I gazed dazedly at the spot where Ruena had been standing.
“…What was that just now?”
She had thanked me.
That child, who had always worn such a blank expression.
Not only for wiping away what clung to her lips,
or for brushing the powder from her clothes,
but even for the simple act of offering her dessert.
Her words weren’t merely a product of upbringing or polite manners.
Though her voice had been barely a whisper, almost a mumble, it undeniably carried a genuine sincerity.
I replayed the recent memory in my mind.
Ruena Ellioard.
She was unlike any child I had ever encountered.
Her expressions, her actions, and even the future I had secretly glimpsed.
‘The final boss…’
Those words, spat out by the blood-drenched blonde woman, her teeth clenched in fury.
A strange, potent hatred had laced the blonde woman’s voice.
“A commander? A rebel leader? For that, it feels… off.”
I slowly tilted my head, pondering.
The blood-soaked earth, the despair of a woman clutching a sword,
and Ruena standing alone at the heart of it all.
While the atmosphere had indeed resembled a battlefield,
it differed subtly from the countless war zones I had witnessed before.
‘A more desperate and horrific feeling…?’
Indeed, a glimpse of barely ten seconds into the future was woefully insufficient to discern anything definitive.
Yet, one thing remained unequivocally clear.
Ruena, as seen through that woman’s eyes, was undoubtedly an adversary.
‘Alright. Let’s uncover this, piece by piece.’
Though my current knowledge was severely lacking, that was perfectly acceptable.
For now, a method to extract more information had presented itself.
Recalling my promise to Ruena Ellioard, a faint smile curved one corner of my lips.
‘Thanks to her, things might be less dull.’
While I still didn’t quite grasp the concept of a “final boss,”
it was, at the very least, far more intriguing than the futures of the countless clients I had observed.
I yearned to understand,
to meticulously unearth every detail.
And should that future ever prove detrimental to me, I would personally twist it with my own hands.
To covet the forbidden,
to cast greedy eyes upon the novel,
and to manipulate even destiny for profit—that was the essence of Noire.
That was Noire’s very nature.
“Strawberries…. Next time a strawberry dessert is on the menu, I’ll have to secure one.”
The magical artifact in my pocket pulsed with a faint glow.
It was my father’s summons.
For now, I resigned myself to returning to the wearisome routine of my daily life.
Yet, unlike most days, my footsteps felt remarkably lighter.
****
A circular glass dome stood at the garden’s heart.
From within, the outside world was perfectly clear,
yet from the outside, not even a faint silhouette could be discerned within.
Intricate magic had been woven into its very structure, creating a perfect, sealed chamber where neither truth nor deception could ever escape.
For generations, the Noire family had met their clients within this very space.
It appeared openly displayed, yet everything remained concealed,
and though it remained hidden, it felt as if someone was always watching—.
Indeed, it was a stage perfectly befitting the Noire family.
Releasing a soft sigh, I made my way to my customary seat.
My father, who had been engrossed in reviewing some documents, set aside his papers and gently grasped my arm.
“Celen.”
“Yes, Father.”
“Did you meet the young lady of the Ellioard family?”
I nodded in response to my father’s inquiry.
“Yes. Briefly, in the garden.”
“Indeed. And what transpired during your meeting?”
“She seemed to enjoy strawberries. So, I offered her the dessert I had brought. It was intended for the Grand Duke anyway.”
“I see. You did well.”
I offered a bright smile and turned to resume my seat, but my father’s voice once again stopped me.
“Celen.”
“Yes.”
“Did you glimpse anything from the young lady of the Ellioard family?”
For a fleeting moment, my heart plummeted.
Nevertheless, I calmly curved my lips into a casual smile.
“Yes. I did.”
“What did you see?”
“Just… a future? Out of habit, without even realizing it.”
Though my palms began to grow damp with sweat, I maintained my composed expression.
As a potential successor of the Noire family, I could not afford to waver so easily.
‘Truthfully… I have no desire whatsoever to inherit the family.’
My dream was to live as a wealthy idler,
but knowing such a declaration would surely see me expelled in my undergarments, I held my tongue.
Once more, my father’s grave voice resonated.
“My question is what kind of future you saw, Celen.”
My father’s gaze sharpened, piercing.
Undoubtedly, with that very gaze, he had wrested countless desires from others.
Their thoughts,
their innermost secrets.
Perhaps, everything that could be taken.
The fortunate aspect, however, was this—.
Members of the Noire family were incapable of stealing from one another.
Donning my most brazen facade, I offered a bright smile.
“Ah, I apologize. I was afraid you’d scold me for glimpsing a future without permission.”
“I wouldn’t scold you for such a thing. Any information regarding the Ellioard family is valuable, no matter what it entails.”
“I see. I’ve learned something new again.”
I shrugged my shoulders with feigned nonchalance and continued.
“There was nothing remarkable. So much so that the cost of the dessert felt wasted.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Just like everyone else, she was dancing with a partner at a ball.”
“What kind of ball was it?”
“Hmm, perhaps… an academy graduation ball?”
It was a lie, yet not entirely without a grain of truth.
After all, a client I had recently consulted was a professor at the Etheria First Academy.
In that particular future, Ruena had indeed been dancing with someone.
