Chapter 291
“They say they rank the talented children and give awards, too.”
“Then it isn’t just a concert. It’s a competition.”
This was the first Camilla had heard of it. He hadn’t said a word the last time they spoke on the communication orb. Why had he kept it a secret? Had he not wanted her to know?
“He said his skill was still far too lacking, and he didn’t want you to know. That he might not win any award.”
“What does an award even—”
Camilla, who had been about to say something like, Why would he care about something like an award? couldn’t finish.
For a moment, her past self flashed through her mind, and she subtly scratched her cheek.
I’m satisfied and honored just to be nominated? Are you kidding me? Not winning means they’re officially acknowledging I was worse than her. What kind of damned honor is that?
It was something she had always said when she lived as Isia. If you were nominated, then of course winning the award was the good part.
Are they insane? Who do they think they are, judging people with something as stupid as an award?
Just because our Dive doesn’t win an award doesn’t mean he’s worse than the other children! What does that stupid award even matter?
...Past me was wrong.
Why had she been like that? For the first time in a while, Camilla took a moment for self-reflection.
“Ah!”
As she briefly wondered how she could encourage Dive without putting pressure on him, her eyes suddenly lit up.
“This is it!”
“What is?”
Jayner gave her a puzzled look. Camilla looked back at him and slowly curled one corner of her mouth upward.
“The reason I have to go to Gracia.”
*****
“Lady Camilla, would you like another cup of coffee?”
“No. I’m fine.”
Camilla, who had been sitting in her café, lifted her head at the cautious voice.
When their eyes met, Meari blushed faintly as if embarrassed and lowered her head.
Hmm.
Maybe she was just shy by nature, because every time she spoke to Camilla, her face turned red like that.
I’d believe it if someone told me she and Sena were sisters.
Sena of House Sepra, that was. That kid also blushed every time she saw Camilla. If the two of them were put together, they might spend the whole day blushing at each other and never get anywhere.
“So? Is anything difficult?”
“No. Lila and Dorman help me so much that nothing is difficult at all.”
“I’m sure they do.”
“Pardon?”
“I said, that’s good.”
Dorman must be helping you with every ounce of his soul. Camilla looked at Dorman, who was hard at work cleaning off to one side.
Since when has he ever worked that passionately?
He was practically flailing himself to death to make sure Meari didn’t get stuck with any extra work.
These days, Dorman came to the café every single day without skipping or slacking off, helping with the work.
Watching him now, taking care of things on his own without even being told, was almost unbelievable.
Is this really the same guy who used to dump cleaning on Havel every chance he got?
Camilla quietly shook her head.
Still, well.
...it wasn’t bad.
Looking at Dorman’s face, which seemed more at ease than ever, Camilla gave a small laugh.
“Thank you so much.”
“There’s nothing to thank me for. I happened to need an employee anyway.”
“That too, but... my mother. Thank you, truly.”
Meari bowed deeply from the waist as she thanked her.
There was one more thing Camilla had done after hiring Meari as an employee. She had treated Meari’s mother.
Her leg was almost at the point of amputation.
It was as if one whole leg had nearly rotted through.
Apparently, she had been bitten by some insect when she went into the forest, and the wound had gradually begun to swell until pus filled it.
By the time she was shown to a healer, they had already missed the proper window, and the best they could do was slow the speed at which her leg rotted away.
That was why Meari had endured and clung to that bakery somehow, trying not to be kicked out. She had needed to earn her mother’s treatment costs.
Still young and inexperienced with society, she had far too easily believed that bastard when he said he would pay her overdue wages soon.
In any case, after learning Meari’s mother was ill, Camilla had gone straight to her home.
Her condition was more serious than expected. She could barely move, and the rotted area had not ended with her leg. It seemed to have affected her organs as well, because she was suffering from a high fever.
Still, well, treating her wasn’t hard.
Camilla had the holy power Arena had dumped on her, didn’t she?
Before the power of the holy power once held by none other than a saint, the illness Meari’s mother had suffered from for so long was not much of a problem.
I wonder if it’s all right to use it this freely.
