Chapter 19
“…So this is what you brought back?”
Marsha stared at the mountain of apples filling the small room in the temple with a look of utter dismay.
It wasn’t just that the room was full — several apples had even rolled out into the corridor.
‘That is… quite a lot.’
“Well, yeah.”
An hour ago, Esha had finally realized that when I said I wanted an apology, I literally meant an apple — since the word for both was the same.
After asking several times to confirm, she’d ended up giving me an absurd number of apples and added,
[Don’t think this is over. I’m someone who always pays her debts in full!]
That was a line fit for a villain’s final exit, not for handing over fruit, but apparently Esha thought it worked either way.
Since the quantity was far too much to carry, I called for Shirin.
If anyone could move all this easily, it was her.
Her method was simple — lift the apples with the wind and make them float gently through the air.
A pile of apples, yes, but each one light as air.
Now, after her “great” labor, Shirin was boasting to Seraphina.
“Who am I, if not the Great Spirit of Wind, the mighty Shirin herself!”
Meanwhile, Seraphina was impressed only by the apples.
She was holding slices Marsha had peeled for her, one piece in each hand, alternating bites as she munched happily.
Not that she could eat much, of course.
‘I remember hearing you shouldn’t let little kids eat too many apples… right?’
Too much fruit could upset a child’s stomach.
Maybe that’s why—
“Fu-eh?”
The apple feast was over far too soon.
Seraphina looked at her empty hands, spread her fingers wide, and even peeked under herself, as if she might’ve dropped a piece.
Then, realizing she’d eaten it all, she came running straight to me.
“I wan’ more appul—”
“No. You already had plenty.”
Marsha, ever the experienced caretaker of younger siblings, was firm. Not even the chubby cheeks and starry eyes could sway her.
Me?
I didn’t even dare meet Seraphina’s gaze. Who could resist that?
Naturally, Seraphina was quick to sense my weakness.
She gave up on the immovable Marsha, toddled over to me, and—
“Pwease.”
Ah.
“Pwease, give appul!”
Her small hands came together desperately.
And when I didn’t respond, she said it again, just to make sure I’d heard.
‘I’m going to lose it.’
– The goddess Ludina is appalled by your cold-heartedness.
– The goddess Ludina shakes her head, wondering how you can withhold apples after seeing that.
Even the divine dust mites that usually stayed quiet were getting loud again.
‘Be quiet.’
As if I wanted to be heartless!
‘I’m the one suffering here.’
Still, those Marceline apples must have been just perfect for the little saint’s taste.
“You should get ready for bed now.”
But instead of letting Marsha pick her up, Seraphina wriggled free — and then used her ultimate move.
She poked her own cheeks with her index fingers, tilted her head, and chirped—
“Cute face!”
‘Oh no.’
Bank accounts have limits. Cuteness does not.
I learned that today.
“Khmm.”
Even Marsha, who’d been holding herself back well, had to cover her mouth to stifle a laugh.
‘Maybe… just one more apple wouldn’t hurt?’
I mean, look at her!
‘Wait, no.’
I had almost picked up another apple before catching myself.
Seraphina was still holding that same “cute face” pose.
Adorable enough to be lethal to the heart — but something about it didn’t sit right.
‘Don’t tell me… she thinks she has to act cute to get what she wants?’
That wasn’t affection; it was performing for a reward.
“Who taught you that?”
Who dared teach our Seraphina such a thing?
I said aloud—
Whoosh!
The wind sprite that had been loitering nearby suddenly dispersed.
‘Oh, you little—’
* * *
Shirin was back soon enough — and promptly punished.
Being bound by contract meant she couldn’t actually run away.
When she reappeared, she had a sign hung around her neck.
“I used the wind for personal pleasure and selfish desires.”
She flapped her wings dramatically, groaning as if the sign were heavy.
‘What a show.’
She’s a spirit, not a real bird — she doesn’t even need lift to float.
‘I can see you’re supporting the sign with wind, you faker.’
“So cruel! You enjoyed it too, contractor! I saw the corners of your mouth go—”
“Shirin, dismissed.”
Like a true villain, I cut her off before she could say anything incriminating.
Then I scooped up Seraphina, who was clinging to my leg.
“Seraphina, you’re adorable even when you don’t do cute tricks. The reason you can’t have more apples is just because your tummy might hurt, okay? Not for any other reason.”
I patted her head gently, keeping my voice soft so she wouldn’t worry.
Her shoulders, which had been tense, relaxed a little as she looked up at me.
“Then… apple tomorrow?”
“Yes. So tonight, let’s brush teeth and go to bed, hm?”
“Mm…”
I waited a bit for her to digest, then tucked her into bed.
She didn’t fuss — just drifted off, mouth slightly open, breathing quietly.
I watched her sleep, looking like any other peaceful child, and thought—
‘The grown-up Seraphina was never like this.’
The first time I met her was in the slums — wary of me, yet stuffing bread into her mouth as if afraid someone would steal it away.
‘The second time was here, in the temple.’
Back then, she had only recently awakened to her holy power.
The life of being called a “saint” was so different from before — joyful, yes, but also fragile. She acted “holy” out of fear that if she slipped, she’d be sent back to the streets.
That same anxious look overlapped now with the little Seraphina begging for apples.
I didn’t want her to grow up believing she had to prove herself just to deserve what she needed.
Once the curse was lifted, her memories would return, and she’d become an adult again.
But for now — I just wanted her childhood to be peaceful.
‘Right now, I’m her guardian.’
Once I made sure she was sound asleep, I pulled the blanket back over her and left quietly.
Then I sat down with Marsha in the next room. We had things to discuss.
“I withdrew all the funds from the stock sales, as you ordered.”
“Good work, Marsha.”
Before the royal ball began, I had sold off all my stocks — particularly the political ones.
I’d dumped everything before the inevitable crash hit, even shorting some of them — and walked away with a tidy sum.
Short positions, of course, were risky — if prices rose, you lost money. It required constant monitoring, so Marsha had been handling that side for me.
“Um… do you plan to buy more stocks?”
“Nope. I’ll hold cash for now.”
Marsha sighed in relief.
She’d been nervous about managing such large sums.
That was fine. I could handle the big decisions — after all, I was the one who knew the future.
And for the moment, staying out of the market was best.
‘A panic sell-off is coming soon. Prices will nosedive.’
In such times, cash was king.
That handled, we moved on to the real topic.
“You said Lady Marceline might’ve recovered some memories?”
“Not all — just a few.”
Esha was never a good actress. She hadn’t grown up in a life where one could afford to hide things well.
“Aren’t you disappointed?”
“Not really. If anything… I’m relieved.”
Esha already carried more than enough burdens.
A struggling estate, a greedy father who saw her only as a bargaining chip for marriage, and a secret affection for a knight she could never confess to.
Yet despite all that, she’d always cared for her people — those even less fortunate than herself.
If that Esha regained her memories completely…
She’d probably come find me, no matter what it took, just to help.
‘That’s the kind of person she is.’
“I can’t let someone like that overextend herself for my sake.”
If it were someone shady or rich, I wouldn’t hesitate to take advantage — but with Esha? I’d never sleep at night.
“Just knowing that it’s possible — that someone might remember me again — is enough.”
That possibility alone made it easier to keep going.
Still… one question lingered.
‘Then who’s the other one?’
The one who remembered me perfectly.
