# Chapter 6
---
Episode 6
The big lady stopped in front of the table, took off her winter leather gloves and smiled gently.
"Come here, Cláunia.
It's been a while since I spoke to this lady over a cup of hot tea...
."
"What's wrong, Grandma?
"Why are you ignoring our Anita!"
Claunia blocked the path of Anita, who was frozen and unable to move, as if her feet were stuck to the ground.
Then he raised the blood on his neck and screamed.
"Why are you ignoring me?"
A stern look fell into the great lady's eyes.
"Speak quietly.
We, women of Edenbahir, do not raise our voices carelessly, Klaunia.
"Guess I'll have to relearn my manners."
"But grandma..." ."
"Call me, ma'am.
And I think you forgot, so I'll repeat it.
Sweet.
She brought the utensils and warned softly as she placed colorful pieces of cake and bread on the plate.
"You shouldn't take things from the street as if you were a friend.
"Don't forget that we are descendants of the great Atlantean empire."
Anita closed her eyes tightly and opened them.
My first thought was that my heart wasn't as painful as it used to be.
It was fantastic.
Why?
"profit!"
Claunia, who couldn't control her anger and was shaking, jumped forward.
With a fluttering noise, the elegant navy blue cloth was raised to the ceiling.
It was the hem of the great lady's dress.
It was a scene where the starless night sky seemed to be falling.
Anita opened her mouth in a daze without realizing it.
"Claunia!"
Claunia, leaving behind a scream of anger, grabbed Anita's hand and hurriedly ran away.
The big lady, who hurriedly rearranged her clothes, shouted in an irritated voice.
"You can't just stand there!"
Why did I run after Claunia?
I don't know.
As I ran with all my might, I felt like my heart was breaking just a little bit.
At some point it seemed like I was laughing along with Claunia.
bang.
I closed the door tightly and hid behind the bed.
There was only one place in this grand ducal residence where they could escape.
Lancelot's room.
Claunia, who was breathing deeply, looked at the door and said.
"Don't take it too seriously.
My grandmother has been like this for a long time.
He's a bit clumsy, annoying and always shouts 'Protect Edenbahir's body!'...
Right, Lancelot?
No matter what they did, Lancelot, who was sitting on the bed silently turning the pages of a book, looked away.
"Don't you know?
The great lady has arrived.
But you just ignore Anita's greeting and leave!"
A clear expression of discontent bloomed on Lancelot's face.
"If you ask me about myself, I'll tell you I'm sick.
"I won't be able to see you for a month because I feel like I'm going to die from the pain."
"Did you see that?
Even unlucky Lancelot feels uncomfortable around his grandmother?
You know it's bad.
So ignore yourself too, Anita."
I shook my head without realizing it, but I heard Lancelot snort.
"You're saying that as advice.
It's not like you don't know that she's not in the same situation as you.
That's enough, stop talking and leave."
It's not the same situation.
He's right.
But this time I wanted to think that Claunia was the right answer.
If I didn't have Claunia, I would be shaking like that day...
Hiding alone in a dark room...
.
Anita hugged Cláunia without thinking further.
"Thank you very much.
"I'm glad to have you."
"huh?
Yes...
."
Claunia shrugged her shoulders as if embarrassed, but soon opened her arms wide and hugged her.
It was the first gentle warmth I'd felt from someone other than my father.
***
That day, the first snowstorm in a few days occurred.
Anita's footsteps, which were walking along a long corridor, slowly stopped near a certain point.
I was in front of a huge mural hanging on the wall.
'Was there a photo like this?'
It was a magnificent image that could only be seen at a glance, without having to step back several times.
Even though I was a certain distance away, I could see every grain of paint expressed in detail.
'stylish.'
In the photo, a huge dragon was roaring.
Wise men, elderly people, children and people with disabilities sat in front of her and offered prayers.
Anita knew that dragon.
The golden dragon Nuaja, the legendary owner of Nuaja.
The founder of Atlantean, a great empire that dominated an era and is now gone.
'It's a photo I saw in a book when I was young...
It belonged to Edenbahir.
I suddenly felt the distant status of Claunia and Lancelot.
As the Edenbahir family were descendants of the Atlantean royal family, they could have occupied the imperial throne if the empire had survived.
—And I don't think I'll ever meet Claunia and Lancelot until I die.
I need to study more from now on so I don't become an embarrassing friend.
It was time to make a firm resolution and take a step back.
"Edenbahir is one of the three legendary families with Nuaja as progenitor."
A noble voice sounded from above.
It was the voice of the great lady.
