Chapter 22
‘I’m, I’m being kicked out?’
Unaware of Lima’s inner turmoil, Kalarov continued speaking.
“Of course, I will continue to take care of your living expenses and education. However, I think it’s also good for you to try earning your own spending money.”
“That sounds fun!”
Rubens stretched his arms high into the air, showing his enthusiasm.
“What kind of work should I do?”
“I’ll inform the employees beforehand, so you just need to help them with their tasks. Pulling weeds, helping with cleaning, that sort of thing.”
Kalarov finished his explanation, promising to prepare tasks that were not difficult, then sent the children out of his study.
“Ah.”
Kalarov called out to Lima.
“About what I mentioned earlier.”
“Yes?”
“Behind the picture frame.”
“…Ah! Ah, yes!”
Lima flustered, straightening her posture.
“Did you find the car? Was there evidence?”
“…Yes.”
Kalarov’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
But Lima, not noticing this, sighed with relief, clutching her chest.
“Thank goodness…”
“I called you for that reason. You may leave now.”
“……”
“Anything else to say?”
“Ah, no…!”
Lima bowed her head and hurriedly left the study.
After confirming the door was firmly shut, Kalarov looked back down at the documents. Yet something was bothering him, so he raised his head again.
The firmly closed door.
The girl who was just here.
“Did you find the car? Was there evidence?”
The hopeful eyes, the healthier complexion.
The slightly fuller cheeks, the more vivid pink hair.
That wasn’t what was bothering him.
“Miss Gonja, what is this…?”
“A, an empty bankbook?”
The pronunciation.
“Did you find the car? Was there evidence?”
“Thank goodness…”
“Ah, no…!”
The previously clumsy pronunciation became clear the moment she mentioned the picture frame.
‘Was it easier to pronounce because they were short and simple words?’
The uneasy feeling wouldn’t easily fade.
Still, Kalarov decided to bury his suspicion for now.
After all, this was a child he had taken in for sponsorship.
‘It’s my responsibility to bear until she reaches adulthood. It wouldn’t be right to prejudice the child with unnecessary suspicion.’
Steeling his mind, he returned to reviewing the papers.
[The one who said there was embezzlement evidence behind the frame?]
However, Muniel’s note popped into his head again, sharpening his vigilance.
After leaving the study, Lima stared blankly at the pay slip in her hand.
Her head felt numb, as if someone had suddenly struck it with a club.
‘…Is she crazy?’
Telling me to work?
To labor?
‘Doesn’t he suspect I might be his daughter yet? Anyone can see I inherited Mom’s pink hair!’
Growing anxious, Lima fiddled with her hair.
Her beautiful pink hair was inherited from the late wife of the duke.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.
‘Even if you handed me jewels or land deeds right now, it wouldn’t be enough!’
An allowance like a child’s game.
Worse, she had to help the employees with their work and write it down in a notebook just to receive it.
‘I’m the lost daughter of Duke Daygladis! What kind of labor is this for me? That’s something only employees do!’
The duke’s daughter doesn’t earn money this way.
‘I’m supposed to find talented people to work for me! That’s the only labor I should do!’
A child prodigy being exploited.
Or a jewelry craftsman needing money for a seriously ill family member.
If she found and helped them, the labor would be over.
The rest would be taken care of by a handsome and capable father, older brothers, and devoted male leads and subordinates who adored her.
‘I just have to enjoy sweet snacks and fragrant tea, occasionally worry a little in between!’
As Lima angrily huffed, laughter echoed in her ears.
Turning toward the source of the sound, she saw Al and Rubens.
Rubens cheerfully spoke with a flushed face.
“It really feels like we’re adults now! Right, brother?”
“Yeah. It’s refreshing.”
Al pretended to be unaware he had recommended this but acted as if he knew nothing.
“I think it’s a good idea. We don’t know how important and hard labor is. It’ll definitely be a good experience.”
“Ooooh! Brother said something cool!”
“Rubens, you’re cool too.”
They looked like affectionate brothers.
A heartwarming sight to any onlooker, but to Lima, it was filled with unease and danger.
‘Why don’t they fight?’
Why are they so close?
Lima had never seen the two brothers fight.
At most, Rubens would whine to play with Al, and Al would easily join in, resolving the fuss quickly.
