Sir Borba was unquestionably a nobleman who held the title of knight.
As the second son of a wealthy Baron family, instead of inheriting the Baron title, he was content with a knight’s title and received a substantial inheritance, which he used to establish the Borba Troupe.
A well-known figure in the capital with a handsome face—handsome enough that he had worked as an actor in his youth while hiding his noble status—who also possessed the kindness to care for orphans like Leticia.
Like many orphans in the troupe, Leticia called him father.
He was the first guardian she ever had.
He was the first person she treated as a parent, and the first adult who called her family.
“You said only Brother Luka survived from the Borba Troupe. Now suddenly there’s Sir Borba?”
“Si-Sir Borba wasn’t a tr-troupe member but the owner, and a no-nobleman.”
Leticia quickly recalled her memories from 10 years ago.
At that time, people were saying everyone in the Borba Troupe had died.
Later, the Emperor said a few had survived, but Sir Borba wasn’t on that list, and above all—
“During the fire 10 years ago, everyone near the stage died, yet the troupe master who was in the innermost office of the troupe somehow survived?”
She clearly remembered seeing Sir Borba arriving that morning and entering his office.
Since Leticia had never forgotten that day 10 years ago, she naturally believed Sir Borba had died.
“Th-that’s right.”
When Leticia fell silent, Chester, seemingly afraid that the snake-shaped water might swallow him again, hurriedly continued.
“Ru-rumors of his death did spread, but, no, 10 years ago, then, yes. He was severely injured at that time, so, um, he stayed only in his mansion, so such false rumors—”
“…Then how do you know about this person who supposedly never leaves his mansion? How do you know Sir Borba sent these people?”
“Because I contacted him.”
Chester, seeming regretful, slowly added while wiping the moisture from his face with trembling hands.
This time, he didn’t stutter. It wasn’t just any words spilled out of fear, but something that sounded like truth.
“Five years ago, there, yes. I really did meet Luka at Eiri’s funeral. Sir Borba was there too. Next to Luka.”
“….”
“He was limping, leaning on a cane. Actually, he was almost leaning entirely on Luka as he moved, which surprised everyone at the funeral that day. I was one of them.”
Chester said that despite his condition, Sir Borba greeted everyone at the funeral one by one, in a manner unbefitting a nobleman but just as kind and courteous as before.
As he spoke, Chester couldn’t meet Leticia’s eyes.
As if he knew his next words would hurt her.
“That day at the funeral, Sir Borba quietly told several actors, including me, that he had helped you, a death row inmate, escape and sent you far away. He asked us to stall for time if you ever came looking, and to contact him.”
“….”
“No matter how young you were, it wasn’t right to just release an arsonist who killed so many people…”
The Empire’s youngest death row inmate.
The arsonist behind the Borba Troupe’s great fire.
The infamous titles that had been thrust upon Leticia 10 years ago.
“…Did Sir Borba really say that I set fire to the troupe and killed all my family?”
Chester hung his head.
That was answer enough, but Leticia couldn’t help asking again for confirmation.
“He said that a 10-year-old girl who called him father burned down his house?”
“….”
“You said Brother Luka was there, too. What did he say about that? No. Grandfather Chester, is everything you’ve said so far actually true? If it’s all lies—”
“Ask those people lying over there if what I’m saying is true or not.”
The five or six intruders were still unconscious, piled in a corner of the living room.
Leticia bit her lip. She wanted to know the truth, but also didn’t want to know.
In place of the silent Leticia, Chester, with tightly clenched trembling hands, spoke.
“I just did as Sir Borba asked, I don’t know anything else. Honestly, I don’t want to know either. What your circumstances are, why Sir Borba did what he did, and who those people are.”
“….”
“For a commoner like me, just knowing could be dangerous.”
Chester asked her to knock him unconscious rather than let him hear her interrogate those people, and Leticia did so.
Too much had changed since 10 years ago.
She was no longer an ignorant commoner like Chester, being pushed around by circumstances.
And that made it more painful than knowing nothing at all.

***

Chamuka was truly out of his mind.
He had chased after Leticia on horseback for 3 days without sleep, then remained unconscious for 10 days, and immediately after waking, rode with his eyes wide open for another 3 days to the imperial capital.
At this point, even a normal human—let alone someone from Basilinte—would be out of their mind.
His brain, so addled that even Chamuka himself didn’t know how far gone he was, contained only one proposition: ‘I must see Leti.’
Thanks to Aina, Chamuka’s appearance had improved from a deranged beggar in a back alley to a deranged handsome man, and he headed toward the address on the troupe’s performance poster.
It was already the middle of the night with stars scattered across the sky. The troupe’s performance had already ended, and only thieves and the security forces chasing them were out at this hour, but he didn’t have enough presence of mind to consider that.
He stood before the empty theater, slowly raised his head to read the troupe’s sign, then looked back at the performance poster.
Confirming he was at the right place, he slowly circled around the theater.
As if Leticia might be hiding somewhere around it.
His eyes were more like those of a predator searching for prey than a human’s.
The perfectly rational decision to return to Colin’s house and wait was nowhere in Chamuka’s mind right now.
And surprisingly, this time Chamuka’s instinct was right rather than his reason.
He discovered a figure crouched between randomly stacked boxes behind the theater.
Leticia, sitting there crying like a child thrown out of home, with nowhere to go.
Though her face was buried between her knees and not visible, it was definitely Leticia.
Her sobbing, so faint it was barely audible, sounded louder than thunder to Chamuka’s ears.
From the moment he found her, his mind went blank and he couldn’t think of anything.
Chamuka placed his hand on Leticia’s faintly trembling shoulder.
Startled by his touch, Leticia raised her head from between her knees.
Cheeks wet with tears and a reddened nose. Her purple eyes, overflowing with tears, gazed at Chamuka.
Her expression crumpled upon recognizing him, and then an even greater sob broke out.
Like a child abandoned alone on the street who finally found an adult to comfort them.
In Basilinte, at least, they had given Leticia that much assurance.
That much affection.
“Cha-Chamuka…”
Leticia’s arms wrapped around Chamuka’s neck. And she cried with her head buried in his shoulder.
Chamuka froze, awkwardly embraced by her.
This was Chamuka’s first meeting with Leticia since his curse was lifted.
He greeted Leticia, who had thrown herself into his arms with a tear-stained face, completely unprepared…
And Chamuka’s world came to a standstill.