# 29
Sheviline clearly remembered the words of the maids who said that she might not be her father's real daughter because her hair color was different from his.
Not only that, but she also had memories stuck in her mind moment by moment.
Her father is screaming and her mother is crying.
"What do you expect me to do? I tried to ignore it calmly. I somehow tried to ignore it! I wanted to raise her as my own daughter!"
"What?"
“If the paternity test shows that she's not really my daughter? Then there's no going back! So, I just…”
Her parents fought because she didn't look like her father.
Because of that, her mother was sad and hurt.
One time, she dreamed that her mother was estranged from her father and hated her.
It was a nightmare that her mother might abandon her.
“What if my mom gets hurt again because of Sherry?”
Shivalin thought about this every day.
When she was alone with her mother, she was fine, but her voice became speechless when she was with others.
"Can't the princess speak? Oh, my God, what a pity! Princess Helen must be very upset. Her only daughter can't even speak. How embarrassing!"
At first, it was frustrating.
She was worried that her mother would feel ashamed. She wanted to hide from the surprised looks people were directing at her.
To a place devoid of people.
The looks of pity always ended up being directed at her mother.
One morning, she woke up and could not find her mother.
While searching for her, Elisha told her that her mother had gone to the temple.
When Elisha said that they should prepare for her mother's visit, she also mentioned that they would now be living in a place called Belzeit.
What kind of person was Aachen Ricoeur Belzeit, who proposed to her mother?
From the day the engagement letter arrived, Shevelin had not stopped fantasizing about Aachen. ugly character,
An angry person, an annoyed person, someone who looks at her with amazement because of her inability to speak.
She thought about all these things, but when she finally met Aachen, he was completely different from what she had imagined.
He wasn't a monster. He didn't get angry or upset.
His blue eyes sparkled, and he was tall.
His voice was deep, calm and gentle. Her heartbeat quickened at his kind words.
So far, no one had said such things to her except her mother.
' Sherri thought he was going to be a monster. Like others, she thought he would ask her why she couldn't speak…'
Aachen did not look at her with surprise because she could not speak.
He didn't even get angry when she didn't say hello to him.
Tell her it's nothing to apologize for.
Aachen entered their lives.
To the small world in which there was only her and her mother.
‘ Creating a new family. Maybe it's not as bad as it seems. '
Helen left the temple and grabbed a nearby pillar.
“Princess, are you okay?”
“...Lord Nocturne. Why didn’t you stop Marquis Rata?”
I asked the Knight Commander why he didn't stop Revan.
“Princess Gleeze ordered us to let Marquis Ratta in if he came.”
“Did Princess Gleeze say that?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Realizing that this was all part of Glizzy's plan, Helen sighed.
“It would have been better if you had informed me in advance...”
Helen tightened her features and spoke firmly to all the knights.
“Make sure this incident is not leaked abroad.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
The knights stood at attention. Helen felt relieved, and walked towards the carriage.
“Elisha.”
As she approached, she saw Elisha.
“Grand Duchess, are you here?”
She felt strange when Elisha called her Grand Duchess. She was actually Grand Duchess of Belzeit now.
As she was nervously approaching the carriage, she heard Aachen's voice through the ajar door.
“There is no need to apologise, Princess. Do not despair. There will come a day when you will be able to speak.”
“……”
“I was like you.”
‘What a nice human being… Does this mean that the Grand Duke was mute at some point?’
Shivalin's face blushed.
Before her second marriage, Sheveline was most worried about her.
Fortunately, it seems they didn't get off to a bad start.
“The Grand Duke.”
Helen announced her arrival, entered the carriage, and sat down next to Shivalin.
Shivalin clung to Helen.
Helen gently patted Shivalin's cheek and spoke.
When the door closed and Elisha climbed into the driver's seat, the driver urged the horses on.
“I was waiting for you, ma’am.”
Helen responded to Aachen's words:
“We intend to go to Robert Station and take a train to Belzeit.”
"train?"
“Using a magic scroll to travel quickly is an option, but it might be exhausting for the little princess.”
Helen was touched by Aachen's interest in Shevelin, and she smiled kindly.