‘That’s weird. According to what I wrote, they should be threatening each other with swords and magic to decide who gets to eat snacks first….’
Ah!
Pale-faced, Lima dashed quickly down the corridor.
“…Wow, she’s really fast.”
Rubens admired Lima as she passed by them.
“She must be healthy now.”
“Yeah.”
Al smiled slightly.
“I heard earlier that her tongue seems healed too.”
“Do you think so, brother?”
Rubens pointed to himself, indicating he heard it too.
“Her pronunciation was very clear earlier. Must be because of the money.”
“Money?”
“Grandma Muniel said before: money is a cure-all. Most things can be solved with money.”
“Ha ha, that’s true.”
Al smiled meaningfully as he looked toward the direction Lima ran.
“Looks like quite a materialistic sickness.”
Back in her guest room, Lima rifled through a bookshelf. She took out a bundle of papers hidden behind some novels that contained the story’s settings.
‘I hadn’t paid attention because it’s still early in the story…’
Her fingers quickly skimmed through what she had written.
“…This!”
Her finger finally stopped.
“Yes! This! Magic addiction!”
The Daygladis family, who led victory in a war 40 years ago, suffered a terrible side effect called magic addiction.
This was passed down through their blood to their children.
People with magic addiction were always angry, easily agitated, and lost their morality.
‘As a saint, I can cure magic addiction. Actually, I’m a saint whose holy power is sealed.’
The holy power sealed within Lima purifies the magic, clearing people’s minds. Unconsciously feeling this, the Daygladis people become obsessed with her.
“But why….”
Staring hard at the setting, Lima muttered in a crushed voice.
“Why, why is it so peaceful?”
News spread that the saint would hold mass on a weekend morning after a long time. People from all over the empire flocked to the capital.
Wearing white and black mantillas on their heads, clutching old rosaries received in childhood, they prayed.
“Everyone.”
Muniel, dressed in white saintly robes for the first time in a while, began her blessing-filled sermon to the crowded congregation.
“Please, do not come to worship early on weekend mornings.”
Those waiting for the saint’s words thought they had misheard.
“The great God in heaven blesses your health and late sleep, so please do not call upon this old saint on weekend mornings.”
I’m not as young as I used to be.
But those priests don’t even bring a chair.
My back hurts, and my joints ache here and there.
I shouldn’t have delivered that flying kick to the late emperor’s head 40 years ago.
“……”
“……”
The congregation’s faces gradually hardened.
“Cooowww…”
In the middle of this, a snoring sound was heard somewhere.
“Look over there.”
Muniel pointed sadly somewhere.
“That child, brought early in the morning just to hear the saint’s words, is suffering so.”
“Ummm…”
Nibellia, asleep in Kaleo’s arms, whined.
The mantilla wrapped around her head had long become a blanket, and drool dripped from her slightly parted small lips.
“Listening to my sermon will not guarantee your place in heaven. God does not forgive your sins because of it.”
The saint made the sign of the cross and clasped her wrinkled hands.
“Look around, practice kindness and consideration. That is the shortcut to heaven. Especially those who smoke on the street—guaranteed to go to hell, and I won’t let it go even after I’m dead.”
The saint’s mass ended like that.
Leaving the temple, Kaleo sighed deeply, holding the still-sleeping Nibellia.
“I always wonder, why is my mother a saint?”
“I think it’s a good thing.”
Seletina looked at the long line.
Muniel’s shocking sermon was a big surprise, but she did not neglect her duties.
“You’ve come a long way. From now on, pray at your local temples and practice your devotion by showing love to your neighbors. That alone is sure to lead you to heaven.”
“Are your knees okay? I’ve gotten older too, so I understand and empathize more.”
“Oh dear, you didn’t eat breakfast? Make sure to eat it from now on. If your parents try to drag you to the temple, run away well.”
Muniel placed her hands on the heads of the worshippers who came a long way to see her, blessing them.
Meeting each person’s eyes, listening to their stories, and giving words for them.
“Thanks to my mother, the temple no longer rules with power in the name of God, and the royal family no longer fears the temple, so they can pay more attention to the people’s welfare.”
Seletina smiled, thinking ‘good things are good things.’
