Episode 9

Hestia lifted her gaze from Theo’s forehead to somewhere in the middle.

 

“Well, at least you’re not scared. Doesn’t hurt anywhere, does it?”

 

A relieved smile tugged at the corners of Hestia’s mouth.

 

“Ah…….”

 

An unfamiliar warmth radiated from her tiny fingertips. Theo was not immune to such small gestures.

 

Theo swallowed hard.

 

“Mmm. You look okay.”

 

It wasn’t the answer she wanted, but Hestia withdrew her hand when she saw the warmth spread across Theo’s icy gaze.

 

“You don’t mind if I keep breakfast simple, do you?”

 

Pushing herself up from her seat, Hestia turned and headed for the kitchen.

 

Theo’s gaze naturally followed her, and then he stilled, lifting a hand to touch my forehead.

 

A strange sensation.

 

Theo’s tightly clenched jaw loosened at the tickling sensation.

 

“I’ll help.”

 

Theo followed Hestia’s bustle and rolled up his sleeves.

 

“Not really…….”

 

But Hestia didn’t have anything to do, so she thought for a moment.

 

“Oh, well, I picked some nice tea leaves yesterday, would you mind making some tea for me?”

 

Then she remembered something that was both the easiest thing to do and the hardest.

 

Theo nodded and prepared the tea. He was good at measuring the amount of tea leaves and the temperature of the water. Meanwhile, Hestia tended to the vegetables.

 

Soon, a lush, colorful salad was on the table, and the gentle aroma of tea filled the house.

 

“Oh. You’ve brewed a lot of tea.”

 

Hestia’s eyes widened as she sipped the tea without expectation to moisten her dry mouth.

 

A child from a poor family wouldn’t have known how to make tea, and a master of a certain noble family wouldn’t have brewed it himself, so she didn’t expect much.

 

“I don’t know about anything else, but I’m the one who drove the car.”

 

Theo smiled, perhaps anticipating Hestia’s reaction.

 

“You’re not annoyed that someone else was concerned?”

 

It was a lighthearted question, though he figured that with a tea this good, it was well deserved.

 

“I was afraid it might be poisoned …….”

 

The answer came back with a heavy weight to it.

 

“…….”

 

You lead a difficult life, too.

 

Unable to get the words out of her mouth, Hestia simply flashed Theo a wry smile.

 

She didn’t want to offer him any faint consolation or vague words of sympathy; she’d learned long ago that those things were worthless.

 

“I was thinking of going into town to ……, is there anything you need?”

 

Hestia asked, stabbing a tomato on her plate with her fork.

 

“Or do you want to come with me?”

 

I gave Theo another choice, in case his mind had changed overnight. If he still wanted to stay, or if he wanted to go back.

 

At that last question, Theo’s hand stopped.

 

“Next time……, if you don’t mind Hestia, of course.”

 

Behind Theo’s golden eyes, a complex mix of pain and anger flared low.

 

What kind of life had that little girl lived?

 

What kind of life had he lived to harbor such sadness and pain at such a young age?

 

At Theo’s hesitant demeanor, Hestia stopped eating and waited quietly for him.

 

“Instead of……, may I ask for a letter? I don’t want to be a prude, but I’m sorry, and I’m sure I’ll need compensation for this.”

 

“I don’t need compensation.”

 

Hestia, guessing Theo’s backhandedness, cut him off.

 

Hestia gave him a stern look and stirred the stew with her spoon.

 

“I’m the one with the time and money to spare.”

 

The rough shape of the stew reflected Hestia’s mood.

 

“Sorry…….”

 

Theo said, out of habit,

 

“Stop saying sorry.”

 

Once again, Hestia cut him off.

 

Theo rolled his eyes, unsure of what to say, and looked away in embarrassment.

 

“Yes…….”

 

Hestia’s still-strong gaze finally forced Theo to quietly push back the many things he wanted to say and felt like he had to say.

 

“Good. Good girl.”

 

Hestia’s smile was as wide as it could be as if she’d finally gotten a satisfactory answer.

 

After breakfast, Hestia immediately began to prepare for her outing.

 

She packed her basket with various herbs and ran her fingers over the things she needed to buy beforehand.

 

Only when she had finally wrapped her worn brown robe around herself, ready to leave the house, did she turn around.

 

“Have you finished writing the letter?”

 

Hestia turned to Theo, who was holding an old letter envelope.

 

“Please forward it to …… at the top of Artis.”

 

Theo handed her the small folded envelope.

 

On the outside of the envelope, Theo had drawn geometric shapes like a small sun and stars. The contents of the letter would be written in a cipher for the person to whom it was addressed.

 

Tucking the letter firmly in her arms, Hestia opened the door and was about to leave when she remembered something.

 

“Is there anything you’d like to eat? I can’t eat worldly food except at times like this, so think carefully.”

 

Hestia flashed a mischievous smile of anticipation.

 

“No. I’ve already asked you for an ungrateful favor.”

