Adopt 180

Episode 180

Quick-witted Terry swiftly brewed a fresh pot of tea and quietly left the room.

After seeing Lady Cherry out as well, I found myself alone, face-to-face with the crown prince.

A brief silence fell between us, as though we were trying to gauge each other’s intentions.

Our last meeting hadn’t been particularly pleasant, so I found it difficult to speak first.

It was Mikhail who broke the silence.

“Today, I’m not here as the crown prince, but as your friend. So let’s speak freely.”

I replied with a slight nod.

Mikhail drew a small wooden box from his pocket and placed it on the table.

“You asked for proof, Belinda. This is the evidence you wanted.”

Mikhail’s words were somewhat vague, but not so much that I couldn’t understand.

Inside that wooden box was the very proof I had demanded—the evidence that the first king’s prophecy was real.

Just as I was about to place my hand on the lid of the box,

the crown prince’s fingertip stopped me from opening it.

With a face weighed down by faint guilt, he spoke.

“Once you see the truth, there’s no turning back. To burden you with such a heavy load…”

“I’ll be fine. You don’t need to say anything more.”

I hurriedly cut him off.

I didn’t know exactly what was inside, but it had to be a truth heavy enough to warrant Mikhail’s apology.

Nevertheless, I opened the box without hesitation.

“This is… a jewel?”

Inside the box, a hexagonal crystal lay on a velvet cushion, gleaming brilliantly.

At first glance it looked like simple costume jewelry, so I couldn’t tell how this could serve as evidence.

But Mikhail’s next words froze me in place.

“It’s called ‘a fragment of memory.’ ”

“…What?”

“It must seem strange. It’s a way of refining a person’s memory and preserving it inside a magical stone. The first king, who was a gifted magician, created this original piece himself.”

Mikhail’s explanation echoed in the air, like a voice reverberating through a cave.

With trembling hand, I reached out and touched the crystal.

Soon after, I found myself staring blankly at the system window that appeared before my eyes.

[Item] ‘Lucas’s Fragment of Memory.’

“The first king’s… original work.”

“Yes. No one knows the method of its creation, so a forgery is impossible.”

As I remained silent, Mikhail patiently explained how to use it.

“Clasp the crystal and, in your mind, think ‘acquire.’ Then the first king’s memories within the gem will unfold, and you’ll be able to experience them as if they were your own.”

I knew. There was no way I couldn’t know.

“If you inherit the first king’s memories, you’ll realize that his prophecy is true… Belinda, are you all right?”

“…Yes, go on.”

Wearing a worried expression, Mikhail continued his explanation.

“One thing you must be careful of is to keep something precious to you close by before you acquire the first king’s memories. It doesn’t matter whether it’s an object or a person. It just needs to be something that will immediately remind you that you are Belinda Blanche upon seeing it.”

Mikhail’s quietly spoken words were shadowed with deep concern for what I was about to face.

But I couldn’t even muster an empty reassurance that I would be all right.

A fragment of memory, the first king’s original creation.

The system that had once given me Belinda’s fragment of memory.

If the system itself was a form of magic… then all of this must surely have been born from the first king’s hand.

---

I don’t remember how I saw Mikhail off.

At some point, I was already clutching the wooden box the crown prince had left behind and heading toward the annex.

“You don’t look well. Did His Highness the crown prince bring bad news?”

At Lady Cherry’s gentle pat on my shoulder, I finally exhaled, as if spitting out a thorn caught in my throat.

Bad news, she said.

Unless I saw for myself what truth this fragment of memory held, I wouldn’t know whether what Mikhail had told me was good news or bad.

So, purposefully pushing aside my worries, I asked in a slightly exaggerated tone,

“It depends on how you look at it—whether it’s bad news or good. Anyway, Sir Cherry, thank you for entertaining His Highness in my stead.”

I offered my gratitude plainly as I looked back at him.

Unlike the Blanche family, who were on friendly terms with the crown prince, the royal family wasn’t particularly favorable toward the Valoishten family.

That was because most of the kingdom’s military was concentrated in the north to guard the barrier forest.

If the north ever harbored rebellious thoughts and marched on the capital, the royal family would have no way to defend themselves. For that reason, they strongly distrusted the north.

So it couldn’t have been pleasant for Sir Cherry to face the crown prince.

I guessed that was the reason his expression had seemed colder than usual.

