Chapter: 9
By the time she arrived at the monastery, it seemed a great deal of time had passed while she was at the castle—the sky was already beginning to brighten with dawn.
With the dim sky behind her, Seria slowly walked into the monastery.
Her stomach churned. What should she say first when she met the abbess?
Did you know that Theodore would really come for me?
Is it true that you handed me over to Theodore in exchange for his patronage?
Was I never precious family to you?
The more she thought about it, the more her emotions boiled over.
Then she suddenly grew afraid that she might blurt out something cruel without meaning to.
She didn’t want to hurt someone she had been close to, and she didn’t want to be hurt either.
If that was the case, wouldn’t it be better to leave quietly instead?
By now, everyone should be asleep. If she just quickly gathered her belongings and slipped out, it wasn’t impossible.
Seria suppressed the sound of her footsteps as much as she could and entered the monastery’s front hall.
“Welcome back, Anna.”
“Ab… Abbess….”
The abbess—who should have been asleep—was sitting in the very spot where Seria had seen her the night before, waiting for her.
Startled, Seria hesitated and cautiously watched the abbess’s reaction.
As always, the abbess was smiling warmly. She didn’t seem bothered at all by Seria’s changed hair.
She still called her by the name “Anna.”
Seeing that nothing about the abbess seemed any different, Seria found it hard to open her mouth.
“Anna, Sister Vanessa has packed your belongings for you. You’ve been through a lot. You’re still just a child.”
“N-no….”
The abbess didn’t ask Seria anything.
Just as Theodore had said, it seemed the abbess already knew everything.
The fact that her things had been packed in advance meant that this truly was the end.
She had decided to sneak away, but she hadn’t expected to be informed of it like this.
Seria’s eyes trembled pitifully.
“I felt it from the moment I first saw you—that you were a child who didn’t quite belong here. And I knew that one day, a day like this would come.”
The abbess stepped closer and spoke to Seria.
“But Anna, no matter where you came from, or who you are, you are a precious child to me. That will never change.”
The abbess met Seria’s gaze and smiled.
A precious child.
Words the abbess always spoke.
She was someone endlessly kind, who cherished and loved all the children of the monastery.
What kind of misunderstanding had Seria fallen into?
She had almost come to resent someone she had lived with for years, all because of Theodore’s words alone.
Overwhelmed by guilt, Seria lowered her head.
“I’m sorry, Abbess….”
“Anna.”
“You’ve always been this kind of person… I shouldn’t have believed only those words….”
A warm hand rested on Seria’s head.
As if forgiving everything, the abbess silently stroked her hair.
At that gentle touch, tears began to fall from Seria’s eyes, one by one.
“Don’t worry about the monastery. Sister Vanessa and I still have plenty of strength left, more than you think.”
“Hic… ngh….”
“Sister Vanessa says she’s going to show off her skills today, so be sure to eat breakfast before you go.”
After a breakfast that was far noisier than usual, the children of the monastery gathered around Seria.
Each child held an item they treasured most.
“Big sister, this is my most precious thing… I’m giving it only to you.”
“Me too! I’ll give you this. You mustn’t lose it, okay!”
The twin brothers, Toris and Thomas, placed a foal doll and a wooden sword on Seria’s lap.
Then they threw themselves into her arms.
“Unni, I giv’ dis to you.”
Alisha, the youngest child in the monastery, showed her a small, smooth acorn and wrapped her tiny arms tightly around Seria’s neck.
“Thank you so much, everyone….”
Seria hugged the children who had clung to her.
But for some reason, Daisy was nowhere to be seen.
She had seemed gloomy during breakfast. Was she crying alone in her room?
Just as Seria was about to stand up to go look for Daisy—
“Unni! Unniii!”
Loud footsteps echoed down the corridor, and Daisy appeared.
Clutching a small box, Daisy ran straight to Seria and threw herself into her arms.
She’d run so hard that Seria nearly fell backward.
“Hah—! I’m sorry, unni!”
“You have to be careful, Daisy. What if you got hurt? And where were you by yourself?”
“Heehee.”
Instead of answering, Daisy held out the box she had been carrying, her eyes shining as if telling Seria to open it quickly.
