The person who found Grandmother in the morning was Sikar Blake.

Sikar called for the High Priest and begged him to save Grandmother somehow, but the High Priest said that since her passing was due to natural aging, it could not be resisted.

Grandmother remained elegant and beautiful until her very last moment. They say she sat smiling by the window where the morning sun shone, as if peacefully asleep.

Sikar rejected the offer to hold the funeral at the Grand Temple and instead moved Grandmother’s body to Blake.

People who hastily received news of Grandmother’s passing gathered at Blake, and a solemn funeral was held.

Sikar buried Grandmother’s body in the ancestral tomb where the family’s forebears rested.

Veronia and Valije, who had just left Recador in search of the Sacred Grass, came to pay their respects upon hearing the news.

I remembered meeting Grandmother when I first arrived here. She had helped me in so many ways…

Since she was the first to teach me warmth, I already missed her terribly.

At Grandmother’s grave, Sikar tightly held my hand and quietly shed tears.

She was the only person he truly relied on—how deeply he must be grieving.

It hurt my heart to see him press down his sorrow with such heaviness, letting tears fall drop by drop.

As soon as Grandmother’s funeral ended, the Sacred Grass expedition set off.

Though their departing steps looked heavy under somber faces, they comforted us, promising to complete their mission successfully.

And after Grandmother’s funeral, Sikar became somewhat strange.

“To me, you’re truly the only family I have left now.”

He looked as if he had made a firm decision.

“I must build a Korean village.”

“Huh?”

According to Sikar, more people like Seo Yeon would continue to appear, and I myself might vanish unexpectedly due to some unforeseen event.

Therefore, he intended to create a place—specifically, a Korean village—where Koreans arriving here could live and exchange information to prepare for any contingency.

“Since they know my abilities, who knows what they might do? So I must build a Korean village and manage it myself.”

The way Sikar said this with a fierce gaze made it sound as if he planned to capture Koreans and enslave them.

“Sikar. You mean you’ll give them a safe place to live, right?”

“Something like that. Since they’ll have nowhere else to go here, they might end up selling my secrets. It’s better to keep them close.”

It sounded less like “keeping them close” and more like “capturing them.”

“You mean you’ll protect them well?”

“Well, something like that.”

Sikar acted quickly. He designed the Korean village within Blake.

He planned to include farmland for people to sustain themselves and install piped water systems instead of wells.

“What do you think? Is this enough? It shouldn’t be worse than where you used to live, right?”

“Well, hot water won’t exactly gush out everywhere…”

“I was already planning to build a hot water system.”

“How without electricity?”

“This place has magic.”

“Won’t that require a lot of mana stones?”

“I’ll fund mages to research it. Eventually, it’ll work out.”

Even if not immediately, his promise to someday make it happen showed thoughtful consideration.

“Then since there’s farmland, we should build a reservoir nearby too?”

“Almost forgot that. Having such a clever wife makes designing the village easy. What else do we need?”

“A village hall or a pavilion?”

Sikar continued designing various facilities for all villagers to use.

Construction began immediately once the design was finalized.

Sikar named the place Black Swan.

“That’s an economic term… Why name it that?”

“Black Swan. In the world you came from, it refers to an event that seems impossible but actually occurs—doesn’t that perfectly describe our current situation?”

“Hmm. That’s not wrong.”

“I never say anything incorrect, my lady.”

Sikar hugged me tightly from behind and gazed at the vast land where Black Swan would be built.

“Now, my lady. People who resemble you—or rather, who lived in the same world as you—will come here. Watch closely. See how I will protect you from now on.”

Was it because the sunset was falling? Or because the land was so vast?

The land Sikar pointed to shimmered with impossible beauty.

The expansive land, bathed in the setting sun, was entirely dyed crimson.

A cool breeze brushed my cheeks, and the grasses swayed as if greeting us.

Sikar stroked my hair and gestured toward the land.

“Now, a beautiful miracle will begin here, my lady.”

As construction of Black Swan began, my belly gradually swelled.

The child in my womb felt like a gift Grandmother had given me before leaving.

Since Grandmother’s pregnancy dream was of a phoenix, Sikar called the baby’s prenatal name Phoenix.

“As our Phoenix grows, Black Swan will also gradually near completion. By the time Phoenix is born, Black Swan will be finished. Then I want to show our child the village first.”

“Our Phoenix is lucky. Their father dotes on them so much.”

“I plan to start gathering people as soon as Black Swan is completed.”

