Branded a Traitor
At Pelens's declaration that he was buying everything for his sister, every eye in the boutique shifted toward Lefonya standing beside him.
Feeling the sudden weight of dozens of gazes, Lefonya flinched and instinctively shrank behind Pelens's back.
The shop clerk possessed an extraordinary knack for catering to high-profile clientele.
"What an adorable young lady."
Realizing immediately that this preposterous shopping spree revolved entirely around her, he wasted no time offering a polite bow.
"Forgive me for not greeting you sooner."
As he bent low at the waist, he shot a discreet glance toward Birdie and Becky. Because word of an official adoption had yet to circulate, his eyes silently probed for clarification.
Birdie and Becky stepped forward in unison.
"This is the Young Lady of Craitan. Mind your manners."
The murmur of aristocrats rippled through the boutique, but the clerk remained utterly unfazed.
"I greet the Young Lady of Craitan. Pray forgive my discourtesy."
Pelens gently patted Lefonya's head as she hid behind him, whispering softly, "Tell him it's all right, Ponya. He can only raise his head once you give permission."
Without the consent of a high noble, no commoner was permitted to lift their gaze. Lefonya felt the staggering reality of her newfound standing all over again.
"...It's fine," she murmured in a small, trembling voice. The words felt utterly alien on her tongue; she had never spoken such a phrase in her entire life.
"Thank you, Lady Lefonya." The clerk rose with a broad, beaming smile. "Since I have committed a discourtesy, I cannot let it pass unaddressed. Hmm... Ah! My lady, what do you think of this piece?"
He gestured toward an intricate toy teapot and matching teacup.
"It is quite a popular novelty. You see, when you tip the pot like this..."
He tilted the toy teapot to demonstrate. Though not a single drop emerged from its spout, water miraculously began to rise inside the little cup.
"Tea appears out of thin air."
"...Whoa."
Lefonya, peeking out from behind Pelens, could not hide the wonder sparkling in her eyes.
"Of course, it cannot be drunk, nor will it spill."
The clerk turned the cup completely upside down. Sure enough, despite the visible liquid inside, not a single drop poured out. The water rose to a certain level before swiftly vanishing back into nothingness.
"Ooh..."
It was clearly a plaything enchanted by a Mana Stone. Seeing Lefonya's dazzled expression, the clerk nimbly brought out a brand-new boxed set.
"May I present this to you as a humble token of my apology? If it pleases you, of course."
Recognizing who held the real purse strings, the clerk moved with razor-sharp efficiency.
Lefonya glanced nervously at Pelens. When someone offered a gift like this, she had no idea whether etiquette dictated accepting it or turning it down.
"It's fine. You can take it," Pelens said, nodding as he stroked her hair. When Lefonya gave a hesitant nod of assent, the clerk handed the toy over to Birdie and Becky.
"Thank you for accepting, my lady."
"...Mhm."
Lefonya tugged gently on Pelens's sleeve. She had instinctively started to call him 'Brother,' but the watching nobles made her bite her tongue. Though no one spoke aloud, every eye in the room was fixed on them.
"Ponya, what's wrong?"
"Are you really buying everything?"
"Of course. Why?"
"It's... it's too much."
"Too much? What is?" Pelens wore an expression of genuine bewilderment.
"Why buy two floating lights? The mansion is already bright."
"Do people only buy things out of necessity? You buy them because they're fascinating, pretty, and keep lingering in your mind."
"..."
"Besides, when you're feeling down, there's nothing better than mindless shopping. Works for me every time."
Lefonya was left utterly speechless.
While she stood stunned, Pelens was already deep in conversation with the staff about whether to carry the purchases directly or have them delivered. Off to the side, Sir Velic and another clerk were calculating dimensions against the carriage's capacity. He truly intended to take the entire lot.
"Lady Lefonya. Did you know?" Birdie whispered with a soft chuckle. "The second young master has never bought a gift for the Duke himself. You are the very first person he has ever volunteered to spoil like this. So please, receive it with a glad heart."
"...Okay."
"I'll go place this in the carriage right now. Please wait here just a moment."
With a bright smile, Birdie slipped out of the boutique carrying the boxed teapot set. Meanwhile, Becky procured a comfortable chair from a clerk and gently seated Lefonya.
Still... I do feel a little better.
Was it because Pelens had dragged her around so hectically? Or had the mindless indulgence truly plugged the hollow void in her chest, just as he claimed?
As Lefonya stared absently through the boutique's large glass window, a figure strode past outside.
Huh?
She froze. Just now... That was definitely—
"My lady?" Becky tilted her head, noticing Lefonya suddenly slip down from the chair.
Before the maid could utter another word, Lefonya threw open the boutique door and bolted outside.
"My lady!"
Caught off guard, Becky failed to grab her in time and screamed in panic.
"The—the young lady ran out!"
The door chimes clattered frantically.
"Ponya!"
"Lady Lefonya!"
