After all the villagers had departed, Lesia sprawled out on the pavilion in the center of the village, gazing up at the sky where clouds floated gently as the sun began to rise. 

While looking at the sun, she rolled five times to the left and five times to the right. Though she often lay down in this pavilion, today it felt unusually spacious.

There was good reason for that. This was the first time the pavilion had been so completely empty. Usually, there were always one or two people, sometimes three or four, resting there. They would invariably call Lesia over when she passed by, have her sit beside them, and feed her sweet treats.

“It’s too empty…” 

Occasionally, Lesia had imagined what it would be like if everyone disappeared and she was left alone in the world. 

Now learning that such fantasies were better left as fantasies, she was just about to get up and head home when a voice suddenly called out to her.

“There you are, Lesia.”

Lesia turned toward the voice and saw Jordan approaching her, breathing heavily.

“Uncle Jordan? Why are you here?”

Lesia, who had seen him leave that morning, jumped down from the pavilion and approached him.

“Well, I came back because Juliana asked me to.”

“Mom did?”

Lesia’s eyes widened at the mention of a request from Juliana, while simultaneously feeling doubtful. Were her mother and Uncle Jordan close enough to be making requests of each other?

“It was urgent. She asked me because I’m the youngest and strongest among the villagers.”

“What did Mom ask you to do?”

“To bring you to the banquet.”

“Me?”

A question mark seemed to float above Lesia’s head. After all, wasn’t it Juliana who had vehemently opposed Lesia attending the banquet? Yet now she was asking for Lesia to be brought there?

“Why?”

Jordan flinched, apparently not expecting Lesia to question him. But he quickly regained his composure and spoke confidently.

“You probably don’t know this, but they said if even one villager fails to attend, the entire village will face severe punishment. Juliana initially opposed it, but while traveling, she reconsidered and decided it would be better for the village if you attended.”

Lesia knew this from eavesdropping on the meeting, but something still felt suspicious. When Lesia hesitated to follow him, Jordan frowned deeply.

“It would have been better if you had just listened…”

“What? Uncle, what did you—”

But Lesia couldn’t finish her sentence because Jordan suddenly covered her mouth and nose. As her breathing was cut off, Lesia struggled violently, but there was no way her small frame could overpower an adult man.

Once Lesia’s body went limp from losing consciousness, Jordan hurriedly moved her to a cart. Looking at the collapsed Lesia with an apologetic expression, he muttered, “I’m sorry, Lesia. But I don’t want to create a situation that endangers this village that has finally accepted me.”

Jordan pulled the cart out of the village, following the path the procession had taken. He knew the villagers would be furious when they discovered he had brought Lesia to the banquet without permission.

“It’s not like anything bad will happen to her anyway.”

He understood their concerns, but thought they were unfounded. Their anger would quickly subside once everyone returned safely without incident. They might even thank him for his efforts to protect the village.

Meanwhile, the unconscious Lesia was walking through darkness. After walking for some time through a space where she couldn’t distinguish anything around her, Lesia suddenly realized she wasn’t alone. Soon, a figure began to appear.

A boy with hair blacker than the darkness itself was hunched over with his head bowed, with ominous black smoke flowing around him. The boy was trembling slightly, either crying or in pain.

Lesia hesitated before speaking to him.

[Who are you?]

At that moment, the boy jerked his head up. What Lesia saw then was a pair of red eyes glowing in the darkness.

The next instant, Lesia opened her eyes. Though it had been morning when she lost consciousness, she was now greeted by a night sky filled with stars. Raising her stiff body and looking around, she realized she was in the middle of a forest, lying in a cart.

Just as she realized this, Jordan approached.

“Uncle Jordan…”

When Lesia backed away cautiously, Jordan gave a bitter smile.

“I’m sorry for hurting you. Are you all right?”

“You lied to me, didn’t you? Mom never asked you to bring me.”

“…Yes.”

“Why did you lie?”

When Lesia pressed him sharply, Jordan broke into a cold sweat. Even though he wasn’t particularly close to her, he was still a Flora villager who loved Lesia. He couldn’t enjoy seeing her regard him with suspicion.

But the one most shocked was Lesia herself. She had never imagined that a Flora villager would do something like this to her.

“You must be hungry. Have some of this.”

What Jordan awkwardly offered was castella, Lesia’s favorite cake. It was essentially a bribe, prepared knowing that castella was Lesia’s favorite.

Lesia wasn’t oblivious to the fact that this was a bribe. She turned her head away sharply.

“I’m not hungry!”

Growl.

Almost on cue, her stomach rumbled like thunder the moment she finished speaking.

“…”

“…”

After the loud stomach growl, an awkward silence fell between them. Watching Lesia’s reaction, Jordan held out the castella again and said in an almost pleading tone, “I’m sorry for lying and trying to force you to come with me, Lesia.”

Hearing the sincerity in his voice, Lesia, who had been sitting with her arms crossed and her head turned away, glanced at him from the corner of her eye. Jordan bowed his head in genuine remorse and offered the castella to her again.

“I’ll be honest with Juliana and apologize to her too. I swear I won’t let any harm come to you, so please don’t go hungry.”

Finally moved by his sincerity, Lesia uncrossed her arms and turned around, acting magnanimous.

“I’ll let it go just this once.”

Jordan’s expression brightened at Lesia’s forgiveness. Taking the castella, Lesia broke it in half and offered a piece back to Jordan. 

When Jordan looked puzzled, Lesia said with a pout, “You’re hungry too, Uncle Jordan. I’m just a child, so this much is enough for me. Let’s share.”

“…”

Jordan’s face turned bright red at her words. Just as Lesia said, he hadn’t eaten a single meal that day. In the morning, he had been too busy with departure preparations and too afraid of the punishment for disobeying the Grand Duke’s orders to eat. For lunch and dinner, he had been too busy traveling.

Moreover, in his haste to return, he had only packed things for Lesia, forgetting food for himself. He had planned to somehow make it to the Grand Duke’s castle by picking and eating berries along the way.

“This is why everyone loves this child.” 

She was not only perceptive but also knew how to care for others with that perception. She was lovely and adorable. Even Jordan, who generally disliked children, had his heart stolen by Lesia at some point.

“There probably isn’t anyone in this world who wouldn’t love this child.” 

Thinking this made him feel even more sorry for bringing Lesia along in such a rough manner. There must have been many gentler methods, but his urgency had led him to do something he shouldn’t have.

If he had any conscience, he couldn’t take food from Lesia’s share. Jordan tried to refuse her kindness.

“I’m fine, so—mmph!”

But Jordan couldn’t continue speaking.

“Jeez, Uncle Jordan talks too much.”

Lesia had pushed half of the castella into his mouth. 

With the cake in his mouth, Jordan stared at her with wide eyes while Lesia primly ate her own piece and said, “You apologized sincerely, and I said it’s okay, so that’s the end of it.”

“…Thank you.”