Balzac and Joshua are fraternal twins.

Having seen just how terrifying those twins were in Ice.Black.Hand, I shuddered.

“Stay calm.”

It’s true that they’re hostile toward Erilot of Ice.Black.Hand.

But there was a reason for that.

Because Erilot had tried all sorts of tricks to get rid of Dalia.

And the twins got caught up in that several times.

“And since Dalia was someone precious to the twins, that’s probably why they were even more enraged.”

But I haven’t done anything just ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) now, right?

There’s no reason for the twins to hate me.

“I just happened to meet the people I was going to meet earlier.”

Besides, I’m still young now.

A child who has no reason at all to be hostile.

“So maybe they won’t bother with me...”

—While I was thinking this, my room caught my eye.

It seemed to have gotten even more luxurious after grandfather brought in money.

“......”

I’ve worked way too hard.

I’m making the direct family worry...

“From now on, I’ll try to stay as inconspicuous as possible.”

I clenched my small hands tightly and made up my mind.

The carriage of the Astra main estate evaluation team arrived.

Baron Duong, the representative of Daymond’s domain officials, greeted them.

And I...

“Are you hiding really well, Miss?”

—I was serious about playing hide-and-seek with the maids.

If I didn’t want to be seen, I had to not be in the estate.

And hide-and-seek was perfect—there was a reason to hide, after all.

“Miss, I found you!”

“Eek!”

...But actually, it was kind of fun.

Heidi hugged me and tickled me, making me giggle.

Then Betty pointed at herself with one finger and raised her other arm high.

“This time, I’ll be ‘it’!”

“Then I’ll go hide far away.”

“Alright.”

While Betty closed her eyes and counted, I ran farther and harder.

“This is fun, but I should go somewhere more secluded.”

If I hid and then returned around evening, no one would notice.

I looked for a hiding spot and went into a corner of the estate.

Near the castle wall, I saw some furniture piled up, waiting to be disposed of.

“They must have replaced the old furniture now that there’s money.”

Good.

I squeezed into the wardrobe and struggled to shut the door.

Sitting cramped inside the dark, quiet wardrobe, my eyes started to close.

Maybe because I’d been running around so hard, or maybe because of the recent busyness, I was tired.

I shook my head to stay awake, but my vision started narrowing.

Darkness crept in.

.

.

After some time had passed,

I heard a voice faintly in my daze.

“So what do you want to do about it!”

“I told you not to raise your voice, how many times?”

“A quarrel?”

The commotion outside stirred me awake.

Only then did I remember I was inside the wardrobe.

“Seems quite some time has passed.”

I could tell by the diminished light leaking through the broken part of the wardrobe.

I pushed the wardrobe door I’d come in through, trying to get out.

“Huh?”

...Why won’t it open?

I pushed harder with both feet, but it didn’t budge.

“Oh right, it’s broken furniture, so maybe the door won’t open easily!”

Since Betty still hadn’t come, it was clear they hadn’t found me.

This place was remote, people rarely came by, and the furniture disposal would happen after the evaluation team left...

If I made a mistake, I might be trapped here for about three days.

“If they leave too... No!”

I might die.

I knocked on the door hard with both fists.

“Help! Please help...!”

I shouted desperately, but it was silent around me.

“Have they already left?”

Cold sweat ran down my back.

Bang bang!

“I’m here! Help me!”

Fear overwhelmed me, making my mind unstable, even raising my side character penalty. Tears welled up.

“Help! Ugh...”

Then—

Creak.

The door seam rubbed, and the door opened, pouring sunset light in, blinding me.

With tears and a runny nose making my face a mess, I lifted my head.

Two broken silhouettes were backlit.

A red head and a blonde.

“What the— you.”

“You’re...”

...Balzac and Joshua.

The red-haired boy with a fierce expression was Balzac.

And the sweet blond with blue eyes was Joshua.

Around me were only these two little beasts.

No one else to help me.

I laughed nervously.

“Erilot. Heh...llo...”

I meant, I’m an innocent child with no intention to attack. Please don’t kill me.

