awoke from his memory, still lying on the sunbed, holding up a luxurious golden medal.
It was the highest symbol of honor.
Raheim was no longer a concubine’s child, nor merely a recognized heir.
He had become the lord of Snowfield Castle.
‘I kept challenging, and I won the lordship.’
He lowered the medal and closed his eyes.
For now, his mother served as regent, but once he graduated from Keyzen, he would take over the castle.
‘But you didn’t keep your promise.’
He had already heard the news that the official heir to the Ivory Tower had changed to “Serne Eindark”.
And every year, the Ivory Tower had to send one 17-year-old or nearly-17 year-old candidate to Keyzen Academy.
This year, the heir Serne Eindark had entered as a special case.
So Raheim had let go of all other thoughts and just focused on his school life.
‘But Maelyn enrolled this year. Not as part of the Tower’s special admission, did she enter on her own merit? Why?’
If she’d waited until next year and entered as a special case, she would’ve had major privileges and maybe even been chosen as the top freshman girl to give the student oath.
It made no sense that she enrolled this year.
‘No, that doesn’t matter.’
He could see her again. He could spend three years with her.
The reason he hadn’t approached her until now was because he wanted to stand tall before her. Now that he’d become lord and fulfilled his goal, there was nothing holding him back.
“Hey! Ow! Are you really hitting me?!”
“Stop right there, you damn commoner! You’re dead!”
At the loud commotion, Raheim turned his head.
‘…Maelyn!’
A girl with sky-blue hair in a swimsuit was chasing after a male student, flippers in both hands.
“You got my blueprint all soaked after I pulled an all-nighter!”
“Gyaaa!”
“Come here! Not coming?!”
No doubt about it.
That sky-blue hair, those blue eyes, and that violent temper.
Exactly the same as back then…
Smack!
At that moment, Dick slipped past Raheim’s sunbed, and Maelyn, chasing after him, collided shoulders with Raheim and fell.
“Owwww, seriously.”
Rubbing her sore spot with one eye squinted shut, Maelyn glared toward where Dick had run off. By then, he had already vanished far away.
She ground her teeth and stood up, then turned toward Raheim with an apologetic expression and reached out a hand.
“Hey, I’m really sorry! You okay?”
As Raheim saw her kneeling and offering her hand, a smile crept onto his lips.
This pose, this angle—it had been a long time.
And just now… did she bump into him on purpose?
"I'm fine."
Raheim took her hand and stood up.
Back when they were little, Raheim had been much smaller, but now, as a grown man, he was at least a head taller than her.
Blood rushed to his face.
Though her old features remained, Maelyn had grown into a dazzlingly beautiful woman. He reached out again, this time for a formal handshake, flashing a charming smile.
"Brings back memories. Have you been well, Maey—"
But before he could finish, Maelyn walked right past the hand he extended.
“?”
Raheim turned around. Maelyn had resumed chasing after the boy who was running away.
"This time I won’t let it go! Just you wait, if I catch you, your skull is mine…!"
Swish.
Turning his back, Raheim stepped onto the darkness beneath his feet and, in an instant, shot forward, catching up to Maelyn.
"Didn’t expect to meet you here."
"Waah! You scared me!"
"Don’t you have anything to say to me?"
She stopped in her tracks, having been chasing Dick. Raheim stopped behind her.
"What now. I already said sorry earlier, didn’t I?"
With her full attention on him, Raheim felt a pleasant surge of excitement.
He spoke in a buoyant voice.
"Why didn’t you come tell me?"
"Tell you what?"
"That you enrolled in Keyzen. Even if I didn’t know, you must’ve known I’m a special admit, right?"
She blinked a few times, then let out a cold, mocking laugh.
"Ohhh, is that so? Must be nice being a special admit."
Tossing her hair, she spun around and walked away.
But once again, Raheim appeared in front of her, blocking her path.
"Don’t you remember what happened between us ten years ago?"
‘Oh my god, this guy!’
She had gone out of her way to buy a swimsuit today, just to feel good about herself, but now she was starting to regret it. That was already the fourth ambush today.