Startled by her sudden flight, Pelens and Sir Velic shouted in alarm and sprinted out after her.
The moment Pelens burst onto the street, he wreathed his legs in Aura to close the distance—when suddenly:
Whooosh!
A vicious gust of wind lashed out like a physical strike. The spectral silhouette of a silver wolf materialized directly in Pelens's path.
"Sir Velic! Get back!"
Pelens's blue eyes flared with savage intensity as he leaped backward, drawing an aura-clad blade and slashing ruthlessly across the phantom wolf's form.
Shriek!
Yet before the steel could bite, the insubstantial figure dissolved into mist.
"A spirit?"
Pelens clicked his tongue in frustration. But that hardly mattered right now. He snapped his head up in search of his sister.
"...Ponya?"
Lefonya's small silhouette was already nowhere to be seen.
That was definitely Rudeum.
The person who had passed by the glass was Rudeum—that very boy. Moreover, even though the treated glass made it impossible to see inside from the street, their eyes had met without question. Rudeum had looked straight at her.
The instant she locked eyes with those calm, luminous golden irises, a singular thought seized her: she had to see him right now. There was no room for hesitation; her body had moved before she could think. She knew Pelens would grow suspicious, that Birdie and Becky would worry sick. But that boy... he had to know something. He had to know why the abandoned cabin had burned to ashes, and who had set it ablaze.
Desperate not to lose him, she had chased him as fast as her little legs could carry her, but in the end, he had vanished.
"Hah..."
Lefonya sighed, taking in her surroundings. In her blind sprint, she had strayed far from the boutique. Luckily—or unluckily—no one seemed to have followed her.
"...Am I so fast that even Brother couldn't catch up?"
Lefonya marvelled at her own small feet. Shaking Sir Velic was one thing, but leaving an Aura User like Pelens in the dust seemed almost miraculous.
Since things have already turned out this way, I might as well drop by the reporting post before heading back.
The die was cast. She had lost Rudeum, and Pelens was nowhere in sight. It was better to use this chance to leave her report. She would write that tracking down the heirloom was proving difficult and that she needed more time. Once the mission was complete, she could live a life free of meddling.
Which means... I'll have to say goodbye to everyone.
Her footsteps ground to a halt.
Once the task was finished, she would collect her payment from The Pope and swallow the Nullification Potion. She wouldn't remain in this childish body, meaning that even if they crossed paths on the street, no one would ever recognize her. It would be a permanent farewell.
Lefonya stood rooted to the cobblestones like a lifeless tree. But she soon shook her head.
"They aren't my real family anyway."
She ruthlessly crushed the budding warmth in her heart beneath her heel and pressed forward toward the designated post.
Yet the moment she arrived, she froze.
To prevent operatives from discovering one another's assignments, each had an individual drop point. Lefonya's had been the base of a towering oak tree, marked discreetly with a gold ribbon symbolizing the Pope. On reporting days, the operative buried their message beneath the tree's right roots, where a courier would retrieve it and deliver it to the Pope.
And now...
The majestic oak that served as her post had been brutally chopped down, leaving nothing behind but a jagged stump.
"..."
It meant the site had been decommissioned.
Painted boldly across the flat surface of the stump was a massive red X.
It was the death sentence for the operative assigned to this post—branding Lefonya as a traitor to be executed.
The Pope... is furious.
The color drained from her face.
In their secret code, that mark meant only one thing: Eliminate on sight.
He discarded me.
The Pope had ordered the purge brothers—those whose sole duty was executing defectors—to hunt her down and butcher her.
I'm going to die.
Her breath came in ragged, shallow gasps. Once stamped as a traitor, explanations were useless. Her small frame trembled violently. The terror that had suffocated her for years under the Pope's iron fist came crashing back. She had seen firsthand how those who stepped out of line met their ends.
Someone could be watching me right this second.
Cold sweat drenched her skin as she forced herself to keep walking with an unnatural display of calm. Her knees threatened to buckle beneath her.
Traitors were never spared, regardless of circumstance. They were hunted to the ends of the earth until dead. That was the Pope's unyielding commandment, etched into their very bones.
And this was supposed to be her final mission.
I want to live. I don't want to die.
This was the last one. If she could just see this through, she would be free. She couldn't let herself be butchered here.
I have to go back.
She had to return to House Craitan. With her fellow operatives likely hunting her down, the safest place in the entire empire was within the walls of the Craitan duchy—the nation's premier shield. If she stayed there—
For how long?
House Craitan protected her now, but what happened when their Frivolous Adoptions came to an end and they cast her aside? What happened when her true identity was exposed and they threw her out into the cold? No one would protect her then.
Then... how am I supposed to survive?
Every single memory Lefonya possessed was a desperate, bloody struggle just to stay alive. Yet not once in her entire life had she felt the certainty of safety.
I refuse to die like this.
Death had always hovered an inch from her throat, and she had clawed and bitten back every single time.
You think... I'm just going to roll over and die?
Just like she always had, she would fight to the bitter end.