'I'm Celestine now. The Trier's could go to hell for all I care. So what if my brother was the male lead? Why does that concern me? Is it because he's handsome? Well, yeah, he is. But that's beside the point.'
'I'm sure I'll be able to find someone even more handsome and better than he is. Who has a brother like him? I should tie him up with Adelaide so they won't be able to bother me in the future.' I kept grumbling internally. Unaware that my feelings were already showing in my face.
The old Count sighed at my declaration and suddenly flicked my forehead. I could have avoided that, I know. But Old Man Hal wasn't emitting any hostility. And the flick didn't hurt that much. It just stings a little so I rubbed it, pouting at him. My eyes filled with unconcealed grievance.
Yep. You can tell right, dear readers? I'm acting carefree around this grandfather. He already knows who I am anyway. Why bother conforming to the uptight rules of the nobility in this world? I'm not even originally from here.
"Childish." He commented. I grinned at his statement and turned my pretty nose up.
"You did call me a child. What else would you expect, gramps?" I retorted wittily which earned me another flick on the forehead. Was this old man the old geezer's counterpart in this world? He seems to especially find it entertaining to mete out corporal punishment. (Corporal punishment being a flick on the forehead or a bonk on the head.)
"I stand by my words, Grandpa. I will leave this place. I'm pretty sure they won't even notice. Don't deny it. We both know that is what would happen." I said abruptly, cutting any sort of counter from him.
"I won't deny it. I know the situation was not ideal. I just didn't expect it to be this bad." The old man shook his head in disappointment. I bet a thousand bucks he was disappointed by my so-called parents and siblings. I can figure out that much even if he didn't say so. Still, that was his daughter in question. He was too full of tact to scold her outright in front of me.
"Where do you plan on going? And if you leave, there will be a lot of things for you to take note of." He questioned me. I laughed sheepishly and picked on my nails, blowing on them.
"That's why we're having this conversation, Grandpa." I glanced at him, feeling embarrassed.
Fine. I admit. I haven't resolved every aspect of my escape plan yet. I haven't set a concrete place to settle down nor the process of how I'm going to succeed at it. I was preoccupied with the need to convince Old Man Hal.
"How similar. I should have known." He murmured lightly that I didn't catch a word. I tilted my head in wonder. Count Halcyon waved his hand in dismissal, a look of resignation in his face.
"Alright. We'll deal with this together. Gather all your important belongings within a fortnight and go straight to my countryside estate. You'll stay there with me for the time being and decide on the place you want to go. So I can make preparations before you set off. Leave at night when everyone is asleep. I'll arrange a carriage."
After saying that, Count Halcyon took off a dark ring band from his hands. With a snap of his finger, the ring shone briefly which he then slid towards me.
"What is this, Grandpa? A spatial ring?" I asked with a bemused look. Old Man Hal raised a brow at me before nodding in confirmation.
What? What?! It was actually a spatial ring? I was just joking when I mentioned that. Who would have thought that there were actually spatial rings here? On second thought, this was a world of magic. Why was I even surprised?
"It has 100 cubic meters of space. I think it will be enough for your things. How did you know it was a spatial ring, by the way? I don't remember mentioning spatial rings to you." He asked while giving me a curious look.
"I read about them." I read about them in Xianxia and Wuxia novels to be exact. I inspected the ring, turning it around. Does this thing need a drop of blood or something?
Count Halcyon sensed my struggle. "Project your magic circle while holding it so it will register you as the owner."
I was enlightened. So it was different here. Blood was replaced with the magic circle that a person has. I guess that works as well. After all, magic circles were unique to the individual in this world just as blood is. At least there was no need to inflict self-injury.
I followed his directions and projected my magic circle. It was a pretty one. The magic circle was reminiscent of a mandala. Mine was shaped like a lotus in bloom. Each petal had a mark of a poppy flower with its edges shining in golden light.
But what took the spotlight was the blood red lycoris in the center. It was vivid and life-like. Hovering around it is a sun with a pupil less eye within. It was quite a mysterious sight. But it was starkly different from the one in my memories. I remember the center of my magic circle only had a sun in the middle.
"Mutated magic circle."