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Wendy tightly held Tristan’s hand as they wandered through the towering forest of buildings.

“This place… the world where the Count lived…”

What Wendy faced was a world completely different from the one she had lived in until now.

Everything was shining.

It was more dazzling than the night sea she had seen at Mojito, and as beautiful as the petals of the Flowering Years that adorned the night sky.

Even through the eyes of young Wendy, it was clear.

This place was a superpower that far surpassed the Empire.

“South Korea…”

A country she had never even heard of in university. However, it wasn’t just a lack of recognition or presence; it was likely because it was so far away from the Empire.

The magic formula that brought her here must have been for traveling to distant places.

As Wendy walked through Myeongdong, she encountered countless people. Their faces exuded a different kind of ease compared to the people of the Empire.

First of all, there was no formality.

But that didn’t mean they were crude or rude. Rather, it was more accurate to say they were without pretense.

As Tristan had mentioned, it was palpable that this was an equal country, unlike the Empire.

Above all, there were many couples enjoying dates even at this hour.

Numerous men and women freely mingled, tilting their glasses. They chatted away without caring about the surrounding gazes.

Not only that, but some were holding hands, hugging, and even kissing without a care in the world.

“Huuuh?!”

Wendy felt her face flush without realizing it.

How could they do such embarrassing things…? Is this normal here? Is it okay to express feelings so directly?

Suddenly, she looked at Tristan.

He, who had promised to marry her in the future, was chatting casually with his acquaintance, Sehee.

Wendy couldn’t help but notice his lips.

If this country has a freer atmosphere than the Empire, could she also kiss him like the couple she saw earlier?

But Wendy shook her head.

According to Tristan, if they carelessly mentioned marriage, they could end up in jail.

If just saying that could lead to such consequences, then surely kissing him might lead to something terrifying.

“Count…”

For a moment, she almost called him “Count.”

The word “oppa” still didn’t come naturally to her.

But what Wendy found hardest to adjust to was how Tristan’s demeanor had softened since coming here.

Abandoning his arrogant tone, Tristan had become gentle and affectionate, which was in some ways devastating.

When Wendy called him “oppa,” the soft smile that appeared on his lips was no different from that of a prince in her imagination. It made her feel like a princess.

Wendy was happy to see this other side of him.

Perhaps Tristan had been this gentle when he lived in this country. Just the fact that she could see this side of him made Wendy start to like this place.

And on the other hand, she could vaguely guess about Tristan’s past, which she hadn’t been able to ask about until now.

Tristan must have come here to study abroad as a child. It wasn’t uncommon for nobles to send their children to distant foreign countries for education.

Even when he was here, Tristan must have been considerate and gentle.

Just seeing him chat casually with Sehee showed that. Perhaps meeting an old acquaintance had brought back his gentle side, even if only temporarily.

“The Count is indeed a kind person…”

The reason Tristan changed after returning to the Empire was obvious.

The misfortunes and dark past he experienced, such as the annihilation of the maids and William’s death, must have turned him into a cold, emotionless person.

“Wendy.”

“Y-yes?!”

At the sudden voice, Wendy looked up to see Tristan looking down at her.

“What are you thinking about? You’re spacing out.”

“S-sorry… Count… Ah!”

She tried to be careful but made another mistake.

Tristan bent his knees to meet Wendy’s eye level. It was a small consideration he always showed when he had something to say to her.

“Still not used to calling me ‘oppa,’ huh?”

“Y-yes… Sorry…”

“Don’t apologize. I understand.”

Tristan said as he patted her head. He was so gentle, but Wendy still wasn’t used to it.

And Tristan seemed to read her mind as he spoke.

“Is it because of my tone?”

“W-well…”

“Hit the nail on the head, huh?”

“Ugh…”

“My tone, title, and name have all changed, so it’s understandable.”

“I like your gentle tone too, oppa… B-but this is the first time I’ve seen you like this, so it’s a bit awkward…”

“Really…?”

“Yes…”

“Hmm. Actually, it’s been a while since I’ve spoken like this, so it’s quite awkward for me too. I guess you feel the same.”

“S-sorry… Hic…”

“Don’t apologize. Being honest isn’t a bad thing.”

“But you said I have to call you that here…”

“It’s not absolutely necessary… Hmm. Wait a sec. Sehee.”

“Yes? What is it?”

Tristan whispered something in Sehee’s ear. She then smiled brightly and said.

“Of course, it’s fine. Ji-hwan.”

“Really?”

“As long as it’s not too extreme, it shouldn’t matter, right? If anything, you can just say it’s because you’re a foreigner.”

“Hmm…”

“Or try it on me. Use your old tone.”

