Chapter 15
Gilly's Niece
"Everything is ready. You may board the carriage."
Lucia's rigid posture eased only at the approach of a coachman from the Lewins family.
Under the piercing gazes of the young ladies, Lucia boarded the carriage without a word of greeting.
Whether it was a breach of etiquette or not, she couldn't bring herself to care.
As the carriage ascended the hill, she was too preoccupied with pondering Iren's intentions.
She examined her own sleeves, but there was no blood to be found.
'What's his motive for wanting to get close?'
The Emperor died, and the Crown Prince who succeeded him passed away after only three years.
He wasn't even forty years old.
Moreover, aside from a brief period of guarding him, she had never exchanged a proper conversation with him.
Yet, he claimed to have watched her every day since her regression, and now he suspected the existence of the child.
After sending the carriage away, she surveyed the vicinity of the lodging.
The Imperial Palace was visible, and as Iren had said, the Crown Prince's palace was the closest.
If one were to use a telescope, they might not be able to see the lodging, but the training grounds, as he claimed, were certainly within view.
'...So, it's true that he watched me every day.'
The Crown Prince had explicitly stated it was a secret.
Whether she could trust him or not, his words implied that he would keep the secret until he revealed what he wanted.
Just then,
-Heehee, heeeeee!
A strange horse-like whinny suddenly echoed from inside the lodging.
With a meaningful expression, she hurried inside.
As she opened the door, she saw.
"P-Please, spare me. Captain...!"
Vernon was sprawled on the floor with strange doodles on his face, and a child was triumphantly riding on his back.
"Animals aren't supposed to talk!! Hurry up and run like I told you to!"
"Hee, heeheehee...!"
His tearful imitation sounded similar to the whinny she had heard earlier.
It seemed the source of the sound was Vernon.
The child, with her red pigtails tied into round buns, seemed satisfied with Vernon's mournful cries and repeatedly smacked his light blue hair.
"Vernon, who is this child?"
"Who's that lady?"
Before Vernon could answer, the child blinked her bright eyes and spoke.
-Thwack!
"Ow!"
"Ivanne! What kind of manners are those to use with the Captain!"
At Lucia's voice, Gillianna rushed out of the kitchen and smacked the child's head with a ladle.
"Why did you hit me!!! I'm going to tell Mom?!!"
"What did you say? You little rascal~!"
Despite Gillianna's formidable presence, the child, who looked just like her, showed no signs of backing down.
It was as if she were quite accustomed to this situation.
"What's going on? And who is this child?"
"Ah, Captain. Well, you see. This is my niece, Ivanne! There are overlapping events at home, so they suddenly need a lot of extra hands... Ah, my sister kept telling me to bring her along. So, well, that's..."
Gillianna, who usually treated her casually, now looked up at her with a shrunken posture, as if seeking permission.
Her family was a family of cooks and merchants who ran a catering business, and they often took leave for family matters when there were major events.
It seemed today was one of those days.
She was probably being so cautious because she knew Lucia disliked having people in the lodging, but Lucia had long given up.
The members seemed unaware that she had resigned herself to everything since the day they decided to come.
"Where's Nia?"
"Nia's not here!"
At Ivanne's confident statement, she looked around and saw Nia hiding under the clearly visible tablecloth.
'...Are they playing hide-and-seek?'
This was Nia, who had been searching for a rag like a maid as soon as she woke up.
She didn't know why she wanted to return to the orphanage so badly, but she had come quite early to stop her, only to find the child unexpectedly enjoying herself with a friend her age.
"Well, I'll just go upstairs..."
As she was about to leave to pretend not to notice Nia hiding,
"...I, I'm here! I'm here!"
"Wow!! There she is! I found her! Ivanne found her! Woohoo!"
The child ran out and clung to Lucia's thigh, whimpering, while Ivanne hugged Nia and shouted with excitement.
Nia was on the verge of tears, and Ivanne was jumping up and down, unable to contain her victory.
Despite the chaotic situation, Lucia froze once again, just like she had that morning with the child.
It wasn't that she disliked the warmth of the child clinging to her, but rather that she didn't know how to respond to the child's forwardness.
"...Hng. I'm here...! So, so..."
The child seemed shocked that Lucia had pretended not to notice her and wouldn't let go of her leg.
"Auntie. Aunt Gilly. So, who is that lady? She's pretty, but she looks angry. Is she quiet?"
It seemed the child's candidness ran in the family.
"I'm... Lucia. This child's mother."
Uncomfortable with dealing with children, she introduced herself with as much kindness as she could muster.
However, she was met with a suspicious look.
"Huh? That's a lie! You're not an auntie? My mom is an auntie, and she's this~ big and really huge...!!"
Ivanne began to describe her mother, puffing out her short arms as wide as she could.
Then, Gillianna gave a wry smile and whispered in Ivanne's ear.
"Ivanne, be quiet. If you say one more word, your mom, Julie, might come with a club."
"Okay! Aunt Gilly. Ivanne didn't say anything."
The child, who didn't seem like she would listen, widened her eyes and pretended to zip her lips shut.
Was this the effect of learning?
It seemed this happened often.
"I'm Ivanne Berna. The second daughter of the Berna Baron family. Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too."
Even so, she was a young lady from a noble family, so she gave a proper greeting.
Meanwhile, Ivanne said to Nia, who had stopped crying,
"Nia is a mama's girl?"
Nia wiped the tears from her eyes and nodded.
"...Nia likes Lucia."
'…?'
Lucia was startled by the child's unexpected feelings.
