Dad was a person with no limits or logic when it came to matters related to our family.

It was difficult to predict his actions with my common sense.

Asking him if he went too far would be pointless.

Dad might even retort, asking what the problem is when I had already got lifelong scars. A few casualties in lifelong revenge wouldn’t be a big deal.

‘I’m too scared to ask because he might actually say that.’

I had no choice but to believe that my dad, who knew me well, would take care of this anxiety on his own.

I must trust him.

Trust him and not worry about it…

Every time I felt uneasy, I recited <Trust Dad> as if it were a magic spell that dispelled all worries.

It would have been better if