‘Though the glimpse had been minuscule, given the professor’s deep involvement in corruption.’
My father, after all, could only peer three years into the future.
Therefore, if I offered him only the bare minimum of truth he would accept, he would have no reason to delve deeper.
For the future, though a certain answer, was also a truth that could be altered at any moment.
“Hmm, a ball…”
“…”
“I see. Sit down, Celen. We have many clients today.”
“Yes, Father.”
A peculiar flutter stirred in my chest at the realization that I had successfully deceived my father.
It was less a pang of guilt and more a wave of relief that I hadn’t been discovered.
The Ruena I had glimpsed appeared to be past twenty years of age.
This implied a future still beyond the reach of my father’s abilities.
‘It would be a waste to tell Father.’
The more elusive something proved to be, the more intensely one yearned for it.
The Noire family had always shone most brilliantly when confronted with the forbidden.
And I, imbued with that very blood, would be the one to most advantageously steal Ruena’s truth.
****
A week passed thereafter.
Throughout that entire week, I had been unable to visit Ruena Ellioard.
For an entire week, not a single strawberry-topped dessert had even made an appearance.
‘I messed up.’
Truly, speaking without thought always seemed to lead to disaster.
I shouldn’t have been so quick to promise an even more delicious dessert.
‘Should I have at least asked more about her preferences?’
I glanced at the display cabinet positioned beside my chair.
Today’s dessert, though of the highest quality and adorned with sugar flowers cultivated by elves, still…
While both its taste and presentation were superb, it tragically lacked strawberries.
“This isn’t easy…”
“What isn’t?”
“Huh? Nothing at all.”
I flashed a bright smile at my father, yet my mind remained consumed by a persistent dilemma.
That dessert, too, was undeniably exquisite.
To be frank, in terms of flavor alone, this offering surpassed the previous one.
…At least, by my own discerning standards.
But by Ruena Ellioard’s standards?
It might very well be dismissed for the singular reason of its strawberry deficiency.
‘If I were to subtly add some strawberries…’
I glared at the dessert for a moment before shaking my head.
Its flavor simply wouldn’t complement strawberries well.
Suddenly, my second older brother’s words echoed in my memory.
“To win a woman over, you need to consider her preferences, even in the smallest details.”
If the Noire instinct was to steal even the hearts of others,
then my second older brother was the one who practiced it most diligently.
That man was perpetually hitting on women.
‘Of course, the results were always failures.’
Yet, today, his usual nonsense somehow resonated as truth.
Didn’t they say that the one who’s been rejected the most becomes an expert in theory?
Above all, there was a specific dessert I truly wanted to give Ruena Ellioard.
‘She would definitely love it…’
It was a quite popular dessert, often served,
yet, strangely, it had completely vanished from the menu for this past week.
‘Do I have to buy it with my own money?’
Though the possibility was slim, I went to my room and opened my wallet.
Normally, a noble child from a prestigious family would have the financial means to buy a dessert without a second thought, but I was an exception.
They only gave me a paltry allowance.
Even while forcing me to sit in this tiresome chair day after day.
‘Isn’t this child abuse?’
But I couldn’t utter such words aloud.
Sighing, I tucked my meager money back into my wallet.
Just then, someone pressed down on my head.
“Ugh, what was that?!”
“Why are you sighing so dramatically, my fourth child?”
“Sister?”
Rafina Noire.
She was my only sister and the firstborn of the Noire family.
As always, my sister strode purposefully and plopped down opposite me.
“What is it? Looking at your wallet, do you want something?”
“…Something like that.”
“Hoo? Really?”
Rafina’s lips curved into an ominous smile.
That expression clearly meant she wanted something from me.
Whether it was my dignity, my pride, or just a peaceful day.
Years of experience prompted me to slowly retreat, heightening my guard.
“…Why? What do you want?”
“Hmm? What do I want? I was thinking of getting it for my beloved sibling.”
“…The condition?”
“The next three times I call you, you must come running, without fail.”
Anyone with an older sister would understand.
The moment you accept that condition, you become your sister’s loyal dog.
However—.
I was already my sister’s dog.
“I’ll do it.”
“That’s my Celen.”
If I couldn’t escape, it was better to bark and at least get a treat.
This was how one survived beneath three older siblings.
And so, I ventured out with my sister to buy dessert.
“Hey, do you see that strawberry-topped custard cake?”
“You want to eat that?”
“Yeah. One… no, just buy me two.”
“Alright, alright. Hold this for a moment.”
My sister Rafina placed plates in both my hands, then rummaged through her bag for something.
‘Wait…’
It was paper and a pen, along with a telescope.
My sister examined the dessert I had chosen through the telescope, then began to draw it on the paper.
A moment later—.
The dessert from the display case appeared, perfectly replicated, dropping onto the plate.
Her unique ability, which manifested when she was ten, was to steal the most similar physical object from her surroundings based on what she drew.
Just like now.
‘Can I… really give a stolen gift?’
Having already snatched a gift box, my sister placed the cake inside and said,
“My condition is good today. You said you needed one more?”
“…No. One is enough. More importantly, go pay for it properly!”
“…Tch.”
My sister grumbled, then stealthily slipped back into the shop and placed money on the counter.
Indeed, our family was doomed to be a perennial count’s household.
