Because of the late morning light pouring in through the window, Ania woke up from her deep sleep.

Usually, Ania would open her eyes quickly at the sound of birds chirping around the time when morning begins to dawn.
However, yesterday, she didn’t notice the passing of time as she resolved misunderstandings and had conversations that had piled up over time.

Because of that, she didn’t get to sleep until after 4 in the morning.

Her bed sheets rustled as she got out of bed, and she tidied her messy hair.
Ania glanced at the clock with half-closed eyes.

“It’s already eleven…”

It was quite late.

Nevertheless, Ania felt oddly happy about waking up late once again.
During her childhood, she always slept in late.
The fatigue made it difficult for her to open her eyes so she didn’t have to face reality.

But not anymore.

Even if she woke up late, she no longer thought about not wanting to leave her room or what would happen if she fell asleep forever.

All of this was thanks to Edward.
If it weren’t for that man, could she have lived such a happy life?

Perhaps if Edward hadn’t been there, she would still be a submissive child of the Brontë family, wearing clothes of nobility that didn’t suit her and continuing to live a life where she didn’t know what happiness was.

Thinking about the worst-case scenario, Ania felt this moment was too precious.

She lightly brushed away her still-sleeping mother’s hair.

Her once detested mother.
The mother she thought had abandoned her.

Only now did Ania understand.

Her mother, who gave birth to her, also lived her life clumsily, just like her.

Overwhelmed with emotion, Ania embraced her mother tightly.

“Ania…?”

With half-opened eyes, Viola looked at Ania, smiled softly, and hugged her.

“Did you sleep well, Mom?”
“Yeah.”

Viola’s hand brushed Ania’s hair. Ania didn’t resist, letting her mother touch her hair.

“You’re beautiful even in the morning.”
“Where do you think I got that from?”

They laughed together, reveling in the happiness that couldn’t be greater.

***

“This way.”

Upon arriving at the main gate of Tpwer, the apprentice sorcerers wearing large-brimmed hats whispered softly and led me somewhere.

It was a small secret passage behind the Tower.

When you hear about the Tower, you’d probably imagine a tall structure reaching up to the sky, but in reality, there are also hidden spaces underneath…
Or at least I remember reading about it in the book.

「Unlock」

The apprentice sorcerer chanted a spell towards the wall and infused it with magic.

Then, the previously invisible door gradually revealed itself, and as it opened, the musty smell of the underground wafted from behind.

“Come in.”

Following them down the circular staircase for a while, I eventually reached the end.
The space was quite spacious, but the ceiling was low, so I had to stoop a little.

“Welcome.”

Aria welcomed me in a room filled with various potions and herbs.

“It was a difficult request, so thank you.”
“I couldn’t say no to Brother’s request.”

Aria, who was usually a bit cheerful, seemed a bit tense, probably because it involved breaking the law, so her voice was slightly subdued.

“Nice to meet you.”

Then, a woman emerged from the darkness. She wore a purple robe, but a thin piece of cloth obscured her face.

“I don’t want to reveal my identity…”
“I understand.”

As Aria said, memory reading was classified as a form of dark magic.
While it could be helpful or harmful depending on its application, the Empire strictly regulated dark magic.
In fact, Yuren was expelled from the academy just for dealing with dark magic.

So, it was common for dark mages to hide in the Empire’s underground.

“Call me Ei.”

The woman extended her hand.

Taking it lightly, I shook it.

“That’s not your name, right?”
“Obviously, it’s an alias. But I hope you can trust me. Your payment also included your confidentiality.”
“Good to know.”
“Then, please have a seat here for now?”

Ei led me to a very traditional-looking chair.

I sat down without a word.
Since Aria knew her, there shouldn’t be any problem.

“Are we starting right away?”
“No. We need some time first.”

She handed me a vial.

“You have to drink this first.”
“It’s not poison, is it?”
“Brother…”

Aria narrowed her eyes at me, so I just drank it.

Although I knew how to use magic, using dark magic was fundamentally different. There was no way but to trust and drink it.

