What? Terdeo narrowed his eyes, picked up the pill, and held it close to Ailett.
"Is this the blood you were talking about that the man sold earlier? Ailett, can you look at it again and make sure?"
Ailett rubbed her sleepy eyes with both hands and opened them wide. She stared intently at the pill in Terdeo's hand and nodded confidently.
"Yes. This thin membrane can be torn by hand or bitten to use it... Why, why are you doing this?"
Ailett's voice faltered as she noticed Terdeo's expression becoming increasingly fierce.
"No."
Terdeo composed his expression and put the pill back in his pocket. His red eyes, filled with mockery, were directed towards the annex.
"I was wondering where to find a clue, but it seems they came to me on their own."
Ailett, who had been speaking solemnly, looked at me with fear.
"Cerisia, leave this to me."
"Tsk, I have no choice. Theo, I'll be checking how you handle this, so do it properly."
Cerisia clicked her tongue as if she was disappointed.
'If that poison was Ailett's blood... then the poison I took must have been from the Laphireon family.'
Somehow. I didn't feel bad after taking the poison and woke up feeling too refreshed. I thought I was immune to all poisons, which was strange.
"Well, it seems the urgent matter is settled for now."
Gloria calmly surveyed the family.
"Fin and Ailett, and I need to prepare the adoption procedures, so I'll be returning to the duchy."
Gloria left a brief message and firmly stood up. Ailett, startled by Gloria's words, looked back at me.
"Big sister, what about you? Are you coming too?"
Still inexperienced with farewells, Ailett called out desperately. I stood up and approached Ailett, who was in Finneas's arms. Ailett stretched out her hand, freed herself from Finneas, and threw herself into my arms. The child's body temperature was higher than that of an average adult, making her feel very warm. Holding Ailett and closing my eyes, I could feel her heartbeat and emotions transmitted through my entire body.
"Big sister, are you not coming?"
"Yes, I have to stay here."
"Then...!"
"But don't worry, Ailett."
"Big sister..."
"I'll be here, so if you want to see me, you can come anytime."
"Anytime?"
I smiled widely and touched foreheads with Ailett.
"Of course! Come anytime!"
"But... how will I talk to you when I want to? I heard that even the fastest carriage takes a month to get from the duchy to the capital... You can't just come right away."
"If you want to talk, write a letter and send it. Record what you want to say every day, and it will feel like we're talking."
Ailett mumbled "letter?" and then looked horrified.
"But, but I can't write well! I can't write letters!"
It seemed her parents never taught her properly. Besides, they wouldn't have sent her to an academy or hired a tutor.
"Then you should learn to write every day and send me a letter."
Ailett, with red eyes, shed tears.
"Still... what if I learn to write too late?"
I burst out laughing at Ailett's various worries and wiped her tears with a handkerchief.
"Then I'll send you a letter first. I'll keep sending letters until you can reply."
Ailett clung to my neck and whimpered. My shoulder was soaked with her tears.
"Thank you, big sister."
My whole body shook as if someone had struck my heart with a drum. I hugged Ailett tightly and nodded.
"I'm also grateful, Ailett. For trusting and choosing us. I'm glad I met you. I'll always wish for your happiness, no matter where you are or what you do."
Really, from the bottom of my heart.
"Me too..."
Ailett sniffled.
"Me too, I'm really glad I met big sister. Thanks to big sister, I can be here now. If it weren't for you, I would have definitely gone back to that house..."
Ailett couldn't finish her sentence and burst into tears. I felt a chill in my nose.
"Big sister is my fairy."
We continued to hug and thank each other, and Gloria sighed softly.
"I just need to complete the adoption procedures and then return to the capital. How long are you going to keep this up?"
"Huh?"
"......Huh?"
Gloria's words made us both look up with puzzled expressions. Gloria approached us, gently wiping Ailett's tears with her left hand and smoothing my disheveled hair with her right.
"Ailett, you have a strong awareness of the curse, but you lack socialization with children your age. So, I plan to enroll you in the 6-year-old class at the Delphine Academy where Selphius attends."
"Really, I can go to that academy?"
Ailett's face lit up instantly, and her eyes widened.
"You should. It's better to be with friends than alone. If you don't like it, you can stay in the duchy and learn alone."
"No, no!"
"Instead, you must be careful not to bleed. If someone finds out about your curse, we might have to make difficult choices to keep it hidden."
