Chapter 44

For an incident involving the kidnapping of the actual heroine, it had landed surprisingly softly — which was a relief.

"Lady Iberin!"

Rozelia ran around the estate like she'd settled in months ago.

"Hm?"

"Look — pretty, right?"

"…Y-yes. Pretty…"

Rozelia cupped her face in her hands, beamed wide, and put on a look how cute I am show.

She'd come find Iberin every so often and put on this kind of performance.

Honestly, it threw Iberin every time.

She had meant it when she called Rozelia pretty, but the Rozelia in the novel hadn't been like this at all.

Rozelia had been so gentle and soft that even when Ether had darkened into an obsessive love interest, she was the only one who'd taken all of it and still smiled at him.

The first meeting had been brash beyond belief.

For a child who'd been tied up and locked in a room, she'd had the gall to demand money.

Maybe shuffling between the temple and the orphanage had ground her down.

The thought made Iberin's chest ache.

"Rozelia. Could you do it one more time? You really are pretty — I want to see it again."

"Hehe, really? Look as much as you want!"

Rozelia broke into giggles and hammed it up.

That was when Ether, sitting beside them, popped up with a sulky face and copied her exactly.

"Mommy, Ether's prettier."

The sight of Ether with his hands framing his face under his chin had Iberin clutching her heart.

"Aaagh, Ether, you're so cute and pretty Mommy's going to cry."

"Hehe."

Her favorite was her favorite.

He really was too cute.

Iberin melted into a puddle without realizing it.

Is this heaven?

With the two of them on either side battling over who was prettier, her heart was starting to feel like it might give out.

"Who's prettier?"

"Me!"

"You stay out of it!"

But this might not be the way.

Two kids who should have been getting close enough to fall in love were squabbling over Iberin's affection instead.

"Ether, Rozelia. You're both pretty, so stop—"

"It's Ether! The one Mommy likes best!"

Ether's self-assertion had gotten markedly stronger.

Mostly it played as defiance — he hated losing to Rozelia.

Whenever Iberin looked stuck, Lyssel — who'd been quietly holding station beside her — stepped in.

"Young master Ether, miss Rozelia."

"…"

"…"

"Step away. You're crowding Iberin."

Ether shot a sideways glance to read the room, but Rozelia stood her ground.

"Nope!"

Then Ether, who'd been gauging the mood, shouted too,

"M-me too, nope…!"

"Why are you copying me?"

"…I'm not."

"You just did!"

Lyssel stepping in didn't do a thing, of course.

Fundamentally, Rozelia wasn't even a little scared of him.

She'd been calling him mister from day one — that said it all.

It was almost impressive how the name "Grand Duke Lecashe" had zero power over Rozelia.

"Rozel."

"Yes?"

In the middle of bickering, Rozelia snapped her head around to look at Iberin.

Bright, eager eyes.

"You're not afraid of His Highness?"

"Not really."

"Why not?"

She'd briefly thought maybe the girl was too young to know the rumors, but from two months of watching and listening in the capital, Iberin knew that unless you were an actual infant, every child knew about Lecashe.

Not in a good way, of course.

And Rozelia, who'd lived at the temple for a while, knowing nothing about Lecashe made even less sense.

"I don't believe rumors."

"Huh?"

"To believe stuff like that, I'm too worn down."

"…You're nine, Rozel."

"Nine, sure, but I figured out how dirty the world is way too young."

What kind of life had she lived to end up like this…

"And anyway, I've been watching this mister up close. He's not scary at all. If I were scared of that kind of thing, I'd have shaken him down for cash and run the second he offered to send me to the capital."

"Hah… Rozel, what do you like more — money or Lecashe?"

She'd been throwing the question out without much thought — the girl had seemed very fond of money — but Rozelia got snagged on it and couldn't muster a single word in answer.

"What — when you said you wanted to stay even without the money…"

"…"

Rozelia couldn't get an answer out and looked away.

She really did seem to love money a little too much.

She wouldn't be shaking down the Crown Prince later on, would she?

---

There were a few hiccups, but the days that followed were peaceful enough.

In that time, Iberin also met the children who'd been locked in the underground cells.

"Kal."

"Good morning, my lady."

Most of them had parents and had been kidnapped anyway, so Iberin was casting a wide net to find them.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Yes."

Kal had no parents.

And so no place to go.

Iberin had promised him he could stay as long as he wanted.

Kal had declined, saying he'd already received too much and wasn't shameless enough to push it further.

Rozelia couldn't understand it.

"He must be a moron. If it were me, I'd say yes the second I was offered."

"He's older than you."