I closed my eyes tightly and swallowed it, but there was no apparent change even after finishing it.

“Nothing has changed.”
“Just stay seated for now. It’s risky.”
“Risky…?”

At that moment, my head suddenly began to spin.

As I slumped into the chair, a wave of dizziness overwhelmed me.

Before I knew it, darkness enveloped me, and my consciousness drifted into the depths as if sinking into a vast and deep ocean…

***

“He’s asleep.”
“That was enough to knock out a dragon; I would hope he fell asleep.”

Ei glanced at Edward, who lay unconscious, with an unfamiliar expression, then turned to Aria.

“You don’t look much alike for siblings.”
“We do.”
“Whatever you say. Aria has a slightly cute face, but your brother has a sharper look.”

Ei touched Edward’s face here and there.

Watching her, Aria grabbed El’s hand and pulled her away.

“Stop touching him. Brother didn’t always have such a sharp look.”
“Really? Then…”

Ei was about to ask if it was from that time when she closed her mouth.

The dirty rumors surrounding the Radner family were well-known, even among the street dogs.

Ei was also familiar with the name Johann Radner, a drug kingpin who operated in the underworld.

Initially, she was a bit surprised when she heard the story that he was Aria’s stepbrother.
How could people of the same bloodline be so different?

Anyway, Ei looked at Edward again.
The more she looked, the more she realized he was pretty handsome.

“El, don’t have unnecessary thoughts about Brother. He already has someone.”
“Sure.”

Ei withdrew her hand with a sigh.

While she herself wasn’t lacking in appearance, she knew she couldn’t compete with Ania Brontë.

Anyway, the work had to begin.

“Well, I’ll start.”
“Yeah.”

Ei slowly infused Edward with magic.

Reading a person’s memories was extremely difficult.

It required intense concentration and skill.
Any slight mistake would trigger the person’s mana, alerting the person’s consciousness.

Knowing this, Aria didn’t bother asking Ei.
Her skill was already well-known in the underworld.

“Hmm…”

As Ei’s hand moved slowly above Edward’s head, she let out a small groan.
Her brow furrowed slightly, then relaxed, forming a smile, only to furrow again.
This cycle repeated.

“Ei, are you okay?”

Aria asked anxiously, as she had never seen Ei react like this while reading memories, but Ei replied with a smile.

“So this is what it feels like kissing the Empire’s most beautiful flower.”
“Come on…”
“Sorry, sorry. I’ll be serious.”

Ei’s previously calm expression turned puzzled as she scratched her head in confusion.

She began to delve into Edward’s memories again.

They were dark.
The color of memories often changes depending on the life a person has lived.

Generally, most people had memories in shades of gray.

Occasionally, there were those with memories tinted pink or golden, but such cases were rare, indicating a life filled with happiness.

“How could it be so dark…”

Similarly, memories colored black were also rare.
This was because they belonged to individuals who had lived without any happiness.

The intense fatigue emanated from his face, sunken cheeks, and the dark circles under his eyes.

Thinking it matched, Ei continued to delve into the memories.

As she continued to navigate through the memories, as if walking through a pitch-black mine with no light in sight, Ei saw something.

Amidst the entirely dark memories, there was something shining brightly in a dazzling golden hue.

Ei lightly touched upon that golden memory.
Then, Edward’s memories began to flow in.

From swiftly reading through the memories, Ei witnessed a remarkable sight.

In a person’s memories, there were inevitably various facets to both painful and joyful memories.
This was because human memories were a mixture of emotions created by complex experiences.

However, Edward’s memories were a bit different.

“What an extraordinary heart.”

In each of those memories, she saw the same person.

Ania Brontë.

Edward’s only love, known as the Empire’s most beautiful woman.

There was a place for her alone.

Translator’s Corner

Main thing, I modified the name of the mind reader. The original more closely translates to El. But I play genshin… that’s all I have to say. Also, remind me to add the latest chapter on novelupdates. Or do it yourself. Less work for me is good.

-Ruminas