She didn’t realize it herself, but Maelyn had become the most beautiful flower on this beach. Passersby couldn’t help but sneak glances at her.
But Maelyn herself was growing more and more irritated—every time she tried to do something, she kept getting interrupted.
"Hey."
Maelyn spat out the word like a rock.
"What is that, some ancient pickup line? You know how cringe that sounds?"
"...Pickup line?"
"Quit hitting on me and just piss off."
Having lost track of Dick, Maelyn turned briskly and headed for the shaded canopy where Kamibarez was waiting.
Raheim stroked his chin.
‘Is she pretending not to remember on purpose? Well, I did become a lord, and she lost her heir position, must be embarrassing for her.’
He let out a soft chuckle.
‘She’s got a cute side too. I’m liking her more and more.’
"Raheim!"
Just then, one of his teammates came running up, panting.
"What are you doing here? You were supposed to supervise the afternoon training!"
"The schedule changed. They can handle it themselves."
Raheim answered with a disinterested tone and waved a hand.
"Oh, and tell Beldina I broke up with her."
The teammate’s mouth dropped open.
"W-what? Just like that?"
"Yeah, I don’t need her. She was only interested in me ‘cause I’m the Lord of Snowfield Castle anyway."
Raheim took off his white hat, smoothed out his hair, then put the hat back on at a slanted angle.
"Now I’m going to find true love."
"Ra-Raheim!"
Watching him walk away quickly, the teammate slowly lowered his outstretched hand and scratched his head.
‘That arrogant bastard… I swear, good-looking and successful guys always act like they’re worth it.’
Once he delivered the news, Beldina would probably be crying all day.
Thinking training was doomed for today, the teammate turned around.
Raheim persistently followed Maelyn around.
"What are you doing for dinner tonight?"
"Do you really not remember? Or are you just pretending?"
"Which class are you in? I’ll come pick you up from now on."
Maelyn’s head throbbed.
She’d already told him she wasn’t interested, but this guy—Raheim—just wouldn’t give up.
Especially when he winked at her, thinking he looked charming. She seriously wanted to yank out his eyeballs, show him what his face looked like, then shove them back in.
Still, from experience, she knew the best move was to completely ignore guys like him. If she reacted with irritation or anger, it would only encourage more pestering.
"Are you doing this ‘cause you lost your heir spot’?"
But then—
"Ah, don’t worry. I’ll pull some strings at the Ivory Tower, put in a good word for you."
Everyone has lines you don’t cross.
KRKRKRKRKRKRRK!
Icicle spikes shot up all around Maelyn.
Raheim immediately leapt backward to dodge.
"I told you."
Fury burned in her eyes.
"To shut your mouth."
"Hm."
Raheim touched his cheek. Blood was trickling down.
He caught a drop with his fingertip, licked it off, and smirked.
"Yeah, now this is getting interesting."
Then, from Raheim’s body, pitch-black darkness began to surge out.
"You attacked first, remember?"
With a flash, his body vanished.
Maelyn instantly thrust her hand forward, conjuring a wall of ice ahead of her—but Raheim leisurely reappeared behind her.
"Ha ha! Got y—"
BWOOOOOOOOM!
Something barreled between them out of nowhere, and Raheim flinched, throwing up a hand near his jaw.
A shoe sole sliced up through the air just inches from his chin, kicking up a burst of sand like a fountain.
"Hm."
Raheim’s hand trembled slightly after blocking the kick.
"And who the hell are you?"
A boy stood before him in a kicking stance, balancing a basket on his head, a canopy pole on one arm, and tongs and a frying pan in the other.
"Simon!!"
Maelyn’s face lit up.
Then Simon bent his knees, launched all the objects he was holding into the air, and spun his body. As he retracted the foot he used to kick, he struck Raheim’s raised guard arm with his other leg’s knee.
CRACK!
Raheim’s body slid back across the sand, while Simon casually adjusted his posture and opened both arms.
The items he’d tossed into the air landed perfectly back on his head and in his arms.
"You okay, Maelyn?"
Superb.
When are we getting more free chapters?
Thanks for the new chapters