“It’s fine! Mommy, let’s go!”

“Mommy can’t go outside.”

“Then Eve will go with Aunt Greeta!”

Her bright, eager eyes darted to Greeta, who stood quietly to the side.

“…”

“Auntie!”

Eve ran over and tugged insistently at her hand.

For a long moment Greeta remained still in silence, but then—at last—she gave a small nod.

“Yay! I get to go with Auntie!”

Eve squealed with delight and threw her arms around her.

Lea’s eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected agreement, but Greeta only blinked slowly, as though to reassure her, before gesturing lightly toward the hall.

‘I’ll get the young master’s permission.’

Even Greeta seemed to think Eve had endured enough. The child had been restless for days, and Lea herself had suffered no less for trying to keep her confined.

Lea could not leave, but perhaps Eve could. After all, the girl had already been seen by Shed Lester.

🌺⟡───⟡🌺 🌺⟡───⟡🌺

“They asked for more money at the temple?”

Eclace frowned where he sat, legs crossed as he went through his daily reports.

“Yes. They claim it’s needed for construction funds.”

Of course. Always someone with their hand out.

“What’s wrong with the temple they already have?”

“They say they want to build a prayer hall to bless the safe return of ships…”

Eclace gave a short, incredulous laugh.

So, they wanted to exploit fear of the sea to squeeze out more donations by building another hall?

‘The temple here isn’t enough for them?’

He thought of the priest who had recently arrived in Scizlon. Knowing it was a wealthy city, priests here always seemed eager to line their own pockets. But this one was worse than most.

Upon hearing that he had been spreading rumours about ships sinking just to frighten sailors into paying more, Eclace realized that he was more of a swindler than a priest.

If it were up to Eclace, he would have expelled the man from Scizlon immediately. However, the affairs of the temple were beyond the authority of a lord.

“Reject the request.”

Eclace answered with clear irritation. The temple was far from his only problem. There were greater headaches to contend with—like Shed Lester, who had been appearing at his doorstep day after day.

“That girl… her name was Eve, wasn’t it?”

“…And why are you asking?”

“It seems strange to me that you have a daughter. Where was her mother from?”

The way he spoke of Eve was unsettling—like a beast catching the scent of prey.

At that moment, the sound of brisk footsteps broke the tension as Greeta appeared to summon him. Already on edge from his thoughts of Shed, Eclace reacted sharply.

“What is it?”

‘I came to ask your permission to take Eve outside,’ Greeta signed.

Eclace frowned, hesitant. Greeta quickly added.

‘She’s been shut away for five days now and is restless. Miss Lea looks exhausted from trying to keep her occupied. If this goes on, Eve may attempt to slip out on her own again.’

Greeta thought of the little girl straining on tiptoe, clutching the doorknob as though she might fling it open by force.

Eclace pressed his fingers to his temple and exhaled. He knew well that Eve was livelier than most children. She loved nothing more than to run and play outdoors.

‘She would love to see Scizlon…’

The thought of her eyes lighting up at the sight of the bustling market, the grand harbor, or the glittering temple made his resolve falter.

“I’ll speak to her first.”

He said at last, turning back toward the room where Lea and Eve were staying.

The moment the door opened, Eve—who had been sulking for days over being kept inside—sprang forward as if she had been waiting all along.

“Daddy!”

“Eve.”

“Come outside with me!”

She flung her small arms around his leg and looked up at him, eyes sparkling like twin emeralds—the very same shade her mother’s had been.

‘D*mn it…’

One look into those pleading eyes, and his refusal melted like butter against a hot pan.

“You really want to go out that badly?”

“Mhm!”

Her little head bobbed eagerly.

How could he resist?

Truthfully, Eclace had long wanted to show Lea the world beyond her room. She wanted to let her ride the camels brought in from the desert, marvel at the towering galleons in the harbour and pick out bright blossoms she would love.

“Very well, Eve. Then let’s go out and have a look around.”

At last, Eclace could not withstand the weight of Eve’s pleading eyes. The moment he gave permission, she broke into a radiant smile and began bouncing up and down in delight.

“Yay! Daddy’s the best! Can Mommy come too?”

“I’m sorry, but not this time. Would it be all right if you went with Aunt Greeta instead?”

He gently stroked her hair. Although she looked slightly disappointed at first, the prospect of going outside soon cheered her up. When Lea cast him an anxious glance, Eclace nodded reassuringly in response. In a city as vast and crowded as Scizlon, it was unlikely that Eve would bump into Shed. Even if that did happen, though, Shed was already aware of the child’s existence.

“But listen, Eve—there are many dangers outside, so you must stay close to Aunt Greeta at all times. Understood?”

“Yes!”

Eve darted straight to Greeta’s side, clutching her hand with eager determination. For the first time in days, a small smile softened Greeta’s usually impassive face.

🌺⟡───⟡🌺 🌺⟡───⟡🌺

“Woooow!”

Cradled in Greeta’s arms, Eve could not stop gasping in awe. Her little mouth was wide open as she cried out with delight again and again.