But Sir Cherry’s reply was not what I expected.

“It was a most beneficial time for me.”

Beneficial?

“What did you talk about?”

“We spoke of your childhood, my lady.”

“…!”

My strides, brisk up to that moment, were brought to a sudden halt.

It felt as if childhood photos from an old album had just been exposed.

“You talked about my childhood with His Highness…?”

“Yes. His Highness knows of your early years, so I thought sharing some of those memories with him might calm my jealousy, but it did not work out as I hoped.”

What was this man saying with such a blank expression?

“On the contrary, it only made me more displeased.”

Belatedly, I realized the real reason why Sir Cherry’s expression had seemed harsher than usual, and hastily searched my mind for words to soothe him.

If I left him like this, I had an uneasy feeling he might one day crash headlong into the crown prince, like a truck with an overheated engine.

First, I needed to let him know there was simply no reason to be jealous of the crown prince.

With that in mind, I spoke calmly.

“Why are you so jealous of His Highness? If it’s just because he shares memories of my childhood, then even our family butler knows what I was like as a child. But you don’t get jealous of him, do you?”

At my words, Sir Cherry gave a short reply.

“His Highness is Misha, isn’t he?”

There was a hint of petulance in his voice, and I tilted my head in confusion.

I couldn’t quite understand the point he was trying to make.

“Is that… so?”

“You once told me, my lady, that I resembled Misha. That you felt a sense of familiarity because of it. I suppose that is the part that makes me uncomfortable.”

Did I ever say that?

Even at a glance, the crown prince and Sir Cherry bore no resemblance whatsoever.

So there was no way I would have said such a thing…

But before I could deny it, my gaze fell upon a doghouse tucked into the corner of the annex.

Inside the palace-sized kennel, the cerberuses were sprawled atop one another, fast asleep.

‘Now that I think about it, there was another Misha I knew.’

I didn’t quite remember, but if I had ever told Sir Cherry he resembled Misha, it would not have been a reference to Mikhail.

Feeling this was the perfect opportunity, I pointed at the kennel and spoke.

“That’s Misha’s house.”

“…You mean His Highness once lived in such a kennel?”

“What a preposterous notion! Misha was the name of the Doberman I used to have.”

“Misha… was a dog?”

“Yes. So when I said you resembled Misha, I didn’t mean His Highness, but my—well, my dog…”

I trailed off, my words faltering.

How rude, to tell someone they resembled a dog.

Worried I might have hurt his feelings, I stole a glance at his profile—

And nearly dropped the wooden box I was holding.

Naturally, for…

“Are you… smiling right now?”

Sir Cherry, wearing the brightest expression I had ever seen on him, had the corners of his lips turned up.

“Did I smile?”

“Uh, yes…”

“If you say I did, then it must be so. By the way, my lady—how much did you like Misha?”

“V-very much. He was loyal to me and me alone.”

“I see. And in what ways am I like Misha?”

“Well, you’re dark, with blue eyes… loyal to me… you… really…”

Care for me.

Always baring his teeth and barking at everyone else, but whenever he saw me, his tail would wag as if it might fall off.

No matter how petulant I became, he’d never once lost his temper or turned away.

Looking into those deep blue eyes, it was impossible not to realize how important I was to him; it made me want to cherish myself a little more, and strive to love myself—for his sake…

‘What is this?’

All I was trying to do was describe how precious Misha had been to me, yet somehow it felt as if I were making a confession to Sir Cherry. Embarrassed by the ticklish feeling, I hurried into the annex.

Leo had not yet returned from the academy, and Vivian was busy as ever in her workshop.

Terry was still in the main building, making sure the servants kept quiet about seeing Mikhail.

Settling into my seat, I traced the surface of the wooden box, as if to shake off the lingering heat tingling at my fingertips.

Keep something precious at your side.

Even without Mikhail’s warning, I knew well the dangers held by a fragment of memory.

A feeling of total immersion, as if you had become the person whose memory was imprinted inside.

For a moment, your sense of self could vanish entirely—the sensation of inheriting someone else’s memory was terrifying.

Still, I opened the box without hesitation.

As always, turning to the ever-present Sir Cherry at my side, I said,

“Sir, would you stay here with me for a moment?”

“Yes.”

Satisfied by his unhesitating reply, I gripped the crystal and whispered in my mind.

‘Acquire.’

Immediately, a very familiar sensation overtook me.