"I'm not calling an idiot, {oppa."}(#nva5dm02lnzh)

"…Rozel."

When Iberin gave her a don't look, Rozelia winced and amended, "…oppa."

"Anyway, suits me. Lady Iberin's so popular I can't have all her love to myself."

"Rozelia, give it a rest."

Kal furrowed his brow and scolded her.

"Bleh—"

Rozelia, predictably, took no notice.

The only person in front of whom she became a docile little lamb was Iberin.

"Are you really going to leave?"

"Yeah."

"Why? Just live with us. The other kids have parents, so they'll go once they're found, but you don't."

"…"

"Pay back the kindness double — triple — whatever!"

That's it, Rozel. Hit him.

Iberin cheered silently from the sidelines.

Kal had been so firm she hadn't been able to say it herself, but honestly, she wanted him to stay too.

"How am I supposed to pay it back? You at least have holy power. What've I got?"

"What?! Useless holy power's good for what, exactly? I've been getting by on being pretty all this time!"

"There's no point talking to you."

"Hey. Kal."

"…What."

"Lady Iberin's going to cry."

"What?"

Kal's eyes went to Iberin.

She actually had tears welling up, which threw Kal completely, and he stumbled over his words.

"What's wrong all of a sudden? Are you in pain somewhere?"

"Ka-al…"

"Yes?"

"Why do you think you're useless? Kal, you have a great memory, and you helped me so much with the lawsuit too."

"That was the least I could do."

"Why the least? It wasn't the least at all."

"…Um…"

"And Kal, you're still young, so you can find what you want to do! Rozelia does absolutely nothing and lazes around and she's still that bold!"

"You're dragging me in like that all of a sudden?"

Rozelia, listening, made an indignant face — but on the lazing part she clearly had no defense, and shut her mouth tight.

"…But."

"You can stay! No one's going to give you grief for doing nothing!"

"Why?"

"Because the feeling behind it is enough."

"…The feeling is enough?"

Iberin nodded fiercely.

Kal let out a small, dumbfounded laugh.

"Lady Iberin, you're so soft you're going to keep getting taken advantage of."

"Hey, I'll have you know I don't forget a debt. You think I went after Civelli for nothing?"

In the end, Kal exhaled like a man with his hands and feet both raised.

"…I'll think about what I want to do. While I'm here. I do want to be useful, after all."

"Yay!"

Iberin threw up her arms in delight.

Rozelia was sulking — tch — and turned her head away.

---

Rozelia's holy power was useless.

No matter how hard she tried, it wouldn't move.

It had been the reason the temple had thrown her away, so that part probably wasn't a lie.

But Iberin's lazing around comment from before must have stung, because Rozelia threw herself into trying to make her holy power do something.

"That was a joke."

"Sure it was."

"Really."

"And I want to be useful to you too, my lady. I don't want you to die either."

Rozelia could be jarringly blunt at times. She'd come out with the all-but-forbidden things like it was nothing.

No one spoke of Iberin's death aloud.

"Hk."

A staff member listening from the side made a choked sound and jabbed Rozelia in the ribs.

"I won't let her die. Stop poking me."

"…Rozel, you."

"It's fine. I'm saying what's true."

"Ugh."

The staff member let out a long sigh and glared at Rozelia.

"You wait. I'm definitely going to save our crying Lady Iberin!"

"All right. I'll be looking forward to it, Rozel."

In the original, Rozelia had definitely known how to use her holy power.

Iberin had no idea why it wasn't working now, but maybe time would be the cure.

"Mommyyy!"

That was when Ether came racing toward her from the distance.

Lyssel was beside him.

Ether had recently started learning swordsmanship from Lyssel.

The two of them seemed to be coming back from training together.

Iberin broke into a huge smile and opened her arms for Ether.

But Ether, who'd been sprinting in without a care, suddenly stopped short.

"What's wrong?"

"Sweat!"

"Hm? You're sweaty?"

"Yes, a lot…"

"I don't mind!"

Iberin scooped up the Ether who'd halted right in front of her and twirled him around, swaying side to side.

A peal of giggles burst out.

Ether was laughing in pure delight in seconds.

"I love it, it's so fun."

"Fun? Want to go again?"

If Ether was happy, Iberin was happy.

It was like strength she didn't have appeared out of nowhere.

That was when Lyssel slipped in and lifted Ether clean out of her arms.

"Don't push yourself."

"But…"

"I'll do it."

With that, Lyssel spun Ether around with what was almost merciless force.

"…Wha — whoa?"

"Hahaha! Haha!"

Ether sounded thrown — then completely thrilled.