‘Totally screwed up.’

I followed behind the two of them.

Balzac, who was swaying along, suddenly turned his head sharply to glare at me.

“Why are you following?”

“I’m going to Erilot’s room...”

“Where’s your room? Why are you chasing me to my room?”

“Here.”

The redhead glanced alternately at the room I pointed to and the one next to it, then frowned deeply.

It seemed my next-door room was Balzac’s.

Since Joshua stopped a room before Balzac’s, that must be Joshua’s room.

Meaning,

Joshua — Balzac — Erilot.

Our rooms were lined up like this.

Balzac’s face twisted grimly.

“If you make noise, you’ll die.”

His voice was so fierce I jumped in surprise and quickly replied.

“Yes!”

“Get lost.”

“Yes!”

Like a well-trained soldier, I snapped my heels and turned quickly to enter my room.

If only I hadn’t been caught by Enzo before that.

“Miss!”

Enzo ran toward me with soldiers.

“Where on earth have you been? We looked everywhere. The maids came crying all the way to the barracks.”

“Ugh...”

As I fidgeted, a familiar figure appeared behind Enzo.

“Mom!”

When I said that, my father strode over, frowning.

“Where have you been for three hours?”

“I was playing hide-and-seek. I went into the wardrobe and fell asleep. I’m sorry...”

The soldiers and Enzo sighed deeply at that.

My father also took a deep breath and said,

“Be careful where you hide next time.”

“Yes.”

While he said that, I felt eyes on my back.

Balzac and Joshua.

Enzo bowed to them.

“Have you been well, Master Balzac, Master Joshua?”

“Yes.”

“Thanks.”

Balzac and Joshua answered in turn.

Enzo introduced them to me.

“These are your older brothers, Miss. They are twins. Master Balzac is the elder, Master Joshua is the younger.”

Joshua smiled warmly.

“Hello, Erilot. I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m Joshua.”

“.......”

“Should I introduce my brother too?”

At Joshua’s words, Balzac reluctantly spoke.

“I’m Balzac.”

Joshua smiled again, bent toward me, and said,

“Let’s get along well, Erilot.”

“Huh?”

I blinked at Joshua.

When I entered the castle just now, Joshua hadn’t said a single word to me.

But in front of Father...

“Oh, right.”

That guy had a snake personality.

Usually, brothers in novels come in two types.

Tiger and snake.

Tiger means a violent older brother like Balzac.

And snake is a kind-looking but scheming older brother.

In Ice.Black.Hand, Dalia was an only child.

So she filled the ‘older brother character’ with her cousin brothers.

That older brother character was endlessly soft to the heroine, and I really liked it...

“But it’s different if you become enemies.”

I shuddered remembering how the two went berserk when Erilot bullied Dalia.

Joshua usually surveys a target before deciding who’s enemy or minion (not even an ally).

But he didn’t speak to me earlier and only acted kind in front of Father.

That meant I was probably already marked as an enemy.

Balzac also didn’t seem to like me.

Like I felt earlier...

“Totally screwed.”

I think I really caused trouble at the factory.

Being favored by grandfather was good, but it made the three-year-olds wary of me.

At that moment, Michelan pushed through the soldiers and carefully spoke.

“The dinner is ready.”

Father was going to dine with the evaluation team.

He nodded slightly and said,

“Prepare the children’s meal in the greenhouse.”

What?!

I was shocked and stared at Father wide-eyed.

There was no need for children to be at the evaluation team’s meal.

It would actually be better if they weren’t there to talk more deeply.

I didn’t want to attend the dinner and be watched by the evaluators...

But still, I absolutely did NOT want to eat with those little beasts.

“I-I’ll eat by myself. The brothers are here today, so it’s noisy.”

Father glanced at the twins.

“Having a hard time?”

How could he ask that like that?

If it was Joshua’s personality—!

“Of course not. I was looking forward to eating with my little sister.”

...See.

Everyone’s eyes turned to me, looking like ‘It’s fine.’

If I said no again here, it would look like I was avoiding them.

“Wow! Then I’m excited!”

