Chapter 69

｡･:*:･ﾟ★ Translated by Bree ｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

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That night.

A joyful chatter could be heard continuously from a farmhouse.

It was the house of the Ivern couple, poor tenant farmers but with a harmonious family that was the envy of others.

The faces of the Ivern couple were blooming with smiles.

“W-What is all this…?”

“These are gifts from Lady Peregrine for Mr. Ivern’s household.”

It was due to an unexpectedly large gift.

The ingredients and foods, which they would not normally even dream of, were enough to last for months.

Moreover, it included desserts that the children loved.

“Our Sukia must be doing really well. I was worried when she said she wanted to be a maid at such a young age.”

“Exactly. If even Lady Peregrine cares for her this much, it says a lot.”

“Our daughters are indeed very capable.”

Thanks to this, the smiles on their faces did not easily fade.

“Ahem!”

At that moment, there was a somewhat irritable cough.

Jed, who had come home late under the pretext of the entrance test, sat with a displeased look.

The couple, realizing their mistake, quickly turned to Jed. The real reason for their joy was not just the gifts.

“Yes, Jed. Tomorrow is the academy entrance exam, right?”

“Have you prepared well for the test? The renowned Regarta Academy… It’s still hard for me to believe.”

It was because tomorrow, their eldest son Jed was taking the academy entrance exam.

They had not been this happy when their eldest daughter Becky wanted to enter the academy.

But to them, a son was a pillar who could take care of the family even after they were gone.

Therefore, they thought it would be better for the family if Jed, rather than Becky, became a doctor.

Jed’s shoulders lifted with the expectations of his parents.

“Of course. Just trust me.”

“Indeed… Jed, you are our hope. You are truly outstanding.”

“Now, come on, eat up. You need to eat well since you have a test tomorrow.”

“Becky, is the meal ready? Please bring it quickly.”

So, they didn’t bother to think that someone else’s opportunity was disappearing.

Because they were family. If the family did well, everyone did well.

“…”

Becky, sharing the same thoughts as her parents, remained silent.

Even if she said something, nothing would change.

She quietly stood up, pushing aside her familiar resignation. There were things to do before tomorrow came.

“Sister.”

“Sis…”

At that moment, her younger siblings approached her.

“Why are you here? Didn’t I tell you to go to bed early?”

“But it’s noisy…”

“Did Jed just come back?”

“Yes. He said he finished late. Go on, go to bed.”

“I want to eat more snacks…”

At that moment, little Charlie whined softly. Becky spoke soothingly.

“Let’s eat them tomorrow. You need to sleep well to grow tall.”

“Okay…”

Fortunately, the younger ones were obedient and did not fuss more.

Becky comforted her whining siblings and took them to their room.

After finally putting the children to sleep, she quietly opened her notebook.

It was an old notebook, used so much that the cover was coming off.

Once, it contained her dreams, but now it was time to pass it on to someone else.

Just as her parents said, the family’s well-being meant everyone’s well-being.

“Sister, you’re still awake, aren’t you?”

An all-too-familiar voice was heard.

When she went outside, Jed, having finished his meal, was looking down at her.

“I knew you’d still be awake. Have you finished it? Hand it over.”

Jed abruptly extended his hand.

He knew that Becky’s notebook contained invaluable information.

Therefore, she had promised to hand over the notebook before his final test.

But for some reason, Becky stood still without moving.

Jed frowned.

“What is it, sister? Are you saying you don’t want to give it to me?”

“It’s not that…”

“Well, then do as you please. But I doubt our parents will be pleased.”

“…!”

At Jed’s sarcastic remark, Becky’s face hardened.

When she said she wanted to enter the academy, her parents showed reluctance.

She tried to persuade them by promising not to ask for their support. However, the result was the same.

“Well, I don’t know. If you, the eldest, go to the academy, who will take care of your younger siblings…?”

But when Jed showed interest in the academy, their attitude changed as if it had never been an issue.

“You know, Becky. Once you get married, that’s it for you, but Jed is the one who will continue our family line.”

“…”

“If Jed does well, your younger siblings can also grow up in a better environment.”

Her parents didn’t wish for her dream to come true, but for Jed’s dream to come true.

‘But… it’s not wrong.’

It would be better for everyone if Jed did well rather than her.

So Becky wrote Jed’s name on her exam paper.

Jed also wrote Becky’s name instead of his own.

Under the selfish guise of doing it for the family, they rewrote their lives.

Thinking it would make everyone happy, they thought it would be fine.

But…

“But shouldn’t the person who checks the patient’s condition be the doctor?”

“That qualification isn’t something someone can give you. Not even if you use this notebook and give the opportunity to Jed.”

Daphne’s words kept ringing in her ears.

However, the hesitation was short-lived. Becky slowly handed her notebook to Jed.

“You should have done this sooner.”

Jed snatched the notebook with a clear sneer.

“Wow, as expected of you, sister. The notes you’ve taken are really impressive.”

Jed said as he flipped through the pages of the notebook.

“Anyway, thanks for handing it over. Don’t be too sad. Like I said before, if I do well, everyone does well. You know that, right?”

“…”

“See you tomorrow, sister.”

Jed chuckled and returned to his room.

‘Right. It’s for the family.’

For everyone…

Feeling a familiar, distant despair, Becky bit her lip.

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The next day, Becky, Jed, and their parents headed to the academy.

It was for the final entrance test.

The Ivern couple didn’t know what to do, caught between tension and excitement.

“Jed, don’t be nervous and do as you usually do.”

“Ah, don’t worry about it.”

Dismissing their encouragement as nagging, Jed went inside.

But then.

“Excuse me.”

An academy staff member approached them.

“Before you enter, please fill this out first.”

She handed them a blank form for signatures. Many names were already written above.

“What’s this?”

Jed asked, raising an eyebrow.

He had visited the academy several times, but this was the first time encountering such a thing.

The staff member explained.

“We are collecting signatures due to the increase in external visitors. It’s just for the visitor log, so please just write your name.”

As she said this, she handed something to them.

It was a pen made of silver, with a picture of a green snake coiling around a white rose.

“With the cooperation of the Magic Tower, we are testing this newly made pen. We’d appreciate it if you could use it.”

“You’re asking us to do all sorts of things. Just our names, right?”

“Yes. And here. Please also write this next to it.”

The staff pointed to another section. There it was written:

“Live a life that suits your dish. Trying to follow others will only tear your handkerchief.”

It seemed like a proverb or something.

“You want us to write this?”

“Yes. For an accurate test, they said we need a common sentence. We ask for your understanding.”

The staff member spoke mechanically and smiled.

‘What a peculiar saying.’

Thinking of Luciel, who was always fawning over Daphne, Jed smirked.

‘That guy, he’s definitely weird.’

But since he had to take the test, he followed the instructions and wrote the sentence without complaint.

“This part too, please.”

“Oh… okay.”

Becky and their parents, who came to take the test together, also signed.

They wrote their names and the proverb-like sentence about a torn handkerchief, which they had never heard before.