The Life I Refuse To Waste [Slow Burn | Isekai | Remastered ]

Hera immediately stopped when she heard Zeldryn's order. Her body tensed slightly before she slowly turned around.

“Y-yes, Lord?” she asked.

Her voice still carried some nervousness, but it was clearly different from how she had spoken on the first day Reka arrived in this world. Hera's entire body no longer trembled violently simply because Zeldryn called for her.

Zeldryn studied her for a moment. If he truly couldn't read the writing used in this world, then for the time being, he needed someone who could help him, and Hera was currently the safest person available.

After all, she was the only person who knew that Zeldryn had supposedly lost most of his memories.

At least for now.

“Hera,” Zeldryn called.

“Yes, Lord?”

His expression became more serious. “You haven't told anyone that I lost my memories, right?”

Hera immediately shook her head.

“No, Lord. No one knows. I haven't told anyone.”

This time, she answered without hesitation.

Zeldryn continued watching her for several moments, but there was no obvious indication that she was lying.

“Good.”

He picked up the invitation he had placed on the table earlier and raised the letter slightly.

“So here's the problem, Hera. I forgot how to read.” Zeldryn showed her the sheet. “Can you read this letter for me?”

Hera fell silent.

Her expression became strange almost immediately. She didn't look frightened, but she wasn't simply confused either. It seemed as though there was something she wanted to tell him, yet she wasn't certain whether saying it would be wise.

Zeldryn noticed the hesitation right away.

“What is it?”

Hera lowered her head slightly. “U-um, Lord...”

“What?”

“There is something I would like to tell you,” Hera said carefully, clasping both hands in front of her body. “But I'm afraid my words might offend you.”

Zeldryn became even more curious.

'What now?'

“Just say it.”

Hera still hesitated.

Zeldryn began losing patience. “Now you're just making me even more curious, damn it.”

The slight rise in his voice made Hera flinch. Her body immediately stiffened, and her shoulders rose slightly as the fear that had gradually begun fading returned for a brief moment.

Zeldryn noticed the reaction, but Hera had already lowered her head.

“Y-yes, Lord.”

She took a small breath before finally forcing herself to continue.

“As far as I know... Lord Zeldryn couldn't actually read even before you said you had lost your memories.”

Zeldryn froze.

'WHAT!?'

For several seconds, he could do nothing except stare at her.

'Wait. What?'

The statement sounded ridiculous at first, but the longer Zeldryn thought about it, the more disturbingly reasonable it became.

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The old Zeldryn really didn't seem like the type of person who would willingly sit down and learn how to read or write. Even at such a young age, his life had already become a complete disaster. He drank, caused trouble, abused servants, picked fights with guards, and even visited brothels despite still being a child.

Studying probably hadn't even made it onto the list of things he cared about.

But still...

'He couldn't read?'

Zeldryn could hardly believe it.

'He was a noble's son, damn it.'

He wasn't a commoner or some abandoned street child. Zeldryn was the Ninth Young Lord of the Giorry family and the son of a Marquis.

Yet apparently, he couldn't even read.

Zeldryn raised a hand and rubbed his forehead as the absurdity of the situation slowly settled in.

Then another realization followed.

'Wait. If he couldn't read, then he couldn't write either, right?'

His eyes immediately moved toward the stack of notes on the table.

Reka's handwriting.

The same writing Kera had dismissed as nothing more than a child's meaningless scribbles.

Suddenly, Kera's reaction made even more sense.

'Damn it.'

Zeldryn suppressed the embarrassment slowly rising inside him.

'Now I'm embarrassed in front of Hera too.'

He had confidently claimed that memory loss was the reason he could no longer read, only to discover that the old Zeldryn had never been able to read in the first place.

It might have been the most useless excuse he could possibly have chosen.

Then he remembered Kera.

If the old Zeldryn couldn't read or write, why hadn't Kera found those notes suspicious?

Zeldryn thought about it briefly before realizing the obvious answer.

'Well... he only just arrived.'