Everyone smiled as if it was all good, and I swallowed tears silently.

Balzac, Joshua, and I headed to the greenhouse together.

As we sat around the table, the food started coming out one by one.

Balzac crossed his arms and wore a sulky expression, while Joshua paid no attention and focused on eating.

I rolled my eyes between the two.

“Those twins don’t seem to get along.”

At least not talking, even between them.

I remembered they seemed to have fought when I was in the wardrobe.

“Well, that doesn’t concern me.”

Brothers grow up fighting anyway.

While thinking that, my stomach growled.

Come to think of it, I’d been so surprised by the twins’ arrival that I hadn’t eaten breakfast properly.

I fell asleep during hide-and-seek and skipped lunch entirely.

“I should eat quickly.”

If I’m hungry, the side character penalty gets worse.

Judging by how much I was shrinking in front of those little beasts, the penalty had probably already started.

I quickly picked up my spoon. Just as I was about to scoop some fragrant potato gratin, Balzac spoke.

“You say your Gaho reads ancient language.”

His sudden question startled me and I answered hesitantly.

“Yes...”

Balzac looked at me with a crooked gaze.

“That’s a weird Gaho.”

“......”

“How great a Gaho do I have... right.”

Balzac’s Gaho was .

And based on that enhancement, he awakened his aura early.

So he earned the nickname youngest aura user.

“Then can you read this too?”

Balzac held out a small book, about the size of his hand.

I blinked.

“Is this in ancient language?”

“...Yes.”

I took the book from Balzac and opened it.

Sure enough, it was ancient language, which means Korean.

But there was one problem.

‘That damned side character penalty.’

Like a kid reading ABCs, I could pronounce it, but I didn’t understand it in my head.

Balzac cleared his throat loudly and said,

“Well, try reading it.”

“Um, uh...”

“It was found in the restricted library. I bet it’s some incredible content.”

Balzac warned me not to tell anyone.

I started to read the book haltingly.

“Soft, waist, dripping, moisture, flowing down. Mistress, tempting me, black. Chal’s voice is...”

Bang!

Balzac jumped up with a loud noise.

“What, what, what are you saying!”

Joshua also opened his eyes wide and stared at me.

“It says right here.”

“Don’t lie!”

I was just reading what was written, so it was unfair.

I frowned and spread the book open to show.

“It’s written like this here.”

“Th-That can’t be! Read it again!”

“Chal said, Mistress, today I’m a horse, Jinseung, your slip is...”

Clang, crash─!!

Before I could finish reading, I turned toward the noise.

A servant bringing food had dropped a tray.

“What, what, what book is the Miss reading... reading...!”

A gust of wind blew through the greenhouse.

After dinner, Balzac, Joshua, and I stood lined up in front of Father.

Father held the book with a dumbfounded expression.

“So... you made your little sister read filthy literature?”

“......”

Balzac lowered his head deeply and said nothing.

I nervously glanced at Father.

Having filled my stomach in the greenhouse, the side character penalty had lifted.

I immediately understood the situation.

“Balzac didn’t know it was erotica when he brought it.”

But why didn’t he try to explain?

Father looked troubled and asked again.

“Do you admit it?”

“......”

“Balzac Astra.”

“If you punish me, I will accept it.”

Father’s expression hardened coldly.

“You think you’re not worth explaining to me?”

Father must have known it was ancient language because he opened the book.

He must have guessed Balzac didn’t deliberately make me read erotica.

Still, he was angry because there was no explanation at all.

“Punish me. Thirty laps in full military gear around the barracks?”

“You...”

“If you’re going to punish me, I’ll get the whip.”

Balzac looked Father straight in the eye with a stiff neck.

“If that’s how it’ll be—”

“No!”

I quickly spread my arms and blocked Balzac.

Though it was spring, a cold snap made it still very chilly.

What would happen if a child had to run thirty laps in full military gear around such a wide barracks?

Getting whipped was obviously out of the question too.

Balzac opened his mouth.

“You shouldn’t interfere—”

“Miss and Chal messed up. Balzac didn’t do anything wrong!”