-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: A Room of Her Own
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Instead of running away, I moved closer to Kivrin.
“Young Lord, it’s me, Cheria.”
Kivrin, who had been squatting, shot to his feet.
He was alone.
“Um… weren’t you with someone?”
“Th-they went back. They’re… very shy.”
This quickly? I didn’t hear a thing.
Suddenly, I noticed a small mound of dirt at Kivrin’s feet.
A little hole was there, as if a small animal had burrowed into the ground.
“Was it an animal, not a person?”
Didn’t he say it was molting earlier?
Kivrin fidgeted, avoiding my gaze.
“Is that… strange?”
So it was an animal.
I quickly spoke up.
“Not at all.”
I meant it.
In my past life, I used to talk to myself all the time when I was raising my dog.
His wide, round eyes stared at me.
“Have you thought about bringing the animal to the duchy? It seems to follow you well.”
What kind of animal burrows and molts?
I glanced around the area.
Kivrin shook his head.
“It’s s-small now, but after one more molt… it’ll get bigger.”
With the ducal family’s resources, I’m pretty sure they could raise a legendary dragon the size of a mountain.
“Aren’t you worried about how it will manage without you?”
“It’s st-sturdy, so it’ll be fine.”
If he says so.
On the other hand, the not-so-sturdy Cheria plopped down on the ground.
I’m so exhausted.
“Can I sit here for a little while? My calves hurt.”
“I can heal…!”
“Not healing. Lend me your shoulder.”
No thanks, I’d rather not see scales sprout on your face.
At my firm refusal, Kivrin hesitantly sat down next to me.
As I leaned against him, his thick, silver hair brushed softly against me.
“I wonder if the duchy has a garden as pretty as this one.”
“I-it does! There’s a garden and… a forest. It’s, it’s huge.”
“…”
Kivrin stretched his arms out wide to show how big it was.
“I… I can’t go into the forest anymore, though…”
“Huh? Why not?”
“I’m not allowed to wander around. P-people get scared.”
“…”
I was at a loss for words.
Kivrin was far too aware of his own situation.
“B-but it’s okay. I’m not alone, so it’s really… it’s okay.”
Sunlight twinkled through the leaves.
I slowly straightened up and looked at Kivrin.
His golden eyes seemed to carry the scent of the dry sun.
“If it’s not okay later, just tell me. I’ll take you to the forest then. Or somewhere else is fine, too, if not the forest.”
“Somewhere else…?”
“Of course. Anywhere you want!”
At that, Kivrin seemed to muster his courage and asked.
“I’m c-curious about your family, Cheria.”
“…”
Um, that’s a bit…
I thought of the Mayol County, a gathering of human garbage.
And then it hit me.
Cheria Mayol’s greatest weakness was her family!
Come to think of it, even if I solidified my position in the ducal family, there would still be a problem!
Just because I escaped my miserable fate in didn’t mean it was a happy ending.
The birth parents who calculated their daughter’s worth the moment the Saintess was born would undoubtedly contact me upon hearing the news.
They’d spout nonsense like, ‘It’s time you repay us for raising you,’ or ‘We never actually wanted to sell you.’
Naturally, I had no intention of forgiving my birth parents, even if they played the regret card.
“I-I guess it’s not…”
Misunderstanding my silence, Kivrin looked dejected.
I quickly clarified.
“That’s not it! I hate my family! We don’t get along!”
“…”
For reasons different from my own, Kivrin, whose family relationships were also less than ideal, looked puzzled.
Ugh. I confessed the truth.
“The truth is, I was sold to the ducal family. Unlike my sister, I’m not a Saintess, and I have nothing of monetary value, so my parents…”
Uh, how do I finish this?
Should I also mention how much I was sold for?
Just then, Kivrin tilted his head.
“…That’s not it.”
“Pardon?”
“Because we want to be friends… that’s not why I’m curious. I…”
Kivrin furrowed his brow.
He seemed frustrated with his own slow speech.
I was planning to wait patiently, but a rustling sound suddenly came from the bushes nearby.
“Young Lady! Young Lady Cheria! Are you over here?”
Ah, that’s Mera’s voice.
“Mera! I’m over here!”
Ugh, my legs are still numb.
