Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: A Dormant Volcano
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A short while ago, Mei had used the scarf as an excuse to leave Lucillea alone.
She had anticipated that the chosen children would approach Lucillea once she was gone.
‘Humans tend to reveal their true colors in a crisis.’
In truth, Mei wasn't fond of Lucillea.
The fact that Grand Duke Elbadin had personally chosen and brought the girl here, that she was assigned to the fifth floor upon arrival, and that Mei herself had been appointed as the child’s maid.
None of it sat well with her.
‘What on earth did he see in that unremarkable child?’
Mei could see it clearly. The Grand Duke was treating the child with special favor.
‘Is it simply because of her magical power? Because the Grand Ducal family is short on mages?’
No, His Highness the Grand Duke was not such a simple man.
There had to be another reason, but since Mei couldn't figure it out, she couldn't help but feel frustrated.
Mei slipped out through a corridor window and watched Lucillea from a distance.
As if watching some amusing play, the child was fidgeting with a flushed expression.
Following Lucillea’s gaze, she saw Serdian, who had just returned from the battlefield.
‘Ah, it's the Young Lord.’
He's never had a quiet day in his life.
‘Well, that's none of my business.’
Mei leaned against a marble pillar and sighed.
‘I should have just left long ago...’
She had come to the Grand Duke's household with Grand Duchess Radia, but now that the Grand Duchess was dead, there was no reason to remain.
‘I'm told not to kill people, yet I'm not given any missions either.’
Years of mind-numbing boredom had dragged on.
Despite this, Mei couldn't bring herself to leave the Grand Duke's estate.
It was because faint traces of the Grand Duchess still lingered here.
The peridot necklace Lucillea had chosen was one of them.
‘I admit, I was a little surprised when she picked that necklace.’
It had been crafted from a peridot that was one of the Grand Duchess's mementos.
There were many more expensive and brilliant necklaces, yet of all of them, Lucillea had chosen that one.
Somehow, it felt bittersweet.
The necklace was less brilliant than the others and its design was old-fashioned, so it had remained unchosen for years.
A part of her hadn't wanted the Grand Duchess's possession to fall into someone else's hands, but seeing it go unchosen for so long had inexplicably irked her.
Then, Lucillea chose it.
-“I like light green.”
-“I like light green.”
-“I like light green.”
-“A clear, bright light green, like your eyes, Mei. This dress is the exact color I like, too. That’s why I love it!”
-“A clear, bright light green, like your eyes, Mei. This dress is the exact color I like, too. That’s why I love it!”
-“A clear, bright light green, like your eyes, Mei. This dress is the exact color I like, too. That’s why I love it!”
At that moment, Mei was briefly reminded of Grand Duchess Radia.
-“Mei, I love your light green eyes. They’re like a forest dappled with sunlight. Looking into them, it feels as if any ill intentions would simply lose their way.”
-“Mei, I love your light green eyes. They’re like a forest dappled with sunlight. Looking into them, it feels as if any ill intentions would simply lose their way.”
-“Mei, I love your light green eyes. They’re like a forest dappled with sunlight. Looking into them, it feels as if any ill intentions would simply lose their way.”
The two of them were nothing alike.
Except for their fondness for the color light green—for her eyes.
And yet, somehow.
Radia’s face, which she thought had dulled in her memory, seemed to overlap with the little girl's.
Good grief. Mei let out a dry, self-mocking laugh.
‘I must be going crazy.’
How dare I compare her to the Grand Duchess?
Mei's eyes narrowed as she watched Lucillea.
‘I can't let my guard down.’
That child could be a spy sent by a rival faction.
Her gentle eyes and tone, her expression that naturally evoked sympathy, the scars on her body, and even her choice of words, which seemed so endearing and thoughtful, as if to win favor.
‘It's all the perfect setup to break down one's defenses.’
And she was rather cute, too...
Mei shook her head.
‘I, of all people, need to keep my wits about me.’
Elbadin had always had a bit of a soft spot for children Lucillea’s age.
It was likely because of the child he had lost eight years ago.
‘That's why I'll find it, no matter what.’
Proof that the child is a spy. Proof that she's a threat to this Grand Ducal household.
Mei's gaze grew sharper.
And so, time passed.
As expected, a group of children began to pick a fight with Lucillea.
Mei's narrow gaze turned colder.
‘Alright, little one. What will you do now?’
Show me the true nature you're hiding, little one!
But then.
As time went on, a strange situation unfolded.
“Let's go! We can all hold hands and go ask him ourselves! What kind of tricks did I use to win over His Highness the Grand Duke? I'm so curious myself, you see?”
