Now This Family Belongs to My Mother Chapter 67

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In the end, I concluded there was only one way. Opening the eyes I had tightly shut, I bowed my head to Ludwig. “It’s an honor to meet Your Highness again in such an unexpected place. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be heading back to the banquet h—” I turned away before I could even finish my greeting. But Ludwig quickly blocked my path. I was so startled that I couldn’t control my expression.

 

Did I make a flinching face? Or was it a frightened one? Whatever expression it was, it was clear that Ludwig didn’t like it.

 

“You keep avoiding me.”

 

Was it that obvious? I shook my head, thinking it was only natural to deny it. “That’s not true.”

 

“Everyone avoids me, but it bothers me a little when you do it.”

 

For a moment, my heart sank. It wasn’t because Ludwig’s words scared me. It was because he looked like he genuinely couldn’t stand how much it bothered him.

 

“Do you hate me that much? Or is it that you like me so much you can’t stand it?”

 

But soon, a playful smirk spread across Ludwig’s face. I was confused because I couldn’t tell what he truly meant.

 

“It’s not that, it’s just that you’re sca… Gasp!” I let my real feelings slip first. Realizing too late that I had made a mistake, I covered my mouth with both hands. But the words were already out, and there was no taking them back.

 

Ludwig tilted his head slightly and leaned his face closer to mine. “I’m not a scary person. Look closely. What part of my face looks scary? I’ve heard people say I’m so handsome it’s almost scary, though.”

 

The corners of his lips curved into a graceful arc right in front of me. It was such a beautiful, almost unreal smile. Thump. My heart pounded loudly again, just like it had before.

 

I was staring blankly into his red eyes, which were smiling along with him, when I suddenly felt a chilling sense of malice from somewhere. Instinctively, I turned around, and Ludwig shouted at me.

 

“Lady, get out of the way!”

 

Despite Ludwig’s warning, I froze in place as I saw a massive white horse charging toward me. Its sharp horn jutted out above its murderous blue eyes that were locked onto me.

 

Unicorn?

 

Swish! At that moment, Ludwig grabbed me and rolled us onto the ground. I narrowly escaped the unicorn’s attack. But the unicorn stomped its hooves and prepared to charge at me again.

 

Sensing the danger, Ludwig stepped in front of me to shield me. “What are you doing? Why are you attacking an innocent lady?” Even he seemed to be experiencing this for the first time, as his voice carried a hint of bewilderment.

 

The unicorn snorted loudly, almost as if mocking him.

 

The divine beasts tended to be arrogant toward humans other than their ‘master’. It seemed it wouldn’t even listen to the son of its master. Although Ludwig had been given the egg, it appeared the unicorn didn’t recognize him as its master, likely because he hadn’t been able to hatch it.

 

The unicorn glared at me again. Those eyes weren’t unfamiliar. I’ve seen those eyes before. Blue eyes that once glared at an enemy trying to steal its horn. They were the same eyes I had faced in my past life. The hostility directed at me back then was now emanating from the unicorn in the exact same way.

 

A certain premonition pierced my heart like a thorn. Could it be… does the unicorn remember its past life? Just as the phoenix that brought me back remembers our past lives. The unicorn, being a divine beast as well, remembers its past life. Why didn’t I think of that?

 

The unicorn remembered the day I tried to steal its horn in my past life and was now attacking me. Back then, I had covered my entire face except for my eyes with a mask, but it seemed I couldn’t fool the eyes of a divine beast.

 

“Your Highness, please get away.” I spoke in a trembling voice to Ludwig, who stood blocking my path. He was truly innocent in all of this. He shouldn’t be dragged into this and put in danger.

 

But Ludwig chuckled softly. “You’re shaking like that, and you’re telling me to step back?”

 

“Your Highness might end up in danger.”

 

Ludwig turned around. “Just by looking at your face, it feels like you’d actually cry if I ran away alone.”

 

“T-That’s not true!”

 

It was then. Taking advantage of Ludwig’s momentary distraction, the unicorn charged toward us.

 

“Your Highness!”

 

At my shout, Ludwig turned to face the unicorn. The unicorn leapt high over Ludwig’s head and landed gracefully behind me. Then, it grabbed me and climbed up a large nearby tree. I squeezed my eyes shut.

 

“Lady Epirosa!” Ludwig’s urgent cry echoed from below.

 

Was the unicorn going to throw me down now? Or maybe impale me with its horn?

