Chapter 75
Just as Benjamin had said, when she went to the drawing room, there was a boy looking around nervously.
With neatly kept dark-green hair and pure brown eyes, the child looked about Sophia’s age, or perhaps a year or two younger. The moment he spotted Sophia, he bent at the waist in a deep bow.
“Hello! I, uh… I came to thank you for finding my necklace. My name is… Anne!”
It seemed he was trying his hardest to speak politely within the limits of what he knew.
It was obvious he felt intimidated by her, so Sophia put on the warmest expression she could manage before speaking.
“You could have just taken the necklace and gone.”
“Still… it didn’t feel right not to thank the person who worked so hard to keep my necklace safe….”
Worked hard to keep it safe?
At that odd phrase, she glanced back at Joshua, who was leaning against the door of the drawing room. He only shrugged. Benjamin, standing beside him, pointed at Joshua with a laugh.
Ah, so Joshua had blabbed something unnecessary. He must have told him about the rat almost stealing the necklace.
“Thank you! Really, thank you so much!”
Anne bowed several times in gratitude, the necklace around his neck jingling faintly as it swung.
Watching the trinket for a while, Sophia asked,
“I’ve seen lots of kids wearing that kind of necklace. Did you all get them together as friends?”
“No! This necklace is given out by the Kratina Order.”
“Oh, they hand those out?”
“Yes! It’s like a symbol of being a believer. For kids like me who aren’t adults yet, it’s this kind of necklace. Adults only get the pendant part.”
“Do you know what it means, splitting the design like that?”
At Sophia’s question, Anne fell into thought. He seemed to be recalling everything he had learned from the teachings, searching his memory for the right answer.
“I think… it has something to do with the mural.”
“The mural with the rain in it?”
“Yes! A long time ago, when the Evil God isolated this land, he brought forth a massive tidal wave, and after that it rained endlessly. That’s what the mural shows.”
“….”
“It depicts the Evil God’s atrocities. But our necklaces were made to represent the opposite, a wish that such things would never happen again.”
The meaning was that as time passed, the rain would stop and the clouds would clear.
But the interpretation of the mural was wrong. Back when it was painted, the sky had been clear, not a drop of rain—its inspiration was simply Peyton’s hair color.
The most important part, the rainbow, had been lost.
“If you’re interested in our Order, should I tell someone for you?”
“About me?”
“Oh… right, that wouldn’t work….”
Anne belatedly realized who Sophia resembled. She looked just like the Evil God, who was defined in their doctrine as the incarnation of evil.
“But… you’re not really the Evil God. Right?”
“That’s right.”
“So then… um…”
“It’s fine. I don’t intend to become a follower.”
She had no wish to burden him with rumors. Already, plenty of people on the streets whispered behind her back, just because she resembled the Evil God. That resemblance alone made her an object of fear. Anne only thought well of her because she had helped recover his necklace.
“Well, if you ever do want to hear the teachings, you can come to my house anytime!”
“Your house?”
“Yes! My family runs a flower shop, and I usually mind the shop. My parents are often away praying….”
Perhaps he thought Sophia was only pretending disinterest out of caution, so he told her where to find him. Of course, without a proper address, all he could do was say it was a really big flower shop.
“If fate allows, we’ll meet again.”
“Yes!”
There were plenty of flower shops on this island. She couldn’t possibly track it down. So Sophia just made it sound meaningful, and Anne nodded brightly.
If fate allowed, someday they would indeed meet again.
“…Ah.”
Yes. She really had said that. But she never expected her words to come true so soon—on the very first day of her journey restarting.
Nor did she expect to see Anne again in such circumstances: cornered in a deserted alley, being bullied by other kids.
It wasn’t Sophia who spotted him first.
It was Johann—the guard who, after Joshua’s suggestion, no longer bothered to hide and instead openly stood watch. He had been staring intently at something. When Sophia followed his gaze, she saw Anne being harassed.
Lorelai, however, hadn’t noticed. She was still watching the path where Joshua, Benjamin, and Peyton had gone to buy ice cream.
“Mm…”
Johann looked like he was struggling not to charge in. His duty was to protect Sophia, not to save a stranger.
“Johann.”
“Y-yes, my lady!”
“You may go.”
She didn’t want to just stand by, but she also didn’t want to risk stepping forward herself. So she quietly allowed Johann to act.
His face lit up with relief, and he strode forward. With nothing but sheer force of presence, he scattered the bullies.
When Lorelai finally noticed what was happening, he whispered, low,
“What’s going on there?”
“That’s the boy who visited me earlier today. Johann is helping him.”
Only once Johann had driven off the other children did Sophia and Lorelai approach Anne.
“Are you alright?”
“….”
“Anne?”
“Oh.”
When she asked, he only stared at her coldly. Puzzled, she called his name again, and his eyes softened.
“Sorry. I’m just a bit on edge… I’m fine. Thank you.”
“I’m glad you’re okay… but does this happen often?”
“No, not really. It was just a small quarrel.”
If only that were true. Sophia scanned him carefully, checking for injuries, but Anne was also studying her.
Noticing that odd look, Lorelai furrowed her brow just as Sophia pressed again.
“Are you sure it was just a small quarrel?”
Back when she lived as Leon, she had been bullied too. From experience, this wasn’t a small quarrel.
And sure enough, Anne hesitated, then admitted, stammering,
“Actually… it does get pretty bad sometimes.”
I knew it.
“So… could I ask you for a favor?”
“I’ll do what I can.”
She couldn’t just leave him alone, not when he overlapped so much with Leon in her mind.
“Those kids will probably come to my house tonight. Could you… drive them off for me? Just once, strongly?”
“Tonight?”
“Yes. No. 4, Lost Street, the house with the blue roof. It’s easy to find—there are more flowers than anywhere else.”
Sophia nodded, though something felt off.
If he could give such clear directions now, why had he only vaguely mentioned a flower shop earlier?
“…Would that be alright?”
His eyes pleaded with her so earnestly that she brushed the doubt aside. She turned to Lorelai.
“What do you think, Lorelai? If you feel I’m pushing too far, say so.”
“I respect your judgment, my lady.”
“Thank you.”
Since she wasn’t acting on her own, and had Lorelai’s approval, Sophia accepted Anne’s request.
Anne smiled brighter than ever, bowing deeply.
“Thank you. Thank you so much!”
He bowed several more times, even waved before leaving. But once he was gone, Lorelai muttered softly,
“My lady, I don’t have a good feeling about this.”
At that, Johann’s eyes darted nervously. Had he accidentally rescued someone dangerous?
Sophia didn’t deny it. She’d noticed something as well, only after watching him leave.
“I think so too.”
He wasn’t wearing the necklace.
Earlier, every bow Anne made had made the pendant jingle. But this boy hadn’t made a sound.
It probably wasn’t Anne. More likely…
“Hey, Sophia! Did we keep you waiting?”
“Here, I carried your strawberry ice cream. Take it.”
Right in front of her stood Benjamin and Joshua, holding ice cream—with the exact same face as the boy from earlier.
“Why are you staring at me like that?”
“She’s looking at me, not you.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
While the two bickered pointlessly, Sophia swiped the strawberry ice cream and took a bite.
Suspicious as it was, she had decided: she would go to the address that boy had given.
Because she wanted to know—what was going on in the mind of a child who knew nothing of the Beniés, yet tried to trick her and lead her somewhere?
“…Did I make a mistake?”
Finally, Johann whispered low enough for only Sophia to hear.
“Did I… end up saving someone who might harm you?”
