“Exactly. It’s not that he dislikes only children, it’s that he dislikes children too. Saying he dislikes them is the polite version. Really, it’s more accurate to say he just hates people in general.”

“He seems to take good care of Rio, though.”

“That little one is the only exception, ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) Brother. That man doesn’t treat every child the way he treats Rio.”

Whether they said that or not, Arsian’s smile only deepened. He whispered quietly.

“If it were a child who looked exactly like you....”

“What?”

“......”

If it were a child like that...

Even if they inherited my cursed blood, I think I could still love them.

But in the end, those were thoughts he could not say aloud.

The moment he put them into words, it felt like they might turn into real desire, so Arsian kept his mouth firmly shut.

Because he did not want to drag her into that horrible darkness.

Arsian quietly stroked the head of Camilla, who kept tilting her head in confusion.

“Now that I think about it, this really is worrying.”

“What is?”

A thought had occurred to Camilla when she looked at Arsian, and her expression turned serious.

“Will our Rio still call me big sister even when I look like this?”

*****

“Big sister?”

“Yeah.”

“Camilla big sister?”

“That’s right, Rio.”

Because someone had noticed that Camilla wanted to see Rio, a small guest came to the Sorpel estate the next day.

“Why did you get smaller?”

Apparently Arsian had wanted to come too, but the Duke of Sepra had caught him and dragged him off to the office.

Still, he keeps calling me big sister. Thank God.

Rio stood there staring at her with round rabbit-like eyes and his mouth hanging open, and Camilla let out a small laugh because he was so cute.

Of course, to everyone else watching, Camilla smiling like that was just as cute.

“Good question. Why did I get smaller?”

“Did you get smaller so you could be friends with me?”

At the ridiculous answer that was so typical of a child, Camilla ended up laughing out loud.

“Are you sick somewhere?”

Sena, who had come with Rio, had also looked dazed for quite a while at the sight of Camilla and then asked in a somewhat worried voice.

“No, I didn’t get smaller because there’s something wrong.”

Only then did she seem a little relieved.

The moment Rio realized it was not a serious situation, he switched attitudes in an instant. Excitement was written all over his face.

“Big sister, should I read you a book?”

“...Sure.”

Camilla nodded, holding back the laughter threatening to spill out.

“Big sister, this is tasty!”

“Right, right. You two eat a lot.”

It was a peaceful stretch of time for the first time in a while.

Rio, breaking into huge smiles over and over, was adorable, and Sena blinking repeatedly every time a snack she had never seen before was set in front of her was cute too.

BZZZZ— BZZZZ—!

Right then, while she was quietly switching Sena’s empty plate with her own untouched one, she felt a vibration from the desk drawer.

“Hm?”

Opening the drawer, Camilla frowned slightly.

It was not an ordinary communication orb but a video communication orb, and it was ringing obnoxiously loudly.

“Why go that far?”

Unlike an ordinary communication orb, which could connect with only a small amount of magic power, a video communication orb devoured an absurd amount of magic.

That was why people rarely used them unless it was for something important.

“Don’t tell me....”

Seeing the red light indicating who the person requesting the video call was, Camilla kept frowning.

BZZZZ—!

For a moment it seemed like the call might cut off.

But—

BZZZZ— BZZZZ—!

It started ringing again.

Camilla pressed a hand to her forehead.

“I have a bad feeling someone heard something....”

But she could not be sure.

Clinging to that tiny possibility, she kept pretending not to know and ignored it to the very end, and then the other side changed tactics. This time, the ordinary communication orb started ringing.

In the end, Camilla backed down first.

“What is it?”

“...Daughter?”

It was the Duke of Esclara.

“Why aren’t you answering the video call?”

“Why? What’s going on?”

“.......”

“Hello? Use words. Why are you the one who contacted me first and now you’re not saying anything?”

“Daughter, your voice... did you really get younger?”

“...How exactly did you find out?”

She had already thought something was strange from the moment the video call came through, and as expected, it looked like he had heard about her condition from somewhere.

No, how long had it even been since this happened? How had word already reached someone that far away?

I haven’t even gone outside on purpose.

