It seemed like he was going to practice swordsmanship.

Cassis, who had shown talent in swordsmanship early on, caught the eye of the retired imperial vice-knight commander, and often received lessons from him while staying here.

‘…I heard dragons come when called.’

It seemed like this might be a shortcut to the training ground.

Then, after a long silence, Cassis suddenly asked:

“What’s that on your palm? A bird?”

“Yeah, it’s… “

“It looks like it’s sick, are you planning to raise it?”

Before the lying down bird could get up, Rosha quickly replied:

“Yes, I’m going to raise it.”

Given the situation, her voice came out stronger than usual. Maybe that’s why Cassis looked at her with unfamiliar eyes.

“Okay, then.”

He awkwardly changed the subject, tapping the ground with his foot.

“You made a good choice not getting engaged. There was something off about that side’s attitude.”

“…Was there?”

“Didn’t you feel it? The look of their eyes…”

He started to say something but then closed his mouth.

It should be mentioned that Cassis has exceptionally good intuition. His immediate instincts are almost animalistic.

‘Maybe he feels it’s too much to mention?’

But it was such an old memory that she couldn’t recall… seeing him say that much, she felt she should be cautious.

“Anyway, if you’re going to raise it, take it to a doctor to see if it’s sick. Got it?”

“Huh? Yeah.”

“If it’s sick, get rid of it. I’m leaving now.”

Feeling awkward, Cassis quickly ended the conversation by patting her shoulder.

As she watched him walk away-

“I don’t need an explanation about whatever that Cassis thing is.”

With narrowed eyes, the bird murmured ominously. It always felt unsettling when he did this.

“Really?”

“Yep. He’s a rude, unlucky jerk, I’ll keep an eye on him.”

“…”

Hmm.

It seemed like Cassis had really offended the bird.

* * *

“Oh my, it’s so cute!”

“…Really?”

“Yes, the yellow feathers on its head and its short tail! Do you need a cage?”

Peep!

“He doesn’t like it. But there’s nothing you can do, you cute thing.”

After finishing her walk and returning to the room, Rosha chuckled at the tense face-off between the maid Berri and the bird.

‘I’ve never seen Berri like this before.’

She seemed to really like cute animals. On the other hand, the bird looked overwhelmed being smothered with affection by Berri.

Ignoring the bird’s intense gaze, Rosha looked out the window.

The sun was setting.

The blue sky was gradually turning red and soon transformed into a purple hue. The beautiful scene was a signal that night was approaching.

‘There was a time when just seeing the sunset made me anxious.’

She wondered, how many trials there were? When night fell, nightmares used to engulf her.

But enjoying a peaceful evening in this house felt just as surreal.

“Miss…”

She turned her head. Berri, who had stopped petting the bird, was looking at her with a strange expression.

After choosing her words carefully for a while, Berri cautiously said:

“I don’t know how you’ll take this, but you’ve seemed a bit different since visiting the Marquis Lycaon’s house.”

“…Me?”

“Yes. Oh, you seem more lively and happy now. You were even wonderful earlier today when dealing with your uncle, Bjorn. “

“Hmm.”

“But sometimes, I see expressions on your face I’ve never seen before. As if you’re carrying a heavy burden alone… Did something bad happen that I don’t know about?”

Was I caught?! Rosha flinched but calmed down when she saw Berri’s worried face. She then found herself reminiscing about her past self.

‘Definitely… I’ve changed a lot since then.’

In the past, she didn’t react to provocations and only offered a faint smile when something pleasant happened. She aimed to show no vulnerabilities. Back then, she believed she was successful in this endeavor.

Looking back now, she was just a girl trying hard to withstand the given situations.

However, after rolling around in another world for a while, she realized that simply enduring wasn’t enough, especially if there was something to protect.

Anyone with something to protect becomes desperate.

She was no exception.

“Just realized that my old ways won’t work anymore,” Rosha responded calmly.

Maybe due to her brief explanation, both Berri and Koko tilted their heads in confusion. 

And at that moment, knock knock the door opened halfway. Opening the door without permission was a rude act, but it was somewhat expected.

“Miss, Lord Bjorn is calling for you. Please come with me now.”

He was a close aide and escort knight of the relative.

‘My uncle hates us, so his subordinates act similarly.’

She was irritated but thought it might be better this way. Rosha got up and said:

“I was thinking of seeing him anyway. Didn’t know he would send someone for me.”

The knight seemed surprised by her sarcasm and narrowed his eyes, probably threatening her in case she tried something foolish. But Rosha had no intention of avoiding the meeting with the uncle.

‘I need to see what he’s up to anyway. I need to find out exactly what he believes.’

She approached the knight slowly, then stared him down.

“What are you waiting for? Lead the way.”

* * *

The corridor was filled with silence, with only the footsteps of the three echoing. Watching the tall knight walking ahead, Rosha thought quietly.

‘Sending a knight instead of a servant is likely to psychologically pressure me.’

Since the uncle and his wife stayed in the annex, they had to leave the main building and pass through the garden.

The distance wasn’t too far nor too close. Moreover, it was early night, dark and chilly.

‘All this is probably meant to pressure me.’

If it were the old days, she would have shown anxiety like Berri next to her. But now, after experiencing many things, she found such tactics laughable.

Rosha recalled her past.

In the previous world, she was a recruitment target for almost every guild that existed at the time. It was because of her abilities. Even when she led a small team of five people, the recruitment offers never stopped.

– If you need money, we’ll give you money; if you need honor, we’ll give you an equivalent position. Just let us know. We can even accept the team members you lead as they are.

Usually, they would approach her this politely. However, some acted threateningly when they realized she was a young girl.

– You’re surrounded right now, so come quietly. If you don’t, we’ll kill one of your most useless ones first.

Then, one of her teammates, known as the ‘White Falcon’, who was quite the talker, would retort.

– The most useless thing here seems to be your head, doesn’t it?

– What, what?

– Isn’t it a testament to your deficient brain that you can’t even understand such simple words?

When things got to this point, they usually ended in sword fighting. It was no surprise that after going through such situations countless times, Rosha had become resistant to threats and coercion.

What she missed now was a bit different.

‘Back then, there were many who would handle things for me, but now I have to do it myself.’

Rosha, letting out a leisurely sigh, followed the knight with neither a slow nor fast pace. Her unwavering demeanor seemed to fluster the knight slightly.

Soon they arrived in front of the room where the uncle was staying.

As she heard the mutterings of the knight inside, she whispered to Berri:

“Stay here, I’ll go in alone.”

“Are you sure it’s alright, miss?”

“Yeah, it’s fine.”

Rosha, with a calm reply, smiled reassuringly at Berri’s worried face.

After all she had been through, she certainly wouldn’t be affected by such events. Moreover, technically speaking, she wasn’t alone.

‘Because I have Koko with me.’

She stroked a particularly warm part of the shawl on her shoulder. Not that she was nervous, but being with him certainly made her feel stronger.

“Come in, miss.”

Rosha passed the knight who opened the door and entered the uncle’s room. The uncle, reclined on a sofa, was visible.

At this moment, there were two things she hadn’t anticipated.

“Welcome, Roshanak. Sit down in front of me.”

First, the uncle’s attitude was not aggressive, unlike his previous warning that he would ‘strictly educate her’.

And secondly…

“But… What is that on your shoulder?”

From the shawl she wore, a yellow tuft of Koko’s head suddenly popped out.

‘Why is he acting like this all of a sudden?’

Is he an attention seeker?