Finally, my father whispered as he gently wiped away my accumulated tears.

“Today, Charlotte had… a schedule to go to the Temple. But you see, Charlotte has a bit of a complicated fate with them.”

The Pope, the Cardinals. People who want Mom to apologize.

I nodded as my father’s hands gently enveloped my face. His deep red-purple pupils blinked slowly.

“That’s why. I couldn’t bear leaving her alone, so I followed Charlotte. I’m sorry we couldn’t go together today.”

“It’s okay. Nothing happened.”

I reflexively said that and flinched slightly. My father chuckled, brushing his fingers over my tear-streaked cheek.

“Lies.”

“… it really wasn’t a big deal.”

“If both you and Eciel cried, and it still wasn’t a big deal, then I’d be very disappointed in the two guards I sent with you today.”

His voice.

Affectionate yet eerie, calm yet chilling. Lethargic and gentle, yet cold and stern.

I reluctantly murmured.

“Okay… well, maybe… something did happen…”

“Then, can you tell me about that, Claire?”

My father’s hand gently left my cheek and grasped my hand lightly.

A subtle pressure pressed on my heart. Not too much or too little, but enough for the words to flow hesitantly.

And so, I began to pour out everything.

A story I had never imagined speaking aloud to anyone.

To the person who brought me to a world I had never dreamed of.

I felt very embarrassed and worried about crying again while speaking…

Contrary to my vague thoughts, my tone grew smoother with each word, and my heart calmed.

Has the chaos within me finally settled?

The calm and gentle expression on my father’s face remained unchanged regardless of what I said, and the warmth in his grip lingered.

So, the last words came much easier.

“… he was there.”

“And?”

“… I threatened him. I’m Astariol, daughter of Lord Chelsiers, so whatever he said, now he was the weak one.”

He smiled mischievously like a young boy. An attractive and dangerous laugh, like that of a mischievous accomplice in crime.

“Well done.”

“In doing so, I may have broken a few store floors. I’ll probably receive a bill for damages.”

“That’s fine. If you’re really sorry, you could compensate by your weight in gold.”

Despite enjoying the moment until now, I was slightly shocked by my father’s casual response and fell silent.

This was what Eciel should have heard…

Wasn’t it more romantic for a duke to offer compensation equal to his daughter’s weight to those she wronged than a knight rescuing a lost princess?

Or was my logic flawed?

While entertaining such useless thoughts, my father lifted me up naturally again. Then he walked away without hesitation.

I felt a little embarrassed.

“… I can walk.”

“I can carry you. How about that?”

“No, I’ll walk.”

“You don’t want me to carry you?”

… let’s give up. He wouldn’t relent.

Resigned, I slumped slightly on my father’s shoulder. He laughed heartily.

“Do you want to sleep with Eciel today? I’ll take you to Eciel’s room.”

After resting my cheek on my father’s shoulder briefly, I couldn’t help but ask.

“Dad, how do you always… know things I want to do when I don’t even realize it?”

“Maybe because I’m genuinely interested in you and love you.”

Ah. Dad was definitely going to completely ruin my habits.

Unable to say those words aloud, I buried my face in my dad’s shoulder.

 

—

 

The next morning, when Eciel and I woke up, our faces were a sight to behold.

Perhaps it was because we had stayed up late talking under the covers, but…

The main reason was the commotion we caused the day before.

Both of us had such swollen eyes, making us look more like twins than ever before, which was almost comical.

No, actually, my face was even worse…? This didn’t make any sense…

“Fortunately, neither of you have classes today.”

I sighed deeply to myself. Edna placed a warm towel soaked in water above my eyes.

“You need to rest a bit, Miss.”

“You can rest after the party.”

The maid chuckled cheekily.

“Does Miss really need to prepare so hard? I assure you, even if Miss stepped on His Excellency’s foot, he wouldn’t mind.”

As Leanne carefully opened a jar of fragrant cream, she gasped softly.

I said quietly.

“… you shouldn’t say things like that, Edna.”

“Yes, I apologize for being too blunt. I’m sorry, Miss.”