Then suddenly one fact came to mind.

Wasn’t there one person over there who could get any information absurdly easily?

“Camilla.”

As if to prove her guess right, another voice full of laughter came through.

“So I hear you turned into a child.”

“Jayner, how the hell did you find out?”

“That’s a trade secret.”

He was not even trying to hide it anymore?

She had already heard that the Duke of Esclara had found out he was the head of the assassin guild. Still, to be this blatant about it....

“How does it feel to get younger? Nice?”

“Want to find out what it feels like to get cursed out by a child first?”

At the sound of quiet snickering, Camilla clicked her tongue lightly. This bastard really was getting slicker with time.

“Move aside, Jayner. So when is she going back to normal?”

“Brother Ravi is looking for a way.”

“Is there any chance you’ll be back to normal by next week?”

“Next week? How would I know? But why?”

“Dive goes on break next week.”

“Break?”

So what?

“Don’t grow up too fast.” 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

“What are you even saying? I’m hanging u—”

“Big sister!”

“Dive?”

Just as she was about to hang up because the conversation clearly had no meaning anymore, yet another familiar voice came through.

“Big sister? It really is you, right? Your voice doesn’t sound like yours. Can’t you connect through the video communication orb and talk?”

“Can’t? Of course I can.”

“Really?”

“But I have guests right now. Can big sister call you separately later?”

“Yes!”

“Daughter, you’ll connect video for Dive? Then why didn’t you answer when I called on video?”

“I’m hanging up.”

“That’s harsh. I’m curious too.”

“About what?”

“What you looked like when you were little.”

Why the hell would that interest you? Camilla cut the call immediately.

There had not been anything worth saying to begin with. Wasn’t that how it was for everyone? Things from when you were that young were hard to remember anyway—

“Ah!”

There was one thing she remembered clearly.

I was really sick back then.

It was a time when people would not even think about going to a hospital for an ordinary cold or an injury.

And yet back then, she must really have looked like she was about to die, because even that man who called himself her father had not stopped her mother from taking her to the hospital.

But even at the hospital, they had not reached any meaningful conclusion.

Her whole body had been burning hot enough that she had even fainted, yet they just kept repeating that they could not find the cause.

When they suggested detailed testing, her mother took her back home. It probably had not seemed possible to spend that kind of money on something like this.

It’s strange how clearly I remember that.

It had happened when she was very young, so it should have been blurry by now, but maybe because she had been sick enough to die, that memory would not fade.

Just leave her to die!

Even the words that man who called himself her father had spat out came back vividly.

That’s just my life, I guess.

It’s not like going back to that age means I’ll get sick like that again, right?

Right. Back then, it was Isia’s body.

Letting out a small snort and shaking off the useless thought, Camilla gave a short laugh at the sight of Rio, who was already running toward her with a book in hand.

And she still did not know.

Camilla—the child who had once been the original owner of this body—had also nearly died once around that same age.

*****

“Camilla, are you coming around?”

“Hey! You don’t have to force your eyes open!”

Her head felt foggy. Her vision was blurry too.

What reached her ears were the urgent voices of the family.

Shit....

She did not know what had happened.

No, the problem was that she knew too well.

This heat. This pain. It was so familiar that it only made it stranger.

Why the hell?

This body, right now, was perfectly recreating the sickness she had gone through when she lived as Isia.

That ridiculous synchronization function left Camilla’s mind in chaos.

Is this really the kind of situation people mean when they say the mind governs the body?

This body was not that body, so why the hell was the illness from back then flaring up again?!

“My lady, please drink some water.”

Looking at Dorman, who was supporting her body lightly as he helped her drink water, Camilla sincerely wanted to ask:

Would you mind explaining this situation to me?

“What? Camilla was sick when she was that age?”

Through her hazy state, the Duke of Sorpel’s voice cut into her ears.

“Yes, she was seriously ill once.”

“Why? What was the cause?”

At the Duke of Sorpel’s urgent question, Ravi shook his head.

“All the healers could only shake their heads too. They had no idea what the cause was and could only panic, but little by little her condition improved. Later she got completely better and back on her feet, so in the end it just faded away unresolved.”