‘The necklace is gone.’
She searched every corner of the vault.
Just as she’d feared.
Nowhere.
The item she had been looking for was nowhere to be found.
Odely’s expression darkened.
What happened…?
‘Maybe… when he lost his memories, the seal disappeared as well.’
Cases like that weren’t unheard of.
Mana flowed according to its owner’s will.
A magical seal was usually created with the determination to protect something—
or with the resolve to never let it be taken away.
But the current Ludville had forgotten even that purpose.
Through sheer bad luck…
the seal had broken.
It was also possible that Ludville himself had removed the seal and taken the necklace.
But…
Somehow, that didn’t feel right.
There were still items left inside the vault.
At first glance, they all looked utterly worthless.
A crude stone fragment.
A worn piece of metal.
An old scrap of plain cloth.
Objects that looked like nothing more than junk, making it impossible to understand why anyone would lock them inside a vault.
But Odely knew exactly what they were.
Magical relics that had once shaken an entire era.
Treasures Ludville had gathered over thousands of regressions—
things that should never be allowed to see the outside world.
‘…The truly valuable items weren’t even touched.’
In the end…
Only the flashy-looking things had been stolen.
Which meant the thief had no idea these relics were worth dozens—
no—
hundreds of times more than ordinary jewels.
The work of an amateur thief who couldn’t recognize real value.
‘Ludville’s necklace probably looked like nothing more than an unusual gemstone.’
Of all things…
They had taken that.
Odely let out a quiet sigh.
The crimson pendant hanging from that necklace wasn’t a mere ornament.
It was a Blood Crystal.
A crystallized fragment of Ludville’s life force.
The Blood Crystal functioned as a key.
It could both activate—
and deactivate—
the ritual circle.
A true master key.
‘The necklace has to be placed into the center of the ritual circle to safely dismantle the spell.’
Otherwise…
If she forced the ritual apart…
‘All of the backlash will fall entirely onto Ludville.’
In the worst case…
He could die instantly.
Without realizing it, Odely clenched her fist tightly.
After returning to her room, she paced back and forth in thought.
Who had taken the necklace?
That was an item that absolutely could not be allowed to leave the castle.
‘No matter what it takes… I have to get it back.’
Just then—
Knock. Knock.
Someone knocked on the door of the detached residence.
Odely stopped pacing and turned toward the entrance.
A moment later, the door slowly opened.
A young face, tense with nervousness, peeked through the crack.
The small girl flinched the moment she saw Odely.
Her voice trembled uneasily.
“H-Hello, Lady Odely. It’s an honor to serve you.”
Odely froze.
‘…Leona.’
A memory from long ago suddenly resurfaced.
Was this another effect of the Jewel of Regression embedded within her?
The instant she saw the little girl…
memories that had once been hazy became as vivid as if they were unfolding before her eyes.
A dark library.
A tiny body lying motionless on the floor.
A cold hand.
Eyes that had never been closed…
‘Ah.’
Now she knew.
Who had stolen the necklace.
“…Wow.”
The small gasp pulled Odely back to reality.
It had come from Leona.
Her eyes widened until they were perfectly round, as though she doubted what she was seeing.
“You look just like… a snow fairy…”
“…”
“I-I mean… there’s a legend about kind fairies who help travelers lost in snowy mountains. You look exactly like the illustration in that storybook…”
Leona rambled absentmindedly before suddenly clapping both hands over her mouth.
“I-I’m so sorry! That was rude!”
Because of her innocent personality, Leona had been assigned to the detached residence instead of the main palace.
She had never been good at fitting in with the others.
Neither had Odely.
That was why, in her previous life, the two had become irreplaceable friends.
“I’ve heard of the snow fairy.”
“Huh? Really?”
The gloomy look on Leona’s face immediately brightened when Odely responded.
“It’s a Northern legend. How do you know about it? Do you know someone from the North?”
Without realizing it, Odely laughed softly.
“Someone very precious to me.”
As she spoke…
she gently took Leona’s hand.
As though returning the small warmth she herself had once received.
Startled by the sudden touch, Leona stared blankly at their joined hands before hurriedly crying out,
“Lady Odely, your hands are freezing!”
“…Are they?”
Odely answered awkwardly.
Apparently…
she hadn’t managed to return any warmth at all.
“I heard you were frail… I’ll add more firewood right away! And I’ll bring you a hot water bottle too.”
“…Thank you.”
“Please get under the blankets and lie down. If you catch a cold in the North, it lasts forever. You really have to be careful.”
She truly hadn’t changed at all.
She was the little maid who had never left Odely’s side in her previous life.
The only person who had stayed with her in this lonely detached residence…
The only one who had reached out with warm hands.
But Odely hadn’t been able to enjoy that warmth for long.
Because Leona had died far too soon.
Not long after they had met.
‘I cried so much.’
Throughout the entire funeral…
her heart had ached as though she had lost a lifelong friend.
Leona had been an unusually innocent and kind girl.
And though they had grown close in that short time…
Odely had always thought her grief had been strangely overwhelming.
After all…
they had only known each other for a few months.
Now she finally understood.
That sorrow hadn’t come from saying goodbye in just one lifetime.
It had been accumulated across countless lives.
The warm-hearted girl who had held her hand with tear-filled eyes whenever she fell ill.
“You’re strong, Lady Odely! You’ll never die!”
She looked exactly the same as she had back then.
‘…I’ve missed you.’
Odely quietly looked at Leona.
‘This time… I’ll never lose you.’
She silently made herself a promise.
These small, gentle hands…
would never grow cold again.
And…
‘If I’m right… the murderer who killed this child is also the one who stole Ludville’s necklace.’
Because Leona had been murdered by a petty thief inside the estate.
I’ll catch him.
And then…
What should she do with him?
At that moment, Odely remembered an ability she had only learned about after seeing Ludville’s memories.
‘Odely… if you’re ever in danger and I’m not by your side… why don’t you try this?’
It was an offensive technique.
Something she had never imagined she could do.
She had never realized…
that her purification ability could be applied in that way.
Yet the version of herself inside his memories had used it with remarkable skill.
‘Maybe I should practice.’
A cold light flashed across Odely’s eyes.
She had absolutely no intention…
of simply sending that man to prison.
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