Anita quickly turned her head.
It was the first time that the great lady, who had always ignored her presence, approached her like she did today.
"The blood of Nuaja still flows in Edenbahir, and some people are born who can <manifest> this great power.
"The people here have long considered Edenbahir the guardian deity of Shabalon."
'...
'Apparition?'
The great lady admired every aspect of the painting with an ecstatic gaze.
And he continued speaking with a voice full of pride.
"Lancelus is the only successor of our generation who can await the 'Apparition.' "We could say that it is Edenbahir herself, which the Duke and I created with great care."
It was the first time the great lady spoke to me in such a friendly manner.
Anita couldn't help but harbor small expectations.
Did you recognize me as a friend of Claunia and Lancelot?
She responded boldly.
"Wow that's cool.
Lancelot is loved by the Duke and the Grand Lady...
."
"Lancelus?"
It was a high-pitched voice that pierced my eardrums.
Eyes shining with disgust looked at Anita.
"superficiality.
"Call me Lancelot."
"...
...
."
"If you were born humble, you must be intelligent or have some common sense.
"You seem to be climbing without understanding the matter."
It is not simply an expression of looking at something trivial.
It was a look full of disgust and hatred.
That's how I felt when I saw the corpse of a rat floating in the sewer.
It was a look that made her feel like it was a sin to face him, so Anita had to lower her face without realizing it.
The burning sensation of the inside of my throat could not be considered strange.
"Wörøny, I didn't know that guy could be so treacherous.
Are you trying to use my daughter to cross Edenbahir's bloodline?
How dare you use Lancelot to wash away your dirty blood!
Dirty lineage.
My heart was pounding and my hands were shaking because of the swear words that hit my self-esteem.
"Ah, father...
."
Anita no longer wanted to remain silent in front of the person who mocked her family.
"My father is a liver, secretary...
"I don't do that."
he said.
I said it clearly this time.
Although he avoided eye contact, his voice shook less.
The great lady was still looking at something unclean.
"You must be so evil inside to give birth to a stuttering daughter like this."
She clicked her tongue in warning.
"done.
It's also funny to be angry with a young girl.
Go and tell your father.
A humble and even stuttering woman is taken to Lancelot...
."
However, the great lady's warning did not reach a complete conclusion.
The gaze that was on Anita's back for a moment widened with embarrassment.
"Oh my God, Lancelot!"
Lancelot?
Surprised, Anita turned her head.
Lancelot, with pale skin as if he was about to faint at any moment, walked in the direction they were in.
Silently, very slowly.
"Honey, what if you come here in the cold?
"Of course the cough will get worse!"
His expression was, to put it in a good way, serious and, in a bad way, cold.
As she approached, the slight displeasure emanating from her was enough to touch the tip of Anita's nose.
The straight and closed lips clearly revealed Lancelo's hostile attitude.
However, the great lady did not seem to notice Lancelot's feelings.
"You have to listen carefully to be good, right?
"Only a good child can become the great chief of Edenbahir."
Suddenly, Lancelot approached me and smelled the heat of a flame and the perfume of bed linen drying in the sun.
"Anyway, your father is the problem!
You'll never be like your father, Lancelot.
They say I gave birth to a son with a stomach ache, but seriously...
."
go.
It was a very small whisper that only Anita could hear.
At the same time, his shoulders were pushed back a lot.
Lancelot passed her and stood before the great lady.
Anita stared at the boy's back.
Even compared to her, his back was extremely thin.
The back of his neck, slightly exposed above his collar, was lifeless and white, as if it had never been exposed to sunlight.
Not only his wrists but also his knuckles were thin enough to break, making him look more like a girl than a boy.
Wouldn't it be he, and not me, who should be protected?
"ah.
Come here, Lancelot.
With this old lady...
."
But Lancelot had no intention of backing down before Anita.
She backed away very slowly.
He then left the scene as if he was running away.
Did Lancelot help her?
I don't know.
Anita just instinctively walked towards the only shrine here.
To Lancelot's room, which was like their hiding place.
The unoccupied room was silent.
"And it's hot."
Lancelot's room is always warm.
So good.
Lancelot, the owner of the room, is very cold.
So it's difficult and sometimes even scary.
'Because I never said I didn't like it.'
I'm not telling you not to talk to me because I'm humble.
She quietly closed the door and sat there, apparently dozing off without realizing it.
"Cough."
When I suddenly came to, I heard a small cough.
I could vaguely say that it was Lancelot's claim to popularity.
However, if I'm not mistaken, his cough seemed stronger and more wheezy than usual.