And on the day Black Swan was completed,

as if waiting for this very day, Phoenix was born.

Just as Grandmother had foreseen, the baby was a girl, born with Sikar’s red eyes and my black hair.

From the moment of birth, her voice was so loud and vigorous it seemed the manor might shake apart.

Sikar, looking delighted, immediately lifted the baby into his arms and grinned broadly.

“My lady! Look how loud our Phoenix’s voice is! A voice fit to command the world! She’ll be perfectly suited to lead this manor someday!”

Upon hearing I had given birth, Kian Blake abandoned his royal duties and rushed to the manor.

He truly came running, panting for breath.

“Mother! You’ve given birth to my sibling?!”

The moment Sikar saw Kian, he handed him the baby.

Kian, still only eleven years old, looked even more adorable holding the infant.

“She’s so beautiful, Mother! What’s her name?”

“Well, we haven’t decided on a name yet.”

Sikar appeared thoughtful, then grinned at Kian.

“Your Majesty, how about you name her?”

“Me?”

Kian looked at me as if asking whether that was truly acceptable, and I smiled broadly as if it were obvious.

“There could be no greater honor than a name bestowed by Your Majesty.”

Kian pondered happily, then suddenly brightened as if struck by inspiration.

“Romi! How about Romi?!”

“Romi?!”

“I read in an ancient royal library text that ‘Romi’ means ‘founder.’ A child with black hair and red eyes—I’ve never heard of such a thing before, Mother.”

Sikar gently tapped little Romi’s nose bridge with his finger as she rested in Kian’s arms.

“Romi… What do you think? Do you like the name?”

Romi didn’t smile, but she didn’t cry either. She simply gazed at Sikar with bright, sparkling eyes.

Sikar’s smile never faded, apparently charmed by her expression.

“Since you’re not crying, I suppose you like it.”

Kian, also pleased, lifted Romi up high and laughed brightly.

“Romi! From now on, your name is Romi! Romi!”

Between these two loving father and son, Romi remained wide-eyed and sparkly, not crying at all.

Standing nearby, Durion slightly bowed toward Romi and raised one hand in greeting.

“I, Durion Ivan Dika, pledge my full loyalty to Lady Romi Blake, future heir of House Blake.”

Kian smiled and gently placed Romi’s tiny hand atop Durion’s outstretched palm.

“Romi says she has no doubt whatsoever in your devotion, Sir Durion.”

Durion beamed, lifting his head then bowing again deeply.

“Your grace honors me beyond measure, Your Majesty.”

News of Romi’s birth spread instantly; everyone longed to see her, but she was still too young an infant to be visited.

Sikar carried Romi everywhere, wrapped snugly in a baby sling.

“Good for the baby’s emotional stability, right?”

Because Sikar carried Romi around so constantly, I barely had a chance to hold her. The silver lining was that whenever Romi cried, she sought her father, allowing me ample time to properly recover postpartum.

“My lady. Leave Romi to me—you focus solely on your postpartum care. I’ll handle everything.”

He truly was reliable, the type to take care of everything on his own.

Only after 100 days did Sikar permit others to visit Romi.

But Hersia was heavily pregnant and nearing delivery, and Seo Yeon had just entered early pregnancy, so neither could come to the manor.

They sent letters congratulating Romi’s birth and arrival, along with gifts for her—

tiny, adorable hand and foot mittens.

And just as he’d waited to do, Sikar began gathering Easterners, and Black Swan gradually took shape as a Korean village.

Thanks to Reidox’s assistance, by the time Romi turned one and Seo Yeon had just given birth, a complete village had emerged.

In the end, Sikar accomplished what he set out to do.

“They all now bear the surname Black Swan.”

People knew Sikar well. Therefore, they treated him with caution.

In other words, even if Sikar offered his hand for a handshake, no one would ever accept.

But they were grateful for the shelter he provided.

Those who wished to leave did so; those who wished to stay remained.

But most chose to stay.

Sikar claimed it was because he was a good lord, and I partly agreed.

Around that time, Romi began speaking quite a bit.

Once Romi started talking, we discovered something astonishing.

Looking at Grandmother’s portrait in the manor, Romi said,

“Ham moon ee. Ham moon ee.”

“Yes. That lady is Romi’s grandmother.”

“Hin nees Ham moon ee. Ham moon ee.”

At first, we didn’t understand what she meant, but soon we realized.

“Hillis Grandmother? How does Romi know Grandmother’s full name?”

“Could it be…?”

Romi had inherited Sikar’s exact same ability.