For a girl who had lived on a small island all her life, the Scizlon market was like stepping into a museum where the whole world had been brought together.

“Auntie Greeta! Look at that! And over there! Is that something you eat?”

Her voice rang out a hundred times more excitedly than usual as she frantically pointed left and right. There was a gleaming golden mermaid statue, monkeys painted in bright colors, hats so tall and ornate that they seemed to scrape the ceiling and an enormous horn whose origins she could not begin to guess.

The air was thick with exotic fragrances and the clamour of voices rose into a vibrant symphony. Eve’s eyes spun this way and that, overwhelmed by the wonders at every turn.

“Auntie, what’s that one?”

‘That’s a chatelaine, noblewomen carry them at their waist.’

“And that?”

‘A cabinet with a folding table attached.’

“And that one?”

‘A good-luck charm doll for superstitions.’

“What’s a superstition?”

“……”

Greeta could only tickle Eve’s palm in response, doing her best to keep up with the barrage of questions. For the first time in a long while, she was acutely aware of her inability to speak. Yet Eve hardly minded her silence. She was too busy shifting her gaze to the next curiosity to remember her own questions, forgetting them the moment something new caught her attention.

“Auntie, is that a lime or a melon?”

Eve blinked up at the fruit piled high on a vendor’s stand. The glossy, pale green orbs looked like limes or lemons—but they were far too big.

‘Pomelo,’ Greeta signed.

“Po…melo? Then it’s a melon?”

Eve’s words made Greeta smile. When she caught the fruit seller’s eye, the man—who knew her well—quickly peeled open a pomelo and offered a plump slice to Eve.

“It’s like a melon, but it tastes like an orange!”

Eve nibbled at the oversized piece with her small mouth. Although it looked like orange flesh, the pulp was much larger, with each translucent pearl bursting with a sweet and tart flavor on her tongue. Her eyes widened in wonder.

“It’s delicious! Auntie, try some too!”

Eager to share, she held out the slice of cake she had bitten into, its surface damp with saliva. Greeta only chuckled, ruffled the girl’s hair, and shook her head.

‘You can eat it all yourself, Eve.’

“I want to bring this home.”

Eve immediately thought of her mother, who was waiting alone in their room. She loved lemons and oranges — how could she possibly enjoy something this delicious by herself?

‘We’ll buy some before we go back,’ Greeta promised with a glance.

Satisfied, Eve nodded and happily chewed another piece of pomelo as they continued through the market.

At the far edge, the road spilled out toward Scizlon Harbor. The vast port stretched in a long line of docks. The smell of the sea here was sharper and brinier than on Janna Island.

Cannon barrels wide enough for Eve to crawl into gaped like iron mouths. Ropes lay piled in heaps taller than a hill. Men scraped barnacles from hulls, laborers strained beneath massive crates, donkeys pulled heavily laden carts, and sailors with salt-stained skin bustled past, reeking of sweat and brine.

When she tilted her head back so far her neck ached, Eve finally caught sight of the masts, their tips vanishing into the clouds. The ships towered so impossibly vast that she could scarcely believe they were real.

“What kind of ship does my daddy sail?”

Gazing at the vessels, both big and small, she asked him. She knew he always travelled to and from the island by boat, but she had never been told what kind.

Of course, Greeta could not reveal that most of the ships here were there thanks to her father’s investments. Instead, she simply pointed to a modest yet respectable-sized merchant vessel.

“Still so big!”

Eve grinned, nodding proudly as if that were more than enough.

Then, her wandering eyes caught on a dazzling white structure across the bridge.

“Auntie, what’s that?”

Her little finger, sticky with pomelo juice, pointed straight at the Scizlon temple.

On hidden Janna Island there had been neither priests nor temples. To Eve, the very idea was foreign. And this temple—though smaller than the great sanctuaries of the Empire—was famed for its beauty and splendor. To her eyes, it was simply magical.

‘Do you want to see it?’

Greeta’s eyes asked silently.

Eve nodded at once.

Greeta carried her across the bridge. A wide square opened up before them, with a magnificent fountain at its centre. Beyond that stood the temple with its bell tower. Carved from marble that shimmered in shades of white, pink and pale blue, every stone was intricately patterned.

The Temple of Scizlon radiated its own mysterious, holy light.

The temple looked as though someone had painted the sky itself onto its marble walls, blending shades of rose-pink dusk, white sunlight and soft blue.

In the center of the square stood a fountain adorned with statues of gods and saints, shimmering in the sunlight with a rainbow arcing across its spray.

“Put me down!”

As they reached the square, Greeta set Eve gently on her feet.

“Auntie, look—pigeons by the fountain!”

The moment her shoes touched the ground, Eve darted off, laughing as she chased after the flock gathered peacefully by the fountain.

Then—

“Out of the way!”

A carriage cut across the square, its wheels turning sharply toward where Eve ran.

“!”

Greeta lunged forward, seizing the child and pulling her back with all her might.

The horses screamed and their hooves pounded against the stones as they panicked, their cries echoing through the square.