I reached out a hand to Kivrin.
“Young Lord, could you give me a hand?”
But Kivrin’s hand went right past mine.
Before I could even be puzzled, Kivrin lifted me to my feet in one swift motion, just like Winter had.
Then he even brushed the dirt off my skirt.
Wh-what was that?
He was incredibly strong just now!
Even having experienced it firsthand, I was dazed.
In that moment, Mera appeared with another maid.
“Young Lady! The Young Lord is with you too! I heard you went deep into the garden by yourself, so I came running. Are you hurt anywhere?”
“…”
“Young Lady Cheria?”
“Oh, I’m fine.”
I belatedly nodded my head.
Mera spoke with a crestfallen look.
“I made things difficult for you earlier, didn’t I? Forcing you to eat so much doesn’t mean you’ll recover faster… I’m so sorry. It will never happen again. Will you forgive me?”
An angel, kind even to a suspected arsonist, was asking for my forgiveness!
My dazed mind snapped back to reality.
“Mera, you did nothing wrong to me! I don’t mind you worrying about me at all. I’m so grateful.”
Fearing my words weren’t enough, I scurried over to Mera and gave her a big hug.
…My height, is it really this short?
The moment I clung to Mera like a cicada, I truly felt how my body was far below the average for a ten-year-old.
“Oh my… I’m grateful too, Young Lady.”
Mera, ever the angel, was moved by my small gesture and patted my back.
“Let’s hurry back to the mansion. There’s something I want to show you.”
“Okay!”
I took the hand Mera offered. Then, with my free hand, I waved through the air and grabbed Kivrin’s as well.
What Mera had said about me going deep into the garden was true.
It was a good thing I had sat down for a bit.
I would have been panting the whole way back.
Mera led me to a room in the mansion.
“This is the room you’ll be using, Young Lady. We’ve just finished decorating it.”
At the surprise gift, my eyes widened.
Do I really need my own room when I’ll be leaving for the duchy soon anyway?
I wouldn’t mind just crashing in Kivrin’s bedroom.
…Or so I thought, but the moment I saw the inside, a gasp escaped my lips.
“Wow…”
The room exuded a cozy and warm feeling.
Sunlight poured in through the window like a cascade of tiny jewels.
The bed was the perfect size for me, covered with a fluffy quilt accented with purple.
I dazedly looked around at the dainty tea table and desk.
When I tilted my head back to look up, the ceiling was as pristine as a fresh blanket of white snow.
“Do you like it?”
“Yes! It’s not an attic, and there are no cleaning supplies or cobwebs!”
“Goodness… Why on earth would the Mayol County treat such a lovely young lady like…”
Seeing Mera’s pitying expression, I belatedly realized my mistake.
I didn’t mind telling Winter, the real power in the ducal family, but I hadn’t intended to reveal my unfortunate past to Mera.
“I-it wasn’t that uncomfortable at the County!”
I hastily tried to backtrack, but it was no use.
Mera wiped away a tear and hugged me.
“Only good things will happen at the duchy, Young Lady. I will do everything in my power to protect you.”
“I won’t just stand by and take it either…”
“Everything is all right now. You don’t have to say a word. I know. You’ve endured so bravely, our Young Lady.”
Mera said in a gentle voice, as if she couldn’t even begin to imagine how hard it must have been for me.
In the end, I gave up on explaining and quietly let Mera hold me.
This was an affection the Cheria from before the possession had never received.
The moment I realized that, a single tear fell from my eye.
“O-oh…”
I quickly wiped it away.
But even my hands were trembling.
This is strange. Am I getting too in sync with Cheria?
At this rate, it feels less like I possessed Cheria and more like I’m Cheria herself, just with memories of a past life.
N-no way, that’s ridiculous.
I rubbed my eyes more forcefully.
And I buried my head in Mera’s embrace.
* * *
After dinner and an examination from Yelena, my day was done.
Finally having some time to myself, I lay under the covers, my mind racing.
For now, I couldn’t figure out why Cheria’s past felt like my own, or why her thoughts felt like my thoughts.
So, I moved on to the next problem.
What was the gift Menelik said he would give me?
And since I wasn’t in a position to just accept it, shouldn’t I prepare something in return?
