THTE 27

Chapter 27

Nibelia smiled brightly and gently bumped her head against Areph’s arm.

“Areph, did Nini wait long?”

“I heard a scream earlier, so… I was worried…”

“It’s okay! That was just Nini being dramatic. Sometimes it doesn’t even hurt, but I pretend it does on purpose.”

Adults would then give her treats or be a little kinder.

Nibelia whispered this as if revealing a trade secret.

“…So you’ve been pretending to be hurt all this time for that reason?”

Muniel was dumbfounded by her granddaughter’s cunning.

She let out a hollow laugh and grabbed each child by the hand.

But Areph quietly pulled his hand away and held Nibelia’s other empty hand instead.

Muniel’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Oh my. Did grandma just get rejected?”

“I have to protect the lady.”

Apologetically glancing at Muniel, Areph firmly insisted that he must fulfill the duty assigned to him.

“My, my.”

Muniel looked at Areph with admiration.

“How splendid. Yes, protect Nibelia just like that.”

“Yes!”

Areph answered enthusiastically.

“You truly are my subordinate!”

Nibelia nodded with a satisfied smile.

“Well then, let’s go to the main building quickly. You must receive the reward for this incredible feat you’ve accomplished.”

Arriving at the main building in Kaleo’s office, Nibelia was utterly surprised.

‘So many people…!’

The moment she entered the entrance hall, countless people welcomed Nibelia and Areph.

Fortunately, they were all people Nibelia knew.

Her mother and father, grandfather, secretary, and the subordinates from Rubeo company who delivered documents to her mother.

“Nini, Areph.”

Soles, who had arrived first, beckoned them over.

“Finally, everyone’s here.”

Kaleo stood in front of the children.

“The reason I summoned you is to commend the great deeds you accomplished as members of the Deiamor family.”

Nibelia asked,

“What do you mean by that?”

“I mean to praise you.”

Kaleo smiled slightly and gestured to the secretary beside him.

Seeing the secretary, Nibelia grinned mischievously.

“Secretary, secretary!”

“Hello, young lady. Seeing you tease me as soon as you see me makes my day.”

“Hehe, secretary, cry ‘secretary, secretary’!”

“I don’t cry like that…”

Taking the familiar teasing in stride, the secretary handed Kaleo what had been prepared.

On a blue cushion adorned with golden tassels lay three gold coins.

Kaleo handed one coin to each of the children.

“Thanks to you, the Deiamor family and Rubeo avoided significant losses. And you saved a girl in danger. Truly remarkable.”

Because Soles had diligently studied and memorized the meanings of flowers.

Because Areph could sense danger from his past experiences.

Because Nibelia noticed the girl trapped in the warehouse.

The greatest credit for this accomplishment undoubtedly went to the children.

“These gold coins are just a portion of the many rewards you will receive.”

“Will there be more than this?”

Nibelia, enthralled by the coins, jumped on the spot.

“Do you think Dad would stop at just this?”

Kaleo pouted, teasing that she was underestimating her father.

“You will each receive fifty million Uba for your efforts.”

The three children’s eyes went wide.

“Each of us?!”

“Yaaay!”

Nibelia collapsed in joy.

The Deiamor family and Rubeo presented the children with fifty million Uba each and a brooch made of pure gold as a token of gratitude.

A heart-shaped brooch representing the Deiamor family was pinned onto each child’s clothing.

The brooch, based on pure gold and decorated with small diamonds and red rubies, was valued on par with the reward money the children had received.

“It suits you well.”

Ardores complimented them, calling it lovely.

“Mom, may I hug each of them?”

Seletrina hugged each child tightly and kissed their cheeks.

“Thank you so much. You’ve been a great help to me as well.”

“Really?”

Soles spoke shyly. At ten years old, it was a little embarrassing to be kissed on the cheek in front of others.

But he was delighted to have helped his mother.

“Of course. You have no idea how proud I am of you.”

Seletrina explained in more detail what the children had accomplished.

“You rescued an injured person, punished the villain who tried to deceive us with lies, and thanks to the added damages clause in the contract, we can receive sufficient compensation.”

Most of the documents and income proofs submitted by the Plaud couple to the authorities had been false, but they had indeed earned money.

This so-called “black money” was dirty money obtained through criminal or illegal means.