 

But the things I feared didn’t happen. The unicorn placed me on a thick tree branch and then perched on the opposite side, staring at me silently. Its eyes were still filled with hostility.

 

“Lady, stay right there! I’ll come save you!” Ludwig shouted as he began climbing the tall tree.

 

“Your Highness, don’t come! It’s dangerous!”

 

This is between me and the unicorn. I looked at the snorting unicorn. I understood its hostility. Ludwig’s sudden appearance had ultimately prevented me from stealing the horn. But the memory of being suddenly attacked and almost losing its precious horn must have left a trauma for the unicorn as well.

 

“I’m sorry about what happened back then. I won’t make any excuses.”

 

Just as I sought revenge against the Gale family, the unicorn probably wanted revenge on me too.

 

“Do whatever you want. But please wait until I finish getting back at the people who made me do ‘that thing’. I’ll take double or triple the price if that’s what it takes.”

 

The unicorn let out a snort that sounded like laughter. It seemed to say ‘Not a chance.’ Its horn began to glow with a blue light.

 

At that moment,

 

“Ppii!”

 

From my pocket, Ppinix let out a loud cry. The unicorn froze.

 

“Ppii! Ppikppik! Ppiik!”

 

My pocket shook violently. But something felt off. What was in my pocket was definitely an egg, but it no longer had its round shape. No way…

 

Suddenly, my pocket opened, and a tiny flame popped out with a pop!

 

“Ppik!”

 

No, it wasn’t just a flame. It was a small red bird, about the size of a baby sparrow. Ppinix hatched!

 

The unicorn’s eyes widened. The blue glow of its horn disappeared.

 

“Ppikppik! Ppiiii! Ppii!” Ppinix, with its tiny body, bounced around and bumped into the unicorn’s face, crying out noisily.

 

“Ppinix, no! It’s dangerous!” I tried to stop it urgently, but Ppinix was too fast for me to catch.

 

Then something strange happened. The murderous intent in the unicorn’s eyes softened. It was then that I realized. Ppinix is talking to the unicorn.

 

Was it scolding it, asking why it was acting this way? Or was it explaining my story, the reason why I had no choice but to steal its horn?

 

“Ppi?”

 

“Did it understand?”

 

The unicorn glanced at me with a look of disbelief, then snorted with a prrr. It seemed like it was saying it would let it slide just this once because of Ppinix. Then it leapt down from the tree and disappeared somewhere. I let out the breath I had been holding.

 

“Ppiit?”

 

Ppinix cried at me as if asking if I was okay. I couldn’t say a word. All I could do was hold Ppinix tightly in my arms, cherishing it.

 

“Ppit!”

 

At that moment, Ppinix quickly hid in my pocket. At the same time, Ludwig suddenly leapt up beside me.

 

“Lady, are you alright?”

 

“I’m fine… Your Highness?”

 

It seemed like Ludwig had scratched the back of his hand on a tree branch while climbing up in a hurry. A red wound marked his skin. Though it was a small and shallow scratch, my heart sank as if it had dropped to the ground.

 

“I’m fine, but Your Highness, you’re hurt.”

 

“It’s nothing, it doesn’t even hurt. Anyway, can you get down from the tree on your own?”

 

I looked down. It was dizzyingly high. On top of that, I was wearing a gown meant for a banquet.

 

When I shook my head with a troubled expression, Ludwig, for some reason, smiled instead. “Climb on my back.”

 

“What?”

 

“How else am I supposed to get you down from the tree?” He adjusted his posture and offered his back to me.

 

To think I would dare climb onto the crown prince’s back. And not just anyone’s, but Ludwig’s.

 

“What are you waiting for? Hurry up and get on.” Ludwig urged me.

 

Reluctantly, I leaned against his back.

 

“I’m going to climb down now, so hold on tight,” Ludwig said, and I nodded. Even with me on his back, Ludwig descended the tree steadily.

 

What was strange was that, despite being so close to him, I didn’t feel the same fear I had at the beginning. Was it because he climbed up the dangerous tree to save me?

 

In my past life, he tried to save me too. Whether it was to punish me severely with his own hands or whatever. I had shamelessly kicked Ludwig, who had saved me, and run away. At that time, I was so scared and wasn’t in my right mind.

 

“What are you thinking about behind my back?” Ludwig asked.

 

It was then that I realized we had already climbed down the tree. Yet, I was still clinging to Ludwig’s back.