At this rate, wasn’t an oracle going to come down? Something like, If you’re going to throw holy power around like that, gather believers in my name and build a temple.
Then I’ll tell it to take the holy power back.
It wasn’t as if I asked for it.
“It was employee welfare, so don’t worry about it.”
“But still...”
“If you’re grateful, work hard.”
“Yes!”
Meari nodded vigorously, smiled brightly, then hurried off to help Lila.
Then the two of them quietly disappeared somewhere. They had been doing that often lately. What were they up to?
“What did you talk about?”
Once Meari left her side, Dorman sidled over and spoke to her.
“About you. I was badmouthing you.”
“Ah, why? I haven’t done anything worth being cursed at lately!”
“So you do know you used to do a lot of things worth being cursed at.”
“Hehe.”
“...Don’t laugh.”
I’ll get attached. You and I aren’t supposed to get attached, are we?
Camilla looked at Dorman, who was grinning as if everything in the world delighted him, with a faintly pathetic expression before clicking her tongue lightly. Ever since Meari came, his laughter had gotten far too cheap.
“Only three days left now.”
“Yeah.”
Three days later, they would finally leave for the Gracia Empire. In the end, the Duke of Sorpel had given Camilla permission to go there.
Dive told me he really wanted me to come. He said it’s his first concert, so he’s very nervous. The other children all have their mothers coming... I want to go for him, at least.
...
I want to encourage him in person, and I want to see him perform, too... Won’t you allow it?
When Camilla informed him that Dive would be participating in an important concert and emphasized that the child desperately wanted her to come, permission finally fell from the Duke of Sorpel’s mouth.
It seemed his heart had wavered at the part about all the other children’s mothers coming.
You must never get involved in anything dangerous.
Yes!
Of course, he had not forgotten to add that warning. The look in his eyes, full of unease and suspicion, had been a bonus.
Had he sensed something? Like the feeling that she might go to the Gracia Empire and cause some kind of incident?
It’s not like I’m going there to cause trouble.
I’m going to find jewels.
“Hehe.”
“...Could you please not laugh like that? You sound exactly like a villain.”
“Shut up.”
Camilla kept grinning as she thought of the jewels Amy had told her were piled up to fill an entire room.
“Are you sure I don’t need to go with you?”
Dorman had been excluded from the group visiting the Gracia Empire this time.
“Why? Do you want to go?”
“Of course. I have a duty to care for you, Lady Camilla.”
“...”
...Then why are you backing away?
Watching Dorman slowly edge away from her, as if afraid she might actually take him along, Camilla gave him a dumbfounded look.
Of course he doesn’t want to go.
He probably didn’t want to spend even a moment away from the younger sister he had met again.
Is it because they were separated by death when they were young?
Were siblings supposed to be that affectionate? Just look at me and Ravi. We started fighting the moment our faces met.
Will they turn out like that too the moment everyone knows they’re siblings?
At the moment, they were terribly affectionate. Was there some pull between souls? It made sense for Dorman to feel fond of Meari, since he knew she was the reincarnation of his dead younger sister.
But...
What was strange was that even though Meari had not known him long, she seemed very fond of Dorman too.
She seemed more comfortable with Dorman than with Lila, who stuck close to her and taught her the work.
“Don’t slack off. Watch the shop properly.”
“Don’t worry. You can trust me.”
Relieved that he truly did not have to go with her, Dorman smiled brightly.
Seeing that made Camilla feel a perverse urge to drag him along for no reason.
“But are you really going to be all right alone?”
“I won’t be alone.”
“Pardon?”
“I’m going with someone.”
“...?”
Camilla spotted someone just then entering through the café’s front door, and a faint smile touched her lips.
“There he is.”
The person walking straight toward Camilla was Arsian.
Meanwhile.
“This is him holding flowers at the graduation hall. This one was taken yesterday when he had lunch with me.”
“Wow, they all came out so well.”
“Right? They came out really well. Camilla has this one too. She said it came out well and asked me for a copy.”
Sitting across from each other in the ingredient storeroom behind the café, Lila and Meari kept exclaiming in admiration as they looked at something.
Spread out on the small table were photographs of Camilla.