30.

“I’m guessing you might be getting hungry.”

More than an hour had already passed. Time had flown by so quickly that Serenity couldn’t tell if she had been meditating or dreaming.

Adele’s words made her realize she was indeed hungry. When Serenity nodded, Adele and Leo began to set out the food.

They prepared sandwiches, croissants, and salad.

“They said the meal would be ready as soon as we arrive at the mansion.”

‘So this feels more like a snack,’ Serenity thought.

Nodding, she took a bite of a sandwich. The moist bread, filled with strawberry jam, was refreshing. She especially liked the real strawberries sliced within, their bursting flavor spreading in her mouth.

“This jam is really amazing,” Serenity remarked.

Adele, nibbling on the leftover sandwich crusts, chimed in.

“To be here with you under this bright sunlight is truly an honor for m— Oh, wait a moment?”

Adele’s eyes widened, her gaze fixed on the lakeside.

Curious, Serenity followed Adele’s line of sight and saw a man setting up an easel near the lakeside. He looked like an ordinary man.

‘Just a person,’ Serenity thought.

It wasn’t surprising that a man appeared, as she hadn’t restricted access to the area. Serenity couldn’t understand why Adele was so startled.

“Excuse me for a moment, Miss Serenity.”

Adele hurried over to the man. She tapped him on the shoulder, and he turned, equally surprised to see her. After a brief exchange, Adele led him over to Serenity.

“Miss Serenity, I hope it’s alright if I introduce you… This is my younger brother I’ve mentioned a few times.”

Serenity observed the man closely.

He looked quite young. His soft brown hair glistened, and his deep black eyes sparkled. His gentle smile and slightly downturned eyes reminded her of a puppy.

He held a water bottle filled with brushes, pencils, and various colored paints.

“Hello, Miss Serenity. It’s an honor to meet you. I’m Paber, a painter. Pleased to meet you.”

Adele had told Serenity about her brother, mentioning he was studying at the Art Academy in Artera and was about to graduate.

Like Adele, Paber’s smiling face was free of shadows.

Serenity found this intriguing.

‘How can they be so bright?’

They likely didn’t have a wealthy background, yet neither showed any signs of hardship.

“I’ll get back to my painting then.”

Paber began setting up his supplies. A large canvas, as big as his torso, was laid out, and he started sketching swiftly.

Serenity watched, fascinated. Having only met nobles, encountering an artist was a new experience.

“His dream has always been to be a painter. Although it’s a bit boastful of me to say… ahem, he’s now considered an up-and-coming artist in Artera. Miss Serenity, please take good care of him!”

“…I see.”

Someone who had a dream for the future and achieved it.

Moreover, a commoner, not a noble. This was all shocking to Serenity.

‘A dream, huh.’

It was something she had never considered possible.

For Julie, a dream was surviving.

Training her water powers to be loved by people. That was all.

“My dream was to sing. Although I lack the talent, helping my brother graduate from the academy safely came first… but I haven’t given up yet!”

Adele said with a strong voice. Hearing Adele speak about dreams made her seem larger than life today.

Serenity began to understand Cordelia’s words about people being beautiful just as they are.

“This might be a rude question, but…”

Seeing Adele hesitate, Serenity gestured for her to continue. After a moment’s hesitation, Adele asked.

“I’d like to know what your dream is, Miss Serenity. I want to support you completely…”

Serenity paused at her question. It was something she hadn’t considered since becoming Serenity.

Serenity’s current goal was to kill Julie.

The easiest way to achieve that was by using the strange power of the four elements she had been given. To do that, Serenity was carefully exploring the powers of the elements.

‘What about after killing me?’

A question only Serenity could ask herself.

‘What do I want to do after that?’

She knew she would still have to deal with Wyatt, Dante, Clagen, and Yulia. Contact with them was an inevitable fate as long as she lived as Serenity.

A dream that was purely Serenity’s, apart from them.

