CHAPTER 19……………………………………………

“So what did he say?”

She asked about what she hadn’t been able to hear while following Asteria, but he shook his head.

“No—nothing.”

And then, with a slightly dazed expression, he kept staring at the young Zenya.

Was it because she seemed strange? Even to Zenya herself, Asteria—still round-cheeked and childlike—looked rather cute.

Still, seeing her own younger self alongside a hero was a bit embarrassing.

Watching Asteria roam the temple freely, as if touring every corner instead of waiting quietly, made Zenya’s face feel hot with embarrassment.

Was I that bad at listening back then?

The present-day Zenya, who knew all too well that wandering around carelessly could only bring trouble upon herself, would never have done something like that.

Then again, thinking about it now, wasn’t it because she had run away from prayer that she ended up meeting the Demon King in the first place?

Maybe she still carried habits from being overly pampered. Or perhaps it was resentment at being left at the temple.

Even though she had said it was fine, that she understood her uncle for leaving her there, she had been just a child back then.

Why was she so restless? As Zenya tried to look away from her past self, Asteria, who had just entered the garden, ran into a child dressed in an unusual outfit.

The child wore a silver circlet on their head, with a strip of white cloth attached that hung down over the forehead, completely covering their face.

“That child is…”

Seeing that strange appearance, vague memories from the past surfaced.

Asteria blinked, clearly startled by the unexpected encounter. The other child didn’t react much differently.

As the two children stared awkwardly at each other, a sudden shout broke the tension.

[Where do you think you’re wandering off to by yourself!]

It was a sharp, high-pitched voice full of irritation.

Startled, Asteria flinched and whipped her head toward the sound.

Even though she had endured a period of living cautiously, Asteria had still been raised as the beloved only daughter of the king and queen. No matter how hard she tried to accept her current situation maturely, a princess’s pride didn’t disappear so easily.

She narrowed her eyes fiercely and glared at the woman running toward her.

But the priest’s target wasn’t Asteria—it was the child whose face was hidden by the white cloth.

[Honestly, you’re not even a beast, yet you can’t understand a word I say.]

The priest roughly grabbed the child’s arm and dragged them along.

The force was so strong the child nearly stumbled and fell, but the woman didn’t seem to care. The child staggered a few steps after her.

Between the fluttering folds of white cloth, tightly pressed lips were briefly visible. The child clearly looked terrified.

[Why do I have to deal with a cursed brat like this…!]

Perhaps because she had lost her family to violent demons, the sight of a woman manhandling a frail, undernourished child—one who didn’t even reach her waist—felt especially unpleasant.

Asteria made a quick decision. No matter how drastically her circumstances had changed, she could still easily put a single rural priest in her place.

[You’re noisy.]

[…What’s this now?]

The sharply angled eyes might have been intimidating, but Asteria didn’t back down, staring back with an incredulous expression.

[This?]

At her biting retort, the priest hurriedly scanned Asteria’s appearance.

A glamorous dress in the latest fashion, dazzling jewels adorning it, neatly groomed glossy hair, and a face that radiated nobility. Anyone could tell she was, at the very least, the daughter of a powerful noble family.

“Th-that is… who might you be…?”

[Do I really have to tell my name to the likes of you?]

Had the priest not been so flustered, she might have realized that a young lady from a great family would never end up at a remote country temple like this. But she was far too shaken to think clearly.

No matter how high the temple’s status had become, it was never wise to make enemies of nobles—especially in a backwater like this.

“That’s not what I meant…”

Only after enjoying the priest’s obvious unease did Asteria wave her hand dismissively.

[Stop being loud and uncouth and get lost.]

The priest immediately thanked her profusely and hurried to leave.

“Yes, yes. Understood.”

Taking the child with her.

Asteria quickly stepped in front of the priest.

[Leave the kid.]

“But—”

As the priest hesitated, Asteria stamped her foot.

[Don’t nitpick every word I say!]

“…My apologies.”

In the end, the priest left in a hurry without another word.

Asteria watched the woman’s retreating back, then turned to the child.

[Are you staying here too?]

It wasn’t that she was particularly interested—more like she’d already intervened, so she might as well say a few words.

[Was that person your handler?]

And while she was at it, getting to know another child her age who would be staying here didn’t seem like a bad idea.