Instead of crying and clutching her injured palm, Lucillea grabbed the boys' hands and insisted they go see Elbadin.
‘What is this? Is she planning to tattle to His Highness?’
Does she think the Grand Duke is someone you can just meet by showing up unannounced?
‘No, wait... has there ever been a child who offered to go see Elbadin first...?’
Never...
They were all too busy cowering from his aura, avoiding his gaze and hiding.
‘What a funny kid.’
Is she not afraid of the Grand Duke?
Perhaps she was just bluffing to scare the boys.
‘If they push her a little more, her true intentions will come out...’
However.
“Huh? Why are you running away? I said let's go. Let's go together and clear up this misunderstanding. Hmm?! I told you, I don't want to fight with you. I want to be friends!”
“Th-This brat! Get off me!”
The boy raised his hand to strike Lucillea.
And just like that, Mei shot forward without thinking. In the next moment, she was gripping the boy's raised wrist.
“M-Mei?!”
As her eyes met the little girl's, which were welling up with tears, a sharp pang—!—of inexplicable pain shot through her chest.
It was the look of a young animal that, having encountered a predator while its mother was out hunting, had finally found her again and was overcome with relief.
Mei looked down at Lucillea and murmured to herself.
‘...You were lucky today, little one.’
I can't let a child in my care get hurt.
That's why I had to step in.
As if nothing had happened, Mei beamed.
“Yes, that's right! It's Mei!”
***
With Mei's appearance, the atmosphere changed in an instant.
The unexpressed rage layering up in Tesian's eyes was plain to see.
Mei stroked the head of Lucillea, who was hugging her waist tightly and burrowing into her.
Then, she glanced sideways at Tesian and spoke.
“Lord Tesian. I will not be reporting this incident to His Highness the Grand Duke. So please, back down now. It would be troublesome if your one-week confinement were to be extended to six months, wouldn't it?”
At Mei's words, Tesian's jaw tightened as he spoke.
“...Just you wait.”
Hmph, the ones who say 'just you wait' are never the truly scary ones.
Mei smiled sweetly.
“You should go now, Lord Tesian.”
“Fine! I'm going, I'm going!”
Thump-thump-thump. With a face red with anger, Tesian turned and ran off.
Once the group was gone, Mei knelt on one knee.
“My dear Lady Lucillea.”
Mei continued speaking as she gently brushed the dirt from Lucillea's dress.
“I thought you were a delicate greenhouse flower, but it turns out you're more like a dormant volcano, ready to erupt at any moment.”
Huh? A dormant volcano?
‘Don't tell me she heard what I said to Tesian earlier.’
Lucillea recalled the words she had just spoken to Tesian.
-“Huh? Why are you running away? I said let's go. Let's go together and clear up this misunderstanding. Hmm?! I told you, I don't want to fight with you. I want to be friends!”
-“Huh? Why are you running away? I said let's go. Let's go together and clear up this misunderstanding. Hmm?! I told you, I don't want to fight with you. I want to be friends!”
-“Huh? Why are you running away? I said let's go. Let's go together and clear up this misunderstanding. Hmm?! I told you, I don't want to fight with you. I want to be friends!”
She had tacked on the reason that she didn't want to fight and wanted to be friends, but her true intention was different.
It was half a threat—a challenge to see if they could say such things in front of the Grand Duke.
And just as she'd expected, the children had been terrified and had tried to resort to violence.
For Lucillea, it had been an unavoidable situation, but it might not have looked so innocent in Mei's eyes.
‘To an adult like Mei, my ploy must have been obvious.’
Lucillea's eyes drooped at the corners as she asked glumly.
“Are you... disappointed in me?”
Because I'm not cute or lovable like a child my age should be?
At that, Mei raised an eyebrow.
“No? On the contrary, I thought it was quite impressive. I even thought it was cool how you handled them without a hint of fear!”
Cool...?
At the unexpected praise, Lucillea let out a small giggle, "Hehe," her cheeks flushing.
“However.”
Mei's voice turned somewhat serious as she wrapped the scarf around Lucillea's neck.
“You'll have to be more careful from now on. Boys that age are like ticking time bombs, you never know what trouble they'll cause.”
Lucillea nodded.
“Yes, I will.”
Then she glanced at her scraped palm.
Ticking time bombs...
Lucillea clenched her fist, gritting her teeth.
Just try and mess with me one more time.
‘I'll show you what's more terrifying and dreadful than a ticking time bomb.’
An eye for an eye, a fist for a fist, and revenge twofold