Serenity thought deeply about what she truly desired. From the time of Julie to now, what she had yearned for most.

After contemplating, Serenity met Adele’s eyes and answered.

“I want to be happy.”

“…”

“I don’t know what I’ll do or what will happen in the future, but I want to be happy. Is that too small a dream?”

It wasn’t about becoming something or wanting something. Compared to Adele and Paber, who were pursuing something specific, Serenity’s dream seemed humble.

Adele smiled brightly and shook her head.

“Everyone dreams to be happy. I would love to help you achieve your dream, Miss Serenity.”

Hearing her words brought Serenity a sense of relief.

‘Just words alone can be so comforting.’

She felt she had come to understand Adele a bit more.

* * *

After returning to the mansion and finishing her meal, Serenity had some time to relax in her room.

As she rested on the sofa, she noticed something tapping at the window. She quickly realized it was a letter.

She had a good idea who it was from.

When she slightly opened the window, the letter slid inside and landed on the table. The breeze that entered the room gently tousled her hair.

Sure enough, the envelope bore Dante’s name.

Serenity opened the letter.

“The meeting is scheduled for next week… I thought he’d come right away, did something come up?”

It wasn’t something Serenity needed to worry about, but she was curious about what was keeping Dante so busy.

<Using the wind to send letters is the fastest method, so I’m sending it this way.>

It was the first time someone had used their abilities to send her a letter.

Serenity had been in Artera for less than a week. It was impossible for a letter from the capital to arrive so quickly in such a short time.

‘The wind can be a messenger like this.’

The power to deliver and move things.

‘If I can control the wind, I could do it too.’

She learned something new about the wind, which was still unfamiliar compared to water.

As she put the letter back in the envelope, Serenity blinked.

‘…There’s no reason to use the wind just for letters.’

If she could control the wind well enough to send it to Julie.

If she could force air into her throat and cut off her breath in an instant.

Serenity wouldn’t need to go there herself; she could just send the wind. The wind would disappear after completing its task.

There would be no trace left. No one would know how she died.

In other words, a perfect crime.

She felt goosebumps. If she could handle the bracelet that informed Dante of Julie’s condition, using the wind would be the best method once she mastered it.

She had another reason to master the wind.

“I should go to the lakeside again tomorrow.”

Serenity resolved firmly.

* * *

Wyatt recalled what Dante had said.

[…All records of the past few hundred years and those of the first heirs have been rewritten. By the same king. It’s almost as if he rewrote everything during his reign.]

They only knew it was the same king; the specific individual was unknown. The records were written under the names of those who documented them. The royalty always watched and used those records from behind the scenes.

If the royalty did it.

It wouldn’t have been easy to rewrite such vast records spanning hundreds of years. They might have faced opposition from those doing the work. The aftermath of the decision would have been severe.

Why did they go to such lengths?

‘They are people who wouldn’t admit they were wrong.’

If they had made a mistake, they would do anything to cover it up. If the mistake was significant, it might have caused something to go wrong.

Could it be related to the increasing natural disasters?

Questions led to more questions.

If the continuing natural disasters weren’t just a problem with the four heirs.

“Your Highness, I’ve brought the documents you requested. However…”

Wyatt accepted the documents handed over by his subordinate, Agosto. The information, obtained through Clagen, was reliable.

But as he read the information, Wyatt’s face gradually hardened.

“They are all dead.”

Those who had competed to become elemental heirs before the current heirs were chosen. Whether it was the heirs of fire, wind, or earth, they all strove to showcase their abilities and claim the heir’s position. When they lost, they all accepted their defeat and returned to ordinary lives.

…Or so they thought. No one had paid much attention to them since.

“Only one person is still alive.”

Julie Liv.

“Just her.”

“Yes.”

The causes of death varied. Traffic accidents, disappearances, and so on.

But one thing was the same.

Except for Julie, who was in a coma, all the candidates for the four elemental heirs no longer existed in this world.