“Fini Orphanage. So it is.”
After reading the nameplate at the gate, Atanas quietly looked down at Flora.
Was it just her imagination, or did his golden eyes look oddly sorrowful?
“It’s getting late. You should head in now.”
“Otay~” (Okay~)
She was actually relieved. The idea of bringing him inside had made her uncomfortable, so she answered cheerfully.
She would’ve gone in without hesitation—If Atanas hadn’t tightened his grip on her hand.
“Can you wet go of my hand, pwease?” (Can you let go of my hand, please?)
“Ah—sorry.”
Startled by her words, he immediately let go.
“Tank yoo fow da ice cweam! Nex’ time some meanie wike Mistah Jeks bugs ya, just caww da guards, ‘kay? Bye bye, Mistah!” (Thank you for the ice cream! Next time some meanie like Mister Jeks bugs you, just call the guards, okay? Bye bye, Mister!)
This time, she really did disappear into the orphanage without a single glance back.
After Flora’s cold and curt exit, Atanas stood there for quite a while before he finally whispered her name with a distant look in his eyes.
“…Flora.”
His voice was gentle and aching but no response came.
Eventually, Atanas turned and walked away from the orphanage, each step heavy.
***
“I found you, Flora.”
Flora jumped at the sudden voice. She had been reading alone in the library and hadn’t noticed anyone approaching.
Peeking over the top of her book like a shield, she saw Rosaria standing above her.
She didn’t know when the girl had arrived, but Rosaria now sat down beside her like it was the most natural thing in the world.
“Where were you yesterday?”
“I went fow a wawk awound town.” (I went for a walk around town.)
Flora closed the book with a deliberately regretful expression.
“You’re done reading?”
“Cuz Wosawia came.” (Coz Rosaria came.)
“To think I rank above your books. I’m flattered.”
Rosaria brushed back her violet hair and smiled softly.
“It’s been a while. Have you been well?”
“Yup~”
“What have you been up to?”
“Weww… weading books, pwayin’ hide ‘n seek, tag, dwawing picshurs…” (Well… reading books, playing hide and seek, tag, drawing pictures…)
“And?”
Rosaria’s eyes sparkled, full of expectation.
She really does like me a lot, huh.
Flora swallowed her sigh and gave a bright smile.
“I was waitin’ fow Wosawia to come! I was sooo sad we missed each otha yestewday~” (I was waiting for Rosaria to come! I was so sad we missed each other yesterday~)
“I see. I’m sorry. There’ve been some… unwelcome guests in the territory lately, so I’ve been busy.”
Still, how is this supposed to be a seven-year-old talking?
When is my speech finally going to sound normal? Maybe when I turn five?
Clueless to Flora’s internal grumbling, Rosaria hugged her like she always did.
Why does she like me this much?
To understand the start of Flora’s second stroke of luck—and her unwelcome, persistent connection with Rosaria—we have to go back to the previous year.
At the time, the orphanage was desperately poor.
So poor that they were thankful just not to starve.
Flora, once the Archdemon Morus, had never experienced poverty before and simply couldn’t tolerate it.
More accurately, she couldn’t stand seeing the people in the orphanage suffering.
I’m starting to pity them. That’s dangerous… If I grow attached, it’ll happen in a flash.
Flora had no desire to form emotional bonds with humans.
I was planning to stay quietly until adulthood, but if this keeps up, something bad’ll happen before then.
And who’s to say she wouldn’t meet the same end again?
They said the Forest of Demons was nearby. I should head there.
That’s why she refused any adoption requests and resisted until the end.
I really didn’t wanna go wandering around in this half-baked little kid body with no power.
She had worried that the demons who once followed Morus would laugh at her incomplete strength and treat her like a child.
So her plan had been: once she was an adult and regained her full power, she would find the forest, gather the demons under her command, and finally destroy the world.
But… being laughed at was probably better than starving to death.
At the age of three—
Flora left the impoverished orphanage for the first time.
Escaping the rickety building was easy enough, even with the small amount of demonic power she had at the time.
Wait… where am I?
She was lost.
She had meant to go to the Forest of Demons, but clearly took the wrong path.
And it was there that she met Rosaria.
More precisely, she found Rosaria being chased by monsters.
In the dark woods stood a girl, one or two years older than Flora, running for her life. Though terrified, she held back her tears and kept running. Something about her reminded Flora of the kids at the orphanage.
When the girl tripped and fell, Flora sighed and swung her demonic energy to drive off the monster.
Then, as if nothing had happened, she casually stepped into Rosaria’s view.
〈An angel…? Am I dead?〉
〈You awe safe now.〉(You are safe now.)
〈H-Huh? How?〉
〈God hewped? Maybe?〉 (God helped? Maybe?)
Flora didn’t reveal that she’d been the one to save her. She just pretended to be another lost child and stayed by her side.
The two of them endured hardships together—well, technically, Rosaria was the one suffering—until adults came and rescued them.
If Flora had known back then that Rosaria was from House Hermannus, she would never have saved her.
Why on earth would she help the descendant of her sworn enemy?
Yet thanks to that useless rescue, Flora ended up right back at the orphanage.
She almost ran away again immediately—
But then:
〈I should’ve been watching more closely. I’m sorry, Flora. I’m just not good enough… I’m sorry.〉
Fini had held her tightly, sobbing, and Flora found herself resting her head in the woman’s arms instead of pulling away.
Ugh. My fate, huh?
Maybe she’d already become a little—just a little—attached.
Held in Fini’s tearful embrace, she didn’t feel like running away again.
In the end, Flora decided to stay put and live quietly until adulthood, when she could leave the orphanage formally.
She thought that would be the end of her connection to Rosaria too…
But—
〈Hello, Flora.〉
Rosaria didn’t want that.
〈You saved me, so I thought I’d make you my playmate.〉
She even came to the orphanage, offering nonsense as a “reward.”
〈Ehh, dun wanna.〉(Ehh, don’t wanna.)
Rosaria’s maid gasped at Flora’s rude reply and looked like she wanted to shout, but it had no effect.
〈I figured you’d say that. Then how about this, can I just visit sometimes? Will you play with me when I do?〉
Rosaria smiled as she hugged Flora like it was the most natural thing in the world.
I spoiled her.
Back in the forest, Rosaria had asked for hugs whenever she got scared and Flora had allowed it. Who knew she’d keep doing it even after getting back?
〈Don’ wanna dat eitha.〉(Don’t want that either.)
〈Now that I see it, this orphanage is pretty run-down. I think we should rebuild it.〉
〈I’ll summon the best builders, young lady.〉
〈Oh, and I heard you haven’t been eating well. I’ll send some food to the orphanage. My father always says a debt must be repaid.〉
Hmm. On second thought, it might be fine if she visits sometimes.
〈If a fwiend wants to visit, dat’s awways wewcome~〉(If a friend wants to visit, that’s always welcome~)
After that, Rosaria began sponsoring the orphanage under the name of House Hermannus.
Thanks to her, the children no longer went hungry and could wear proper clothes for each season. The leaking roof and drafty walls were repaired, and the building finally became livable.
Aside from that gratitude, Rosaria’s once-a-month visits were honestly a bit annoying.
It’s already been a year, huh.
Even as a sponsor, Flora had no intention of forming emotional ties with her enemy’s bloodline, so she kept her distance but Rosaria endured it all.
For two full months, she pushed through Flora’s coldness without flinching. So in the end, Flora had to raise the white flag.
Her stiff expression would always soften when she saw Flora, and it would harden again whenever she left.
It became harder and harder to ignore.
I should’ve kept up the cold wall back then.