"Yes, yes! I tried not to bleed even when I was at home, so I can do it! I'll be very careful not to bleed! And Selphius will help me too!"
"Hey, Ailett. Why am I mentioned? I'm doing well, you know?"
Despite his gruff tone and harsh voice, Gloria's touch was very gentle and warm.
"Yes, you're good. When Ailett goes to the academy, Finneas will stay at the Laphireon villa in the capital. I have many aches and pains, so I need to be with Finneas. Besides, there's no such thing as a permanent farewell."
"Then, you won't be separated from big sister?"
"It's only a few hours by carriage. If you want to, you can come see me anytime. So, you should wipe your tears now."
"Then, can't I just stay here? Can't Gloria-sama and Finneas-sama stay here with me...!"
"Ailett, it's not good to interfere with newlyweds."
Newlyweds?
"Besides, there's Finneas's laboratory there, so you can learn a lot of new things, Ailett."
Oh, that's right. I almost cried with her without knowing that. I felt embarrassed and sniffled loudly. Ailett, also feeling embarrassed, looked at me with red eyes and a red nose and smiled sheepishly. Seeing the child's smiling face, I felt better and smiled along. Gloria, seeing us smiling at each other, patted me.
"I won't forget this."
Gloria looked at me with a tender expression.
"I owe you a debt and am very grateful, so if you need me for anything, I'll help you completely."
"That's not why I did it, so it's fine."
"Still, I want to help, my dear."
My dear? Is she calling me that? A strange feeling welled up at the new term of endearment. It felt good, but also ticklish, and a smile escaped me.
"Even if you need to kill someone, don't hesitate to tell me."
What? I was startled and opened my eyes wide. It sounded familiar... I canceled the smile. I don't kill people. Gloria, leaning on her cane with the Laphireon family crest, turned her body. Finneas, holding Ailett, followed her. As Gloria walked, she turned her head to look at me and smiled.
"By the way, there's a rumor that the princess is after Theo. If you have any trouble or need help because of that, let me know."
"Huh?"
"Even if the person you want to kill is the emperor, I'll use all my strength to help you, my dear. Killing that brat is nothing."
'That brat' refers to the emperor, right? Killing the emperor... that's treason. Are you willing to commit treason for me?
"Also, when you have time, come see me. I have a lot to say to you."
After leaving a terrifying message calmly, Gloria left with Finneas and Ailett. The garden was filled with an awkward silence. The silence was broken by a cute voice.
"......Hot?"
Oops. Selphius was here! I quickly lifted my head. Selphius, who had heard all the conversation, tilted his head in confusion.
"Sel, Selphius, that's..."
"Your Highness, are you hurt? Do you have a fever?"
Seeing his eyes filled with genuine concern, I couldn't bring myself to speak. I looked at Terdeo for help, but he didn't seem to have anything to say.
"Umm... maybe."
I had to nod at the question about whether I had a fever. Selphius, startled, rushed to me, his feet shuffling.
"So, that's why you should be gentle! I'll go get you some soft stew!"
Seeing Selphius's enthusiasm, I couldn't say it wasn't necessary. I sighed softly and rubbed my forehead.
"Umm, yes... thank you."
With a strained smile, Selphius quickly ran out of the garden. I could hear him shouting, "Prepare the stew immediately! Make it soft!" from a distance.
"Kuk."
In the garden, now just the two of us, I heard Terdeo's suppressed laughter. He seemed to be trying to hold back his laughter, his eyes tightly closed.
"Don't laugh. I already feel bad for lying to Selphius."
"You handled it quite calmly for a lie."
"That's because...!"
I can't explain the real meaning to a child! I huffed, and Terdeo extended his large hand. His rough hand gently stroked my head.
"You were amazing today."
"......"
"You're a truly surprising person."
"Anyone would have acted like me, right?"
"No."
Terdeo shook his head firmly.
"No one could act like you."
For a moment, I thought I saw a soft smile on his face. I blinked in surprise, and the expression vanished.
His touch on my head made me feel strange. I averted my gaze awkwardly and swallowed hard. I heard a pleasant, deep laugh, and Terdeo stood up. His face, now hardened, exuded a menacing aura, making me think the soft smile was just my imagination.
"Shall we go find the clues to the ones who poisoned my wife now?"