Inside the box was Daisy’s most treasured pale-purple ribbon.
“Daisy, this is….”
“It’s my gift, unni! You’re precious to me, so I’m giving you something I love!”
Daisy burrowed deeper into Seria’s arms and hugged her tightly around the waist.
“You have to do well. And write me letters often!”
“Thank you… Daisy. I’ll treasure it.”
Among all the children in the monastery, Daisy was the one who followed Seria the most.
When things were hard, she would come over and pat Seria’s shoulder. She always made her laugh so she wouldn’t have time to feel gloomy. Ever-positive Daisy had been a great source of strength during Seria’s life at the monastery.
Because of that, Daisy was especially precious to her.
All the children were dear to her, but it couldn’t be helped that Daisy weighed a little more heavily on her heart.
Seria gently stroked Daisy’s hair and held her tightly.
After Seria gathered her belongings and stepped outside, all the people of the monastery followed her out.
The children, who had seemed so composed when giving their gifts, were now lined up with tearful faces.
Seeing them, Seria’s nose stung.
“Anna, you’re a child who can handle anything well, so I believe you’ll do just fine. Stay healthy.”
Rare praise slipped from Sister Vanessa’s mouth, who usually only gave sermons.
Startled by her unfamiliar tone, Seria’s eyes widened.
Seeing a tender smile on Sister Vanessa’s usually stern face made it feel real.
She really was leaving this place.
Leaving behind the people she thought she would always be with.
“Anna, if you ever want to come back, you may return anytime. This will always be your home, so don’t worry.”
The abbess, standing beside Sister Vanessa, smiled kindly.
“Sister Vanessa, Abbess….”
Seria’s voice trembled with emotion, but no tears fell.
The monastery was still her home, and this wasn’t a farewell that meant they would never meet again—so she wanted to say goodbye with a smile.
Seria waved her hand, smiling as brightly as she could.
Leaving the monastery’s farewell behind her, Seria headed down the back path.
With every step she took, her heart pounded.
Her deal with Theodore was practically a gamble with her life, so it was only natural that she was nervous.
Seria stopped for a moment and took out Daisy’s pale-purple ribbon from her pocket.
She tied her hair with the ribbon and continued walking.
At the end of the path, she saw a carriage waiting. Standing in front of it was Theodore.
Seria stopped in front of him, her expression stiff.
“You’re a bit late. Is that all your luggage?”
For some reason, Theodore’s tone was strangely gentle.
Startled by how different he seemed from the day before, Seria nodded.
“Yeah.”
“I see.”
Theodore took the luggage from Seria’s hands and passed it to the coachman. After loading it, the coachman briskly opened the carriage door.
“Let’s go. We don’t know when it might snow again.”
Standing beside the carriage steps, Theodore held out his hand to Seria.
It was ridiculous, that half-hearted attempt at courtesy.
Seria shook her head silently, as if to say she didn’t need it.
The atmosphere sharpened slightly, and the coachman standing nearby glanced around uneasily.
Ignoring him, Seria frowned and stared at Theodore’s outstretched hand.
“With that kind of stubbornness….”
Muttering under his breath, Theodore reached out and grabbed Seria’s hand.
“You—! What do you think you’re—!”
With her hand firmly held, Seria glared at Theodore as if she wanted to kill him. But Theodore, unfazed by her expression, spoke with a thoroughly subdued look on his face.
“I’m sorry, Seria. Can’t you forgive me now? Hmm?”
Is he insane?
Seria was utterly aghast at Theodore’s bizarre behavior.
She wanted to hurl every curse she could think of at him.
Just as she was about to shake his hand off, Theodore gestured with his eyes for her to look to the side.
The coachman was standing nearby, head bowed.
“You’re no longer Seria Argenta. You have to become Seria Belbat now.”
For a moment, the words Theodore had spoken the night before flashed through her mind.
Seria squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them again.
“You’re angry because I came to get you so late, right? I’m really sorry, Seria.”
“Ah, haha… O-okay. I’ll forgive you….”
Barely managing to get the words out, Seria felt like she might pass out right then and there.