“Well… If you say so…”

Not knowing what they were talking about, Tristan hesitated for a moment before suddenly changing his expression to a serious one.

And slowly, he opened his mouth.

“Like this?”

“……”

It was the exact tone and expression Wendy was used to from Tristan.

Sehee’s lips twitched, and she eventually burst out laughing.

“Pfft! Ji-hwan, you really used that tone?”

“…Yeah.”

“Ah, sorry. I shouldn’t laugh…”

“Is it that strange?”

“N-no! Not at all!”

“…I see. Then I won’t change my tone.”

“Really…?”

“Yeah. Actually, this feels more natural to me. Unless I absolutely have to change my tone, I’ll stick to this.”

Tristan must have said that for Wendy’s sake.

While the gentle prince was nice, she also thought it would be good if he remained a bit of an arrogant prince.

The Tristan she had imagined should be like that.

Seeing Tristan return to his arrogant self actually made Wendy feel relieved.

In fact, she even thought of making one more request.

“T-then… Can I ask for one more thing…?”

“A request? Go ahead.”

“Can you call me something other than ‘younger sister’…?”

“?”

In a small voice, Wendy whispered to him.

“W-wife…”

“Nope. Can’t do that.”

“Hic?!”

*

After returning to the officetel, I put Wendy to bed first.

It was quite late, and by the time we got back, Wendy was nodding off. So, I had to carry her on my back to get home.

Wendy still seemed unable to adjust to my changed tone.

It was true that being able to return to my old tone was thanks to the curse being lifted. With the complete control over the Seven Deadly Sins’ traits, the restrictions that bound me had disappeared.

But habits are hard to break.

Even though I could control the Seven Deadly Sins’ traits like my own body, habits ingrained over time were hard to change overnight.

Especially things like tone and behavior didn’t change easily.

Having lived with such an arrogant attitude for so long, being polite and courteous now felt more awkward.

At least when talking to Sehee, it felt less awkward because of old memories, but when conversing with Wendy, it felt strange and unsettling.

Of course, there was also the reason that I had tried to abandon my old tone to fit into modern times. But now, I was just returning to my old tone. I thought it wouldn’t be hard to go back to my old tone now that I could perfectly control my traits… but it was damn hard. Really freaking hard.

It was as awkward and itchy as when I first became Tristan.

But it felt odd to change back to Tristan’s tone after deciding to change it, so I was secretly grateful when Wendy said it felt awkward.

It gave me an excuse to return to my old tone.

“Is Wendy going to bed now?”

“Yeah.”

But now that the awkwardness with Wendy was gone, Sehee became the problem.

“Wow, so you really are like Tristan. Ji-hwan, you’re the spitting image of a villain.”

Well, that’s to be expected.

Counting the regression period, I’ve lived as Tristan far longer than as Jeong Ji-hwan.

In fact, the time I’ve lived as Jeong Ji-hwan might be similar to or even less than the time I’ve lived as Peter.

In percentage terms, it’s 70% Tristan, 20% Peter, and 10% Jeong Ji-hwan.

Maybe it’s easier to just think of myself as Tristan.

“Aren’t you going to sleep? Sehee.”

“Me? I was sleepy earlier, but now that I’m home, I can’t sleep.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah.”

Silence filled the living room.

Thinking about it, I’m in a situation where I’ve come to a woman’s house alone.

Isn’t this a pretty dangerous situation?

Of course, Wendy is here, but she’s a kid, so she doesn’t count…

Once I became conscious of it, it felt awkward.

Thankfully, if I had stuck to Jeong Ji-hwan’s original tone and attitude, my inner thoughts might have been exposed.

In times like this, it’s most comfortable and advantageous to be Tristan, who suppresses emotions to the extreme.

Sehee suddenly fell silent.

She hadn’t even changed her clothes yet and seemed to be avoiding eye contact.

In the end, I decided to break the silence.

“If you can’t sleep, shall we talk about future plans…”

“Wait a sec, Ji-hwan.”

Sehee suddenly got up from the sofa and headed somewhere.

Maybe she’s going to the bathroom.

But a moment later, Sehee returned with something in her hands.

“Alcohol…?”

“I’ve regretted a lot, you know.”

Regret? Suddenly?

“I regretted a lot while searching for you, Ji-hwan.”

“What?”

“When I tried to find you, I realized I didn’t know as much about you as I thought.”

“……”

“If I had known you’d disappear like this, I would’ve gotten closer. I would’ve shared deeper conversations.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. At least like other office workers, we could’ve had drinks after work… I might’ve known much more about you… I strangely regret that a lot. So, here’s the thing…”

Sehee handed me a wine glass and asked.

“How about a drink with me?”

 

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