But before she could be surprised,
"Luciaaa? You said Mom? Aren't you Mom?"
Nia seemed to remember something and quickly shook her head vigorously.
Perhaps she had belatedly remembered her promise with Lucia.
"Then why do you call her by her name and not Mom?"
'Oh, dear.'
Nia's wavering pupils and the sparkling eyes of the watching members.
Lucia had expected this day would come, but she never thought it would start with a question from such a young child.
.
.
.
Nia still didn't call Lucia Mom.
That was why she had tried not to let anyone else in, but when even the members didn't bring it up, Lucia had stopped caring.
"Huh? Huh? Why? Why don't you call her Mom? Ivanne is curious. Can Ivanne call Aunt Gilly by her name too?"
Gillianna's reaction showed her embarrassment, and Lucia began to suspect why the members hadn't been questioning it.
But right now, the precocious little girl was more urgent.
Just then,
"...It won't come out. How."
The child placed her small, chubby hands on her chest, and golden droplets welled up in her large, upturned eyes.
"...My heart hurts so much that my voice won't come out. I'm sorry. I'm sorry..."
Cherishing and treasuring something.
There were children who couldn't openly express their affection for things that were precious, cherished, and good.
Young Nia had lived almost her entire life in the orphanage, and the impoverished children there would snatch or steal anything new or eye-catching.
The pillow, toothbrush, and toys that the child was using now.
In this place, everything was full of good things that required her to close her mouth and hide her heart.
The child, accustomed to hiding, would habitually rejoice in them when no one was around, but she had never learned to share that happiness with others.
For Nia, that word was the most precious word she couldn't even say to Mia, whom she trusted.
It wasn't easy to say that word in front of people, a word she had difficulty uttering even when she was alone.
And in front of such a tearful Nia was Ivanne, her eyes wide open.
For some reason, the child seemed very angry.
"What? It hurts? Does she hit Nia if she calls her Mom? Hey, lady!, no. Nia's mom! You're mean?!"
Ivanne's small body trembled as if she were about to charge at Lucia.
Then,
"...No!"
Nia stood in front of Ivanne, protecting Lucia with her equally small body.
It was the first time she had heard Nia's loud voice.
As the atmosphere became awkward, Gillianna, unable to bear it any longer, grabbed Ivanne by the scruff of her neck.
"You little piglet! Ivanne, listen. Nia likes her mom so much that her heart flutters when she calls her Mom. Got it?!"
'…?'
She liked her so much that it hurt?
Lucia was surprised again by Gillianna's words.
As she looked at Vernon and Gillianna with a surprised expression, they met Lucia's gaze, placed their hands on their chests, and nodded with earnest faces.
Lucia thought that the reason it was difficult for the child to say the word "Mom" was because she herself had never done anything that a mother should do.
But those who watched this mother and child couldn't help but know.
No matter the situation, the only person young Nia's eyes were ever drawn to was Lucia.
"Hmm. I get it. Whew, but Nia is in big trouble. I like my mom too, of course... But not that much. You know, when our mom gets angry, she's like an orc from a picture book..."
"Ha, Ivanne. Imagine your mom is here. Right? Your temples wouldn't be left intact?"
"...Okay! Ivanne didn't say anything!"
Ivanne quickly raised both hands as if to guard her head and nodded so vigorously that her braided pigtails shook violently.
*
The lodging's small front yard.
Perhaps because it received plenty of sunlight, it was filled with unkempt wildflowers.
Pushing aside the soft flowers, Nia and Ivanne spread out a small mat and pretended to drink dirt from a small tea set they had brought.
"Madam, I heard this tea grew in the Gornue region?"
"Y-Yes, yes...!"
"Uh-uh, that's not it? You have to raise your pinky like this."
"...Yes!"
Ivanne pretended to drink, wiggling her pinky as she was told, then roughly scattered the dirt from her teacup around her.
Watching her, Nia carefully shook out the dirt remaining in her teacup.
Then, Ivanne, finding something amusing, laughed cheerfully and flopped down on the mat, rubbing her body in the warm sunlight as if satisfied.
"Nia! Your house is the best! Our mom doesn't buy us toys like this. Can I come with Sejar next time?"
When Ivanne asked Nia, Nia looked at Lucia in the distance as if asking for permission.
Lucia, hearing Ivanne shout, waved her hand vaguely, unsure if she had understood correctly.
"Oh. Your mom seemed like a block of wood, but she's cool when it comes to this?"
"Block of wood...?"
"She's a stiff person. Anyway, it was good. Then when Sejar comes, we'll build a secret base with that over there."
Ivanne said, eyeing the small house set placed around the lodging.
That too was one of the gifts Leon had given.
Watching Ivanne clench her fists and get excited, Nia blinked her eyes.
'…She laughs well, eats well, and has many friends.'
How to become ordinary, as Heath had said.
In Nia's eyes, Ivanne was exactly what Heath was talking about.
For a while, the child silently watched the expressive Ivanne, feeling an envious emotion that made her feel somewhat sad.
Just then,
Ivanne suddenly thrust her face in front of a dazed Nia,
"Hmph, this isn't good."
"…?"
"Nia listens to everything I say."
At Ivanne's casually thrown words, Nia's face darkened rapidly.
And from deep within her small mind, as if a situation she had perhaps expected had become a reality, a familiar voice echoed in her ears.
'Why do you do everything I tell you to do? It's no fun to bully you.'
In other words, the words she used to hear from her peers at the orphanage had come out of Ivanne's mouth.