“Shivelin, this is your first time on a train, isn’t it?”
“…!”
“Lin, what’s wrong with you?”
Excited by the idea of taking a train, Sheveline suddenly began searching desperately for something.
Her eyes were filled with tears, and she showed signs of distress.
"Lin? Are you okay? What's wrong?"
"princess…?"
Shivalin pursed her trembling lips and whispered desperately:
[“Ruby… Ruby is gone. I left Ruby on the bed!”]
Aachen immediately understood why by reading Schevelin's small lips.
“Ruby?”
“Who's Ruby?” Aachen asked, tilting his head.
“It's the doll my daughter cherishes. I had to bring her with me.”
She looked out the window and saw that they had gone too far from Largon's mansion to come back to get her.
“Sheveline can't sleep well without that doll...what should I do?”
While she was thinking about sending Elisha to fetch her later, Aachen, lost in thought, spoke to Shivalin.
“Princess, who named Ruby?”
Shevelina gave this name because the rabbit doll's eyes resemble rubies.
Shivalin took a deep breath and whispered:
[Cherry. Hmmm…]
“Can you hold my hand while you think about Ruby?”
[Yes…]
Aachen extended his hand to Shevelin, who was streaming with tears.
When Shivalin held Aachen's hand, a bright light spread out.
suddenly!
At that moment, the rabbit doll, which was supposed to be on the bed in Largon Mansion, appeared inside the carriage.
Shevilyn stopped crying as if she had never shed a tear.
“Duke, how did this happen?”
Helen was both amazed and delighted by this strange phenomenon.
“If something has a name, it can be moved as soon as the one who named it thinks of it.”
“That's why I asked about the name.”
“Magic… really magical. Oh, Lin, shouldn’t you be thanking me?”
She felt calm again, and fell asleep hugging the rabbit tightly.
“It's okay, ma'am. Let her sleep.”
When Aachen snapped his fingers to adjust Shevelin's uncomfortable sleeping position, Helene remembered Glizi's words.
‘How is it possible for someone of the lineage of the Ricor Royal Family to still be alive as a wizard?’
Asking him directly will undoubtedly seem strange.
“How is Belzeit?”
So, I asked Helen about Belzeit instead.
“…When the snow accumulates, the place becomes very beautiful.”
Aachen's response came a little too late.
“The princess is very loved.”
Aachen smiled warmly as he looked at the peacefully sleeping Shivalin.
“She is a child full of love. Does the Grand Duke have children too?”
“Yes. My son studies at Kimisho Academy and lives in the dormitory there. Even during vacations, he refuses to come home. He may have entered a rebellious stage.”
Despite his mention of the rebellious phase, a slight smile appeared on Aachen's lips when he thought of his son.
Seeing this, Helen became more curious about Luan.
“Is the name of the Grand Duke’s son Luan?”
“Yes. In the ancient language, it means ‘child of spring’.”
“...Child of spring? This is interesting... The name Shevlin has the same meaning in the Barin language. She was born in the spring.”
It was interesting that Luann's name had the same meaning as Shevlin's name.
“His mother called him that. Luan was born in the winter, so I don’t know why he is called a ‘spring baby’.”
Aachen spoke about the origin of the name Luan with a smile mixed with sadness and joy.
“No matter what season he was born in, it probably means they were hoping he would be someone with the warm spirit of spring.”
“After hearing your words, it really seems like that.”
When Helen felt more comfortable talking to Aachen, she asked him what she was really curious about.
What did he mean when he said he couldn't talk quite like Shevlin?
“…I heard what you said to Lin earlier. That you couldn’t speak either, Grand Duke.”
Helen opened her mouth cautiously. The topic may be sensitive.
“I couldn’t speak from the moment I heard about my father’s death.”
"…Yes."
“Wait for her, please. When her time comes, she will be able to speak.”
“Shevlin suffers from selective mutism. She can only speak when she is with me. What about you, Grand Duke?”
Helen told him about Shevlin's condition.
He nodded in understanding.
“I couldn’t talk to anyone. Not even my mother or my old relatives.”
“……”
“I didn’t leave my room and I hated meeting people at that time.”