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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: A Precious Friend
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“I must have been crazy… Aaaargh!”
Lellia wanted to die of embarrassment just thinking about it.
In any case, she'd laid the groundwork, so they wouldn't be too sad. Probably.
There were only six months left until she had to return to her home country. The memories she made with these children would sustain her for the rest of her life.
After all, she would never see them again.
*It's not too late. Let's make more memories.*
With that resolve, she vowed to cherish the time she had left.
*Knock, knock.*
“Leo, are you cooped up in your room crying again?”
“Leo… don’t cry!”
“Just let him cry.”
“That damn crybaby!”
Hearing the voices outside her door, Lellia screamed, “Aaargh!”
She'd been teased so relentlessly since that incident that every day was agony.
*Those brats… they have no idea what's in this big sister's heart!*
Still, she couldn't stay locked in her room today.
*I'll let it slide since it's his birthday.*
Today was Griffith Nicea's birthday.
Lellia grabbed the letter she'd written beforehand from her desk and stepped out of the room.
They always celebrated each other's birthdays, and the standard gift they exchanged was a letter. It couldn't be helped, as it wasn't easy to leave the temple.
“Leo. Were you really crying? The corners of your eyes are red….”
Oscar asked worriedly. He didn't stutter like he used to anymore, though he still spoke slowly.
Moreover, the frequency of his seizures was gradually decreasing.
He hadn't had a single one in the last few months, and now he could sleep soundly through rain and thunder, clutching his doll.
“I wasn't crying. I'm fine.”
Lellia replied gently to Oscar, then handed the letter to Griffith, who was sitting on the sofa.
“Happy birthday, Griffith.”
“Thanks.”
Griffith took the letter and pointed to a pile of letters on one side.
“Looks like you got a lot of letters too, huh?”
“…Those are, well.”
They were letters from the girls living in the temple.
To be honest, even in Lellia's eyes, the four boys were incredibly handsome. So much so that she was very much looking forward to seeing how they'd grow up.
However, the most popular one among the girls was Lellia.
*Pathetic fools….*
Lellia chuckled to herself. These guys were only good-looking; they weren't popular with the girls at all.
It was because of their cold and unfriendly personalities.
Lellia, on the other hand, was very kind to the girls, and with her pretty face and bright smile, their response was bound to be good.
“You damn flirt….”
Calix criticized her, but Lellia paid him no mind.
“Oh, by the way, you said it's their birthday tomorrow, right?”
“Huh?”
Lellia paused at Romeo's question.
In truth, while they all celebrated birthdays together, Lellia had unintentionally been celebrating a fake one.
She had heard the Crown Prince's birthday before coming here, so that wasn't an issue.
But her real birthday was a different day.
So, Lellia had asked them to celebrate that day with her too, claiming it was the birthday of someone precious to her. And Lellia's real birthday was just one day after Griffith's.
“Anyway, whose birthday is it? Is it a secret girlfriend?”
Lellia shrugged at Griffith's question.
“A girlfriend? Don't be ridiculous! It's just... a very precious friend.”
“More… than us?”
Oscar asked, blinking.
“Of course not… well. Maybe so. We've known each other since we were very young. But you don't need to be sad. You're a precious friend to me too, Oscar.”
“…Okay.”
Lellia patted Oscar's head and reached for the snacks on the table.
*I don't want to go back.*
Once she returned to her home country, all these sweet desserts and delicious meals would come to an end. The thought made her mood plummet.
She didn't want to go back to starving like before.
*I have to come up with some kind of plan.*
Lellia decided that while she made memories with the children in the time she had left, she would also make a thorough plan for what to do when she returned home.