Kera knew who Zeldryn was, but that didn't mean he knew every small detail of his life. When he saw Reka's writing, he had simply assumed it was childish scribbling and moved on.

There was no reason for him to suspect anything beyond that.

Zeldryn sighed.

Whatever.

There was no point making an already complicated situation even more complicated.

After remaining silent for a while, he looked back at Hera.

“Fine.”

Hera cautiously raised her face.

“Just assume I can't read or write now,” Zeldryn said before lifting the letter again. “Either way, I need you to read this for me.”

He extended the sheet toward her.

Hera immediately accepted it with both hands.

“O-of course, Lord.”

She didn't begin reading immediately, however. Instead, hesitation appeared on her face once again.

Zeldryn frowned.

“What now?”

Hera lowered her head. “My apologies in advance, Lord. I'm not particularly fluent at reading either.”

Zeldryn fell silent.

“I'll try to read the parts I understand,” Hera continued carefully, “but there may be some sections that are difficult for me. If this letter is important, I would recommend asking someone more educated to help you.”

Zeldryn immediately stared at her.

“Hera.”

“Y-yes, Lord?”

“You want my memory-loss secret to get out?”

Hera froze.

When she noticed irritation beginning to appear on Zeldryn's face, she hurriedly lowered her head.

“No! Of course not, Lord!”

“Then?”

“My apologies, Lord.” Hera gripped the letter slightly tighter. “I'll read it right away.”

Zeldryn released a small sigh.

“Good.”

Hera began examining the letter, but before reaching the contents, her gaze stopped on the envelope lying open on the table.

A red emblem was stamped across its front.

Hera recognized it immediately.

The Giorry family crest.

She swallowed.

Hera might not have known what was written inside, but a letter bearing the Giorry family's seal was unlikely to be something ordinary. The realization only increased the pressure she already felt.

She didn't dare ask where Zeldryn had received it or who had delivered it, especially after he had just reminded her about the secret surrounding his memory loss.

All she could do was try her best.

Hera opened the letter and allowed her eyes to move slowly across the symbols written on the page.

“T-to... Lord Zeldryn Giorry...” she began.

She paused before continuing.

“Ninth... son of... Marquis Zorin Giorry...”

Zeldryn listened quietly.

As Hera moved farther into the letter, however, the reading became increasingly messy. She stopped repeatedly, stumbled over certain words, and occasionally seemed to be guessing at how a section was supposed to be read.

The harder she tried to avoid making mistakes, the more nervous she became.

“During... the celebration... which will...”

Hera stopped again.

“U-um...”

She stared at the same section.

Zeldryn began to frown.

“Hera.”

Her body immediately stiffened.

“Y-yes, Lord?”

“Explain it better.” Zeldryn pointed toward the letter. “I'm not understanding what you're trying to say.”

“My apologies, Lord!”

Hera hurriedly returned her attention to the page and tried again, but several sections still made her stumble. Sometimes she read something incorrectly and immediately corrected herself, while at other times she stopped entirely and apologized before trying another interpretation.

At first, Zeldryn felt slightly irritated.

After listening for a while, however, he gradually began piecing together the main meaning of the letter.

He didn't need every single word.

The important part was the information.

By the time Hera had struggled through the relevant sections, Zeldryn finally understood what the invitation was saying.

Marquis Zorin Giorry was inviting him to attend his forty-sixth birthday celebration.

The celebration would be held on 5 Starfall Month, 245 LHK.

Zeldryn immediately fell silent.

He tried remembering the date Hera had explained to him previously.

Today was 10 Dusk Month, 245 LHK.

That meant there were around twenty-five days remaining until the celebration.

Almost a month.

Zeldryn placed one hand against his chin as his expression gradually changed.

'Twenty-five days from now...'

He would be attending Marquis Zorin's birthday celebration.

The birthday of the father whose body he had inherited.

And most likely, it would also be the place where he finally had to face the Giorry family directly.

Zeldryn narrowed his eyes slightly.

“Hmm... interesting.”

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