“Yes. Today I’m going to take Kiki too. Ah, he gets ferocious when hungry. Put some beef jerky in as well.”

“Yes, miss.”

Today was the day I had promised to meet Melissa.

Somehow Marit had managed to get an outing permit from Juan this time.

Since it was Melissa’s day off, I decided to visit her home directly.

Actually, we deliberately agreed to meet outside the duke’s castle. There are too many watching eyes inside the castle. If possible, it would be better to gather information discreetly.

Clop, clop.

While nodding off in the comfortable carriage, we arrived at Melissa’s house before I knew it.

Swoosh.

I could see Melissa smiling brightly, holding a watering can in front of a cozy cottage covered with rose vines, morning glories, and colorful flowers.

“Lady Liria, Yuphi! I’ve been waiting for you.”

“Your house is so beautiful.”

Liria exclaimed in admiration while looking around the flower garden.

“Perhaps because Lady Liria is visiting today. The flowers seem especially vibrant and energetic today. Shall we go inside?”

Melissa said while scratching the bridge of her nose, opening the arch-shaped green door.

The three of us settled around a cozy table.

Splash.

Reddish tea was poured into worn teacups.

“It’s raspberry tea.”

“Wow, it smells fragrant.”

Though I didn’t know much about tea, I took a sip since it was offered.

Just then, I heard Kiki scratching furiously at the basket.

“Ah, he’s my little animal friend… May I feed her quickly?”

“Of course. What does he eat?”

“He’s carnivorous, so he eats meat and insects… but he likes beef jerky the most, so I brought some.”

After feeding Kiki the beef jerky, I gently stroked his back.

Seemingly energized, he began sniffing around and thoroughly exploring Melissa’s house.

‘Is he trying to find holy power?’

At that moment, Liria decided to distract Melissa so the creature could roam freely.

“Melissa, did you have any close friends at the Soriel Temple?”

“……”

‘Did I ask the wrong question?’

Melissa’s face, which always bore a refreshing smile, instantly transformed into a sad, pitiful expression.

“…Oh, if it’s difficult for Melissa to answer, you don’t have to tell me.”

Liria’s face also turned gloomy as she placed her maple-leaf hand on top of Melissa’s.

“No, it’s alright.”

Seeing this, Melissa tightly gripped her clothes, barely containing her rising emotions.

Then she painfully parted her dry lips.

“Yes, I had someone very close and precious. Someone more precious than my own life.”

Melissa told her tragic life story in a plain tone.

To summarize her long tale:

Melissa was the most promising saint at the temple, but she fell in love with a nobleman who visited the temple.

She and the man who attended the temple’s charity event fell in love at first sight. Melissa opened her heart to the man’s endless courtship, and they shared a passionate love that felt like destiny.

After a year, she became pregnant with his child.

When she told him about the pregnancy, the man said:

“This is the happiest news of my life. Thank you, Mel. I’ll return to my family to prepare for our marriage, then come back to propose properly. Just wait a few days. I promise to make you happy.”

She gave up her life as a saint, firmly believing in her lover’s promise, and waited.

However, the man—the father of her child—never returned.

Suffering from betrayal, Melissa decided to escape when her belly grew too large to hide.

Unfortunately, the day before, another saint discovered her, and Melissa overheard the Grand Saint’s plan to send the baby to an orphanage after birth.

Melissa prayed for her unborn child while holding a sacred object containing all her holy power.

“God, please protect my baby. I don’t care what happens to me… just please, my baby.”

As a result, Melissa’s sacred object was destroyed, but the baby was born with tremendous holy power.

The Grand Saint expelled Melissa, whose holy power had weakened, from the temple and took away her precious baby.

Melissa, who had tended gardens with holy power at the temple, worked at a flower shop in the capital before being recommended by Head Maid Anna to work at the duke’s castle.

“Was my story too boring for you, miss? Everyone called me a stupid woman who was deceived and betrayed by a man.”

Melissa said with a self-deprecating smile.

Liria shook her head vigorously.

“Not at all. Melissa is brave and wonderful for facing her emotions honestly. Both falling in love and protecting your baby. I’m sure your baby thinks the same of her mother.”

For a moment, the child’s clear face overlapped with her daughter’s.

Warm, fluffy feelings rose in Melissa’s chest.

No one had ever spoken to her like that.

Everyone had criticized her as a foolish woman who was deceived by a man and tainted the purity of a saint.

This small child was healing her without even trying.

“…Kind miss, thank you.”

As Melissa’s eyes reddened, Liria rummaged through the picnic basket with her small hands.

Then she offered a well-baked, leaf-shaped cookie with a yellow hue.

“Would you like to try this enchanted thousand-layer pastry?”

It was a gift received in return for sending three review letters to the main castle’s chef who had let her taste the finest dessert.

The pastry, supposedly baked with a thousand layers, had an excellent crispy texture.

“This is really delicious.”

Now that Melissa seemed to feel a bit better, it was time to get to the main point.

Liria carefully asked.

“Melissa, may I ask your baby’s name?”

“…It’s Tiana. He said we should name her that if we had a daughter.”

“!”

As expected, Melissa’s daughter was Tiana.

If that’s the case, there’s something strange.

In the original story, Marquis Bishe, who visited the temple and adopted Tiana, cherished the child very much.

Later, when he discovered Tiana was his own daughter, there was a part where he was deeply heartbroken.

This means that Marquis Bishe was not the type of person who would abandon a woman carrying his child.

‘Could there have been unavoidable circumstances that prevented the marquis from keeping his promise?’

Having reached that conclusion, Liria thought she should find out about Marquis Bishe’s current situation.

There were many limitations for a six-year-old child to gather information directly.

‘It would be nice to have an informant to help.’

Blinking slowly, Liria called out to her.

“Melissa.”

“Yes, miss.”

“May I come here again?”

“Of course. But you can see me at the duke’s castle too, you know?”

After looking around quietly, Liria smiled brightly and said.

“I prefer Melissa’s house. It smells warm and cozy.”

“I also prefer seeing you here, miss. It reminds me of my daughter too.”

“Someday, you’ll surely meet Tiana again.”

“That sounds like a dream. Alright. I will definitely bring her back.”

Seeing Melissa clench her fist, Liria genuinely envies Tiana for having her as a mother.

“I’ll help too. Melissa is truly a wonderful mother!”

“Thank you.”

Melissa looked at Liria with sympathetic eyes.

She must have heard from other maids that Liria had no mother.

Perhaps because she had no memories from when she was young.

In truth, Liria didn’t miss her mother.

She was just curious about why she left and what kind of person she was.

“They say my mother left me behind. I don’t know why. But I’ve been told everyone has circumstances they can’t help.”

My mother too,

And Marquis Bishe as well.