Edna apologized meekly, but I sighed slightly.

From the bottom as a mere maid to the top as my father. Everyone in the Duke Chelsiers’s household supported me in this way.

No matter what I did or where I went wrong, it was okay.

The truly frightening thing was that this was an undeniable truth.

I spread out the morning newspapers as usual.

Preparing myself to see <Astariol who smashed the store floor> on the front page.

Sure enough, there was a large article about what happened. There were many eyewitnesses, and the evidence was clear.

… however, the perspective of the article was clearly different from what I had anticipated.

Nine-year-old Astariol.

Despite the crowd, not a single casualty due to her self-control.

The strength to shatter the solid ground like a giant’s fist.

The precious heir of the seldom-seen Duke Chelsiers in the capital. A substantial reward was given by the Duke himself that evening.

There was no blame anywhere. No cause either.

The enjoyable speculation about what exactly my abilities were. Excitement about welcoming a powerful and outstanding new Astariol.

The subtle curiosity about how much compensation Duke Chelsiers handed over.

That was the content.

‘… did Dad have a hand in this?’

Initially, I wondered how far he had intervened.

I asked the butler to bring all the newspapers of the day, and various newspapers were promptly delivered.

I roughly piled up about ten newspapers and began to read.

The tone of the more decent papers was almost similar to what I had read in the morning.

I prepared myself and started to read the morning’s yellow paper… an article that even twisted and turned the story that it seemed like it was probably caused by a boy.

More interest in the day’s sales figures than the dignity of the stiff nobles.

It meant that everyone was just careful.

Choosing a tone, thoroughly pondering the cause of Astariol’s anger, self-censorship.

Therefore… a real power like Dad didn’t even need to show overwhelming strength.

‘Because everyone was already paying attention.’

I cleared all the newspapers and lied down as Edna led me to receive skincare.

‘I need to get my act together. Otherwise, things will pass by in a blur…’

I felt it while threatening Nathan.

I was someone who could easily manipulate others once I had power.

But I didn’t want to be swept away by this sensation, no matter how justified my actions were… I must uphold an unalterable line.

“Miss, please rest for a while…”

Edna, removing her hand gently massaging my face and eyes, brought warm water again.

Leanne was now carefully opening the lid of the perfume oil.

I habitually spread the wind around the bathroom to open my senses.

This was how I perceived the world when I couldn’t see clearly. When I was young, it was frustrating not being able to see, but now it had become a habit.

A stream of wind slowly flowed out of me and passed through Leanne’s hair, pushing it up slightly.

Ah, Leanne let out a short scream, then looked around and asked.

“It’s Miss’s doing, right?”

I heard Edna giggle. Well, it wasn’t intentional. Was she very surprised?

“I didn’t do it on purpose.”

When I answered, Leanne immediately burst into laughter.

“Oh, I was really surprised. I’m sure I closed all the doors, but I wonder where the wind is coming from.”

“If something like this happens in the future, you’ll almost certainly think it’s me. Don’t be too scared.”

Edna carefully lifted the towel over my eyes and dipped it into the newly brought warm water.

My gaze met Leanne’s without any obstruction. The girl’s eyes were gentle, innocent, and bright.

The girl smiled and answered.

“When I return home, I will definitely brag to all my friends. I have personally experienced the power of Astariol.”

We already knew that we would part, knowing we wouldn’t meet again. A light and smooth relationship.

Refreshing as water and light as wind.

Not quite a servant-master relationship, nor enough to be friends. Yet, this degree was appropriate for us.

Not burdensome, not heavy. If we could leave a good impression on each other, that might be enough.

I smiled slightly.

“Let me know when you’re getting married after returning home. I’ll send a congratulatory gift.”

“It’s a promise, Miss. You must.”

Edna placed the towel back on my eyes.

“Miss, you should sleep a bit now. It’s important for you to rest at times like this.”

A gentle plea.

Leanne’s fingertips, which had been applying perfume to my nails, became more careful. I calmly collected the breeze and closed my eyes.

Dreamless sleep enveloped me quickly and softly, pulling me in.