And now, by contract, this money rightfully belonged to the Deiamor and Rubeo families who suffered losses.

‘…But it’s money they shouldn’t really keep.’

Rubeo was currently investigating the couple’s past activities. Once revealed, the money would be returned to the victims.

Furthermore, the Plaud couple’s criminal actions would be officially reported after additional investigation.

“Nini did it! She did a good deed too!”

“We’re really happy we could help.”

“I-I’m happy too…!”

The children were thrilled by their achievements.

The pride of having helped adults, and gratitude toward the adults who trusted them.

Their hearts were filled with soft, warm happiness.

“Thank you!”

Nibelia, learning from kindergarten, said a spirited thank-you.

“Thank you.”

“Th-thank you.”

Soles and Areph also followed suit.

The warm award ceremony came to an end.

Unfortunately, the adults had to return to work, leaving the children to go with Muniel and Ardores to the annex.

“Nini, do you like the brooch?”

Muniel asked.

“Hmm, I don’t know!”

Nibelia replied honestly.

“And Nini likes the money more!”

“That kid… Still, she didn’t say that in front of her father.”

“She might have been sad. Still, thanks for the brooch.”

Muniel and Ardores exchanged a quiet glance.

After attending kindergarten, Nibelia’s social skills had grown remarkably.

‘Hiring a private tutor would have been a disaster.’

One-on-one lessons weren’t bad, but Nibelia seemed better suited to socializing with peers.

“Grandma.”

“Yes?”

“Is that girl… fully recovered now?”

Nibelia asked about the victim’s condition.

The girl found in the flower farm warehouse was under fifteen years old.

When Deter first discovered her in the warehouse, her condition was critical.

So they covered her face and body with a blanket to hide her injuries; she wasn’t in a state a young Nibelia could bear to see.

Fortunately, thanks to Muniel and the physician’s care, the girl overcame the worst of it.

However, she still hadn’t regained consciousness and was now resting in a guest room in the annex.

“She’s no longer sick, but she hasn’t woken up yet.”

“Should we go visit her?”

Ardores suggested.

“You never know. Since you saved her, seeing you might wake her up.”

“No! A kiss!”

Nibelia remembered the trick from a fairy tale.

“If you kiss a sleeping princess, she’ll wake up!”

“If you secretly kiss a sleeping person, it’s sexual assault.”

Ardores stopped the children and repeated his warning.

“Whether they are asleep, unable to resist, or weaker than you, kissing someone without permission is a crime.”

“Going to jail…?”

Nibelia shuddered, remembering her brief five-second imprisonment for violating child labor laws.

“Yes. Without permission, a kiss could get you more than five years in prison.”

Nibelia trembled in fear.

“Five is bigger than four! That’s more than Nini’s age! Nini is four!”

“So never kiss anyone without permission.”

Ardores asked Soles and Areph if they understood.

The two boys nodded vigorously.

“Good.”

Before entering the annex, the children picked flowers from a nearby flower bed.

While Ardores trimmed the flowers, Muniel washed the children’s hands.

“But what’s the girl’s name?”

Soles asked.

“Hmm, probably ‘Azell.’”

“Probably?”

Muniel shrugged with a mysterious expression.

“Here it is.”

Opening one of the guest rooms, a pungent herbal smell filled the air.

Nibelia found the girl lying on the bed.

Her deep ochre hair spread widely like forest soil.

Though her complexion was pale, her breathing was regular and steady.

Faint freckles dotted the bridge of her nose like stars, and her lips were a soft pink.

“She’s sleeping…”

Nibelia whispered softly.

“Did those people hurt you…?”

Areph asked.

“Yes.”

Muniel answered honestly.

“She was trapped in the warehouse for a long time, didn’t eat properly, and her legs were bound with very tight ropes so she couldn’t move.”

Although there were signs of continued abuse, Muniel didn’t go into further detail.

“She should wake up soon so she can eat and regain strength.”

“Can grandma help her with her power?”

“Being a saint doesn’t mean you can do everything.”

In response to Soles’ concerned question, Muniel also smiled ruefully.

“A saint can save dying people, but it comes at a great cost. If we’re not careful, grandma could die.”

Soles and Areph’s eyes went wide at her words.

But Nibelia wasn’t particularly surprised.

Because she had known this fact even back when she was a cat.

“Still, since we did our best, don’t feel too bad.”