But the child didn’t respond at all.

[Can’t you speak? Or do you just not want to?]

Worried that the child might still be frightened by what had just happened, Asteria strode closer.

[I’m not actually that important. I just pretended so I could scare her off.]

She stopped right in front of the child, peering intently at the face hidden behind the white cloth.

[Do you have to wear a silver circlet like that if you stay at the temple?]

Still no answer. Just as Asteria was wondering whether she should leave, the child slowly shook their head.

A bright smile spread across Asteria’s face.

[That’s a relief. It looks suffocating. Can you even see properly?]

The child nodded. Asteria plopped herself down on a stone beside them and gestured for them to sit too.

When the child awkwardly sat down next to her, Asteria began chattering away.

[I don’t know what’s going on, but sometimes it helps to just scream and say you’re hurt, you know?]

Was she seeing her own past self in the way the child kept glancing around nervously? Or was she just feeling a bit smug for once, compared to someone who seemed even worse off than her?

It was a little funny—she was still just a child herself, yet talking as if she’d already figured out the world.

[Since this is a temple, it looks bad if a priest openly mistreats a kid. They care about appearances.]

She added that once people started watching, the priest wouldn’t dare act as harshly, smiling sweetly as she said it.

[Anyway, I’ll be staying here from now on. So if you’re here too, let’s say hi sometimes.]

Just as Asteria was about to stand up, the child spoke in a very small voice.

[…I’m leaving today.]

Asteria sat back down.

[Really? Where to?]

[To the capital.]

Having just come here from the capital herself, Asteria pictured the grand central temple there.

[The capital’s temple? Why?]

[They said there’s something they need to examine.]

If it was an examination conducted by the temple, there was really only one possibility—the same test Asteria herself was scheduled to take.

[You have holy power too? Is it really strong? No—if that were the case, they wouldn’t treat you like that.]

And did it really make sense to go all the way to the capital just for a holy power test? They could do that here…

After a brief moment of doubt, Asteria nodded, deciding there must be some reason.

[Well, whatever happens—if their attitude suddenly changes after the test, okay?]

She leaned in close to the child and used both hands to stretch the corners of their mouth into a smile.

[Walk around smiling like this.]

It wasn’t really her place to worry, but the child was small and painfully thin. She couldn’t even tell if they were a boy or a girl, and their voice was far too quiet. The fact that they hadn’t screamed even once when an adult manhandled them bothered her.

So Asteria meddled—quite a lot.

[Even if the results aren’t good, keep smiling. Confidently.]

Hadn’t Asteria herself learned a fairly valuable lesson this time around?

[Being observant is good, but being too intimidated isn’t. The more scared you look, the more people look down on you.]

The grief she had gone through had been overwhelming. And after stumbling through it and finally regaining her senses, many things had changed.

It was understandable that her aunt and uncle—suddenly tasked with raising a niece—felt burdened. But she hadn’t expected even the servants beneath them to treat her the same way.

It was her mother’s home. There were so many servants who had lived with her mother when she was young. Yet everyone treated Asteria like a nuisance.

But once Asteria had regained some clarity, she refused to endure that treatment.

[So I ended up pushing back… pretty hard.]

That was why she’d been sent to the temple even sooner—so the outcome hadn’t been entirely positive. Clearing her throat, Asteria continued,

[Um, so… don’t go too far, but it’s good to express your opinion while reading the room.]

She shrugged.

[You’ll probably get treated carefully here too. But see? What I did earlier.]

It was obvious she’d run into that priest many more times. Soon enough, the woman would learn what had happened to Asteria and why she’d been left here.

But even knowing that, Asteria had acted without worrying about the future.

[Even if she finds out about my situation, she won’t be able to treat me that badly.]

The donation her uncle had made when leaving her at the temple would have been a huge help to such a small place.

Honestly, she’d chosen her moment carefully.

Grinning, Asteria wrapped up her advice.

[If you really can’t stand it, pushing back a little isn’t so bad.]

Just then, a voice called out to her from afar.

[Princess—!]

At the call, Asteria jumped to her feet.

[I’ve got to go. We probably won’t see each other again, but take care.]

She was about to leave without a second thought when the child grabbed the sleeve of her dress.

[…What’s your name?]