IPBD CHAPTER 2

Moreover, fortunately, Emilina came from a humble family with almost no connection to the main characters.

The Klein Barony was so poor that they lived on the outskirts of the capital, making it highly likely that she could avoid being noticed if she tried hard enough.

There were options, like attaching herself to the female lead or getting into Kirzen’s good graces, but… hmm.

Unless she had some extraordinary abilities, she didn’t want to get involved and give them a reason to notice her.

‘It doesn’t seem like the world would fall apart if I didn’t get involved.’

She planned to hide and live away from the main characters.

It was possible because Emilina Klein was a small, insignificant side character.

To do that, she needed to be cautious about her debutante ball.

The connection had started on the day Emilina debuted in society and met Serica.

‘Three years left until the debutante ball.’

If she could just get through that one day safely, she wouldn’t have to worry about dying.

Emilina’s task was clear.

***

Two years later. Emilina Klein turned 14.

Next year, she would have to debut in society, but… well, she would think about that later.

For now, she was getting ready to go out.

Today was the day to visit the northern forest, and she had to sneak out without her parents noticing.

As Emilina tiptoed toward the entrance, holding her breath…

“Our dear daughter, where are you sneaking off to this early in the morning without saying a word?”

Gasp. The gentle voice from behind made Emilina freeze.

When she turned her head, a middle-aged woman with a graceful smile stood with her arms crossed.

It was her mother, Katie.

“Haha, good morning, Mother.”

“Yes, good morning to you too, Millie. So, where were you planning to go?”

Ugh. Of course, it had to come to this.

“Well… I was planning to go to the northern forest.”

Emilina answered while shifting her eyes nervously.

Katie sighed deeply, rubbing her forehead.

“Millie, I told you not to go to the forest because it’s dangerous.”

“But Father gave me permission!”

“Why on earth did he give you permission…”

Katie frowned slightly, thinking of her absent husband.

She knew, in truth, that her husband had been allowing Emilina to go to the forest since last year.

She just wasn’t happy about it.

“I’m only going to the entrance of the forest, like I promised Father. Okay?”

When Emilina pleaded earnestly, Katie let out a soft groan.

She was torn, wondering if she should allow it since Emilina was begging so persistently.

Sensing this hesitation, Emilina quickly added to ease her mother’s worries.

“Rosie is coming with me!”

Of course, that was a lie.

Rosie was a boy around Emilina’s age, a commoner.

Since she often spent time with the nearby commoners, it was a convenient excuse.

Katie finally nodded reluctantly, her expression still uneasy.

The mention of Rosie being with her offered some reassurance.

“Alright, a promise is a promise. But make sure you come back on time. Understood?”

And so, after even linking pinkies with Katie, Emilina was finally able to leave the house.

***

“Phew—”

Once outside, Emilina let out a big breath, feeling relieved.

In the end, she had to use Rosie’s name just to get out.

This was exactly why she had tried to sneak out.

‘They’re overprotective.’

Though the concern was appreciated, being treated like a child every time was starting to wear her out.

Emilina shook her head and resumed walking. Her destination was the northern forest.

“I hope the sun doesn’t get covered…”

She muttered to herself, glancing up at the clear sky.

This had everything to do with heading to the forest early.

It was because she was after the Paya berries.

Paya was a fruit that only ripened on clear, sunny days in the early morning.

And they were notoriously difficult to harvest.

If even a bit of shade touched the area as the sun began to set, the berries would disappear.

This was because Paya was a magical fruit.

No tools could be used to gather them; one had to climb the tree and pick the berries by hand.

And after all the effort it took to collect them, Paya berries were absolutely delicious.

Words couldn’t do them justice.

After tasting the ones Rosie had brought two years ago, she had resolved to go to the forest herself.

But that also meant fierce competition.

Especially among the commoners living on the outskirts of the capital.

For the poor, the Paya berries were a precious ingredient that could be gathered with just a little effort, so during this time of year, most of them headed to the forest.

Of course, Emilina was a noble… but, well, it was best to keep quiet about that here.

In any case, that’s why she was heading to the northern forest.

Fortunately, the forest wasn’t far from here.

Living on the outskirts, all she had to do was cross the outer wall surrounding the capital.

The only concern was that the northern forest belonged to the territory of Duke Ditrio.

While it was wise to avoid places connected to the main characters, surely they wouldn’t come all the way out to such a remote area.

Emilina hurried along and soon arrived at the entrance to the forest.

As she entered, the forest was already bustling, likely because the race to gather Paya berries had already begun.

Fights for the best spots to pick more berries were common occurrences.

‘When I came with Rosie last year, we had no issues gathering them…’

She was starting to regret coming alone this time, without his help.

Deciding not to get involved in any disputes, Emilina ventured deeper into the forest.

She didn’t want to get caught up in any unnecessary scuffles.

She couldn’t go too deep, but she started inspecting trees a little away from the crowd.

‘Huh?’

But what was this?

All she could see were empty trees.

Puzzled, Emilina moved further in.

‘Why aren’t there any?’

Still, she couldn’t find any berries.

Seeing only bare trees, she couldn’t hide her disappointment.

‘No, it’s too soon to give up. Let’s go a bit further.’

Hoping she’d find berries this time.

“Sigh.”

Here too?

Emilina looked around in frustration.