 

“A child doesn’t have to be thoughtful. And you’re so skinny and tiny, you’ll still be a child when you’re an adult if you don’t get some nourishment now. Shall I get you some milk?”

 

Hestia rambled on as if she had some sort of futile sense of mission, but it didn’t work on Theo.

 

“…… I’m not small, I’m average.”

 

Theo shook his head. He was average height for his age, but he was exceptionally thin, which only made him look smaller.

 

But even with Theo’s comment, Hestia didn’t move, as if it didn’t matter.

 

“Hah……. Milk, then.”

 

Theo let out a small sigh of defeat and gave Hestia the answer she wanted.

 

“Good! I know another very nice ranch. Look forward to it, child.”

 

Hestia grinned with satisfaction and pushed the door wide open.

 

“……I’m not a kid.”

 

Clink. Thud.

 

Before Theo could retort, the door slammed shut, and Hestia’s footsteps raced away.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Once outside, Hestia stopped walking only when she was deeper into the forest.

 

“Baekja.”

 

A moment later, a sturdy, well-balanced white horse with a beautiful golden mane emerged from the trees.

 

“I’ve been to town for a while.”

 

Purr.

 

The white horse trotted roughly, kicking the ground with its front hooves.

 

“I need a favor. You’re the only one who can help me.”

 

Hestia grinned and held out her hand as if the sight of it were cute.

 

“Hmm. Of course. I’m a hundred times better than an immature wolf or a rabbit the size of a pea.

 

Baek Ah snorted loudly and put her head in Hestia’s hand.

 

Paaat-!

 

A brilliant, warm-colored light began to radiate from their touch, enveloping Bai Xiaochun’s body.

 

Soon, the light faded,

 

“Be good to me again today.”

 

As if Hestia’s words were a spell, the transparent light enveloped Bai’er’s body and turned her into a plain, brown horse.

 

Hestia stroked his body a few times in a soothing gesture and then put on the reins she had brought with her.

 

“Can we not do this? I don’t want to feel uncomfortable!

 

Baea shook her head more wildly as if the halter was uncomfortable, but Hestia skillfully soothed her.

 

“If you don’t put the reins on, the villagers will think you’re a horse without a master and there will be a fuss, so bear with me if it’s uncomfortable.”

 

“If you ask me so much, I’ll bear with it.

 

Hestia skillfully climbed onto Baek-Ah’s back as if to show her some kindness.

 

“Thank you, Bai Xiaochun.”

 

On Hestia’s cue, Bai Xiaolian gracefully walked away, skillfully maneuvering through the dense forest.

 

By the time they reached the village, the sun was already in the middle of the sky.

 

“Hello, Mr. Bill. Mr. Bill.”

 

Hestia greeted the stable in town, handing the reins to the stable hand named Bill.

 

“Oh, he’s still looking great today, with his even musculature, his eyes, and his eyes. He’s a perfect horse as always!”

 

Bill’s gaze sparkled, focused solely on Baia.

 

But, as usual, Bai’er flicked her head defiantly away.

 

“He’s too loud! I want to rest in peace, so tell him to be quiet!

 

Bai Xiaochun ran away from him and found the cleanest part of the stable.

 

But Bai’s words could only be understood by Hestia, so she could only scratch her head in confusion and make awkward requests to Bill.

 

“Come on, let’s stop by Artis’ shop first.”

 

Hestia stepped out into the street, her stride deft.

 

The Artis Upper was the oldest upper in the empire.

 

It didn’t have the variety or scale of the newer ones, but it boasted a superior number of stores, so much so that even the most remote places had a branch.

 

Therefore, Artis was a specialized business called “delivery” and made a different profit than other stores.

 

Hestia pushed open the rattling door and entered the shop, where she was greeted by a familiar face with wavy purple hair.

 

“There you are, Hestia, I was expecting you around this time, even if you weren’t.”

 

“Reynold, still not here?”

 

Hestia could only blink, wide-eyed at Reynold’s unexpected appearance.

 

After a moment of surprise, Hestia glanced at Reynold.

 

“You’re not doing much these days, are you? I have a reasonable suspicion that you’re going to ruin Artis on your hands.”

 

Hestia narrowed her brow and shot him a wry glare.

 

But Reynold waved it off as if he was used to her demeanor.

 

“You’re doing it again, knowing how much my profits have increased since I moved to the top.”

 

But how could Hestia have such a pretty expression?

 

Reynolds smirked, the corners of her eyes curling up nicely, and she waved off Hestia’s bruise with a smirk.

 

“It is a mystery how a son like you came from Ilina. A mystery.”

 

Tsk tsk. Hestia clicked her tongue, her eyes scanning Reynold up and down.

 

Reynold’s dark blue eyes sparkled as if he’d found the answer to a question.

 

“Not really, but I’ve been thinking about it, and I wonder if it’s because my mother was delivered by Hestia, yuck!”

 

Reynold didn’t get to finish his sentence as a nib flew in front of him, and he quickly ducked to the side.