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CHAPTER~03
About three days later, the consequences of bringing the heroine into the mansion finally began to show.
“How is Mela adjusting?”
“Has she remembered anything yet?”
“I’m worried about her.”
At my question, Hubert let out a weary sigh before answering.
“Yes.”
“In fact, she’s adapting a little too well.”
“When I visited her room, I found every maid standing in a perfectly straight line, waiting for Miss Mela.”
“I’ve never seen anything like it in my life.”
“…Wait.”
“Are you saying Mela trained the maids?”
“That would be correct.”
I could hardly believe my ears.
I set down the stack of documents and stared at him in disbelief.
The servants of the Leella family could best be described in one phrase—an unruly bunch.
The previous Count had treated everyone equally regardless of rank or status.
Thanks to those values, I had grown up interacting freely with the servants.
I didn’t mind it, since I was used to it.
However, because everyone had so much freedom, the household lacked any real structure or discipline.
And yet a child who was barely five years old had somehow managed to train them.
Is she a genius?
As expected of the heroine with a brilliant future ahead of her.
You could tell she was extraordinary from the very beginning.
I couldn’t help but admire her before returning my attention to the paperwork.
I would soon be leaving for the capital, and I still had mountains of work to finish first.
“Oh, and Miss Mela requested a different room.”
“So I moved her to a larger one.”
“She said the first room had too much sunlight.”
Even after losing her memories and living under someone else’s roof, she wasn’t afraid to voice her opinions.
She really does have the heroine’s confidence.
I found myself admiring her all over again.
“…Perhaps she’s simply gifted?”
“Gifted or not, that child is anything but ordinary!”
Those destined to wear a crown had to bear its weight.
In that sense, Mela truly was the heroine.
Though it was admittedly strange how mature she seemed for a five-year-old.
Oblivious to my thoughts, Hubert raised his voice.
“Even if she’s lost her memories, she’s clearly different from children her age.”
“There’s something unusual about Miss Mela.”
“The more I watch her, the more she reminds me of you when you were young, Lady Evelyn.”
“…That’s a compliment, right?”
“Ahem.”
“It’s almost as though there’s an adult living inside that little body.”
“An adult?”
Only then did I begin taking his words seriously.
I fell into thought.
“Is she one of those children who acts like an old soul?”
“Oh, honestly…”
Come to think of it…
If I remembered correctly, this should have been around the time she suffered abuse at the hands of the Marquis Lopenter.
In the original novel, when the heroine was five years old, she endured relentless abuse disguised as “talent development.”
She had been subjected to harsh training, torture, and psychological abuse from an early age.
It was no wonder her way of thinking differed so much from that of ordinary children.
The more I thought about it, the more my heart ached.
I nearly teared up.
Even if hardships are essential for a heroine’s growth…
Wasn’t this backstory far too cruel?
At least there was one silver lining.
As long as Mela stayed here for the time being, she wouldn’t have to endure the abuse she suffered in the original story.
Embarrassed that I had nearly cried, I took it out on Hubert instead.
“Stop being so suspicious of her and treat her better, Hubert.”
“Don’t you know children get hurt when they’re treated like that?”
Honestly, what a cold-hearted old man.
Even after my scolding, Hubert answered in his usual stern tone.
“Hmph.”
“Don’t you know that the most harmless-looking children are often the ones you should be most cautious of?”
“To be honest, I simply don’t trust Miss Mela.”
Seriously, he’s as stubborn as ever.
I lifted my head—and immediately fell speechless.
“…Um, Hubert?”
“Since when did you start tying your bangs into two little antennae?”
Not only that, but the hair ties were bright pink with little ribbons attached.
He looked exactly like an uncle hopelessly doting on his niece.
Hubert calmly adjusted his glasses and replied with complete seriousness.
“Perhaps you haven’t heard, but this hairstyle is the latest trend in the Empire.”
…I’d rather spend my entire life never learning that.
* * *
To be honest, I hadn’t brought Mela into the mansion on a whim.
I knew exactly what kind of ending awaited the heroine in The Great Mage’s Devotion.
To put it simply…
It was a tragic ending.
The heroine devoted everything she had to making the man she loved become Emperor.
In the end, that very man killed her.
It was an utterly insane bad ending.
Naturally, readers erupted in outrage and demanded that the heroine be saved.
The author eventually decided to rewrite the ending entirely.
…Unfortunately, I had died before I ever got to read the revised version.
I only vaguely remembered shouting, “What kind of novel is this?!” while reading it in my hospital room.
My gaze drifted back to the note.
[Please give this child the name “Mela.”]
[I sincerely entrust her to your care.]
When I first read those words, I had been genuinely shocked.
At this point in time, I should have been the only person who knew the name Mela.
In the original novel, Kanna became the youngest Great Mage in history.
Instead of using her own name, she chose to call herself Mela.
It was the name of her biological mother.
Her full name was Melane.
I knew from the novel that Kanna had adopted that name to honor her lonely mother after her death.
And yet…
The person who entrusted Kanna to me also knew that name.
Who could it possibly be?
Unless they had transmigrated into this world like I had…
There was no way they should know it.
That was precisely why I had decided to keep Mela by my side.
I wanted to uncover the truth behind these mysteries.
And more importantly, I wanted to protect the heroine from the abuse she was destined to suffer.
You could call it a long-term investment.
Of course, before I could do any of that, there was one thing I needed to accomplish first.
Make money.
By sheer luck, I had obtained a piece of the rare ore Argenta.
Now I simply needed to sell it.
At present, the value of Argenta remained uncertain because of its rarity.
However, before long, it would become one of the most valuable resources in the Empire.
That was why my goal was to establish my position in the market before the Marquis Lopenter secured his monopoly.
If I succeeded, not only could I pay off the Leella family’s debts, but I could also revive the Carencia Merchant Guild.
I couldn’t help grinning to myself at the thought.
Just then—
“Wow!”
“So this is the capital, Countess?”
“There are so many people!”
Mela bounced excitedly as she looked around.
The day before our trip, she somehow learned that I was heading to the capital and stubbornly insisted on coming with me.
“If I go somewhere with lots of people…”
“Maybe I’ll remember something!”
She had even come up with an excuse that was impossible to argue against.
In the end, I had no choice but to bring her.
Still, I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that something might happen.
“Mela.”
“From now on, don’t call me ‘Countess.'”
“Just call me ‘Aunt.'”
“I’ll show you around later, but for now, don’t let go of my hand no matter what.”
“Understood?”
I pulled the hood of her robe over her head to hide her face and carefully reminded her again.
Regardless of whether she was connected to the Marquis Lopenter by blood, Mela was simply too adorable.
Especially in a crowded place like this.
Children were easy targets for criminals.
“Okay, Aunt!”
Mela nodded enthusiastically.
Her soft cheeks jiggled with the movement.
She was unbelievably cute.
There was only one thing I still couldn’t understand.
Why wasn’t Mela’s hair red?
According to the original novel, it should have been.
Unfortunately, asking her wouldn’t help.
Without her memories, she couldn’t answer that question either.
“Aunt?”
“Where are we going?”
“We’re going to work.”
“Your aunt has to earn a lot of money starting today.”
“Work?”
“Does that mean you’re finally escaping poverty?”
“…”
“Did Hubert teach you to say things like that?”
“Yes, it’s work.”
“That way I’ll be able to buy you everything you want to eat.”
“Yay!”
Either way, getting a front-row seat to scenes that had never existed in the original novel…
Perhaps that was one of the few privileges of being a transmigrator.
Holding Mela’s hand tightly, I made my way toward the bustling town square.
The capital was more crowded than usual.
Afraid of losing Mela in the sea of people, I held her hand so tightly that my palms began to sweat.
She looked up at me curiously.
“Aunt?”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Do you have anyone special?”
“Like a boyfriend… or a husband?”
“Hm?”
“No.”
“And I probably never will.”
“Wh-Why not…?”
What was I supposed to say?
Explaining divorce to a five-year-old was hardly appropriate.
“W-Well…”
“You know…”
“I really hope a wonderful man appears for you someday, Aunt!”
“Someone who’s super strong…”
“And really handsome!”
Just what has Hubert been teaching this child…?
My head was beginning to ache when—
Boom!
A ceremonial firework exploded overhead.
“I’m not scared at all!”
“That’s a relief.”
Afraid the loud noise might frighten her, I quickly covered her ears.
Mela simply laughed and bounced excitedly in place.
I reached for her hand again, intending to continue through the crowd.
Then I overheard the people behind us talking.
“Did you hear?”
“His Grace the Duke of Decart is taking part in today’s victory parade.”
“The Decart knights earned tremendous merit during the monster subjugation campaign.”
“Just as expected of the Empire’s hero.”
The familiar name stopped me in my tracks.
After spending two months leading the campaign against the monsters…
Frezen had returned.
And of all days…
It had to be today.
The moment I decided I absolutely had to avoid him and hurried to leave—
“Mela?”
Mela was staring intently at something.
I followed her gaze.
A happily married couple stood nearby.
“Mela…”
“Did you remember something?”
“No…”
“I’m just jealous.”
“I wonder what my parents were like.”
“I hope they were really strong and amazing people.”
“…”
She tried not to show it, but she clearly longed for a family.
Even without her memories, the thought of her parents still left an empty space in her heart.
Just as I opened my mouth to comfort her—
“Mela, your parents…”
“Ah!”
The crowd surged forward to watch the victory parade.
I was shoved from every direction.
“Mela!”
I scrambled to my feet and desperately searched for her.
Neigh!
A horse let out a loud cry somewhere nearby.
I forced my way toward the sound.
There she was.
Mela was standing directly in front of one of the men participating in the victory parade.
A strange sense of déjà vu washed over me.
The moment I saw the man’s face, my blood ran cold.
Because he was someone I knew all too well…
Someone I desperately wished I could forget.
It was Frezen.
“N-No…”
A terrible premonition gripped my heart.
I pushed through the crowd as fast as I could.
“Who are you?”
The man glared down at Mela with cold, intimidating eyes.
Then Mela spread her tiny arms wide and beamed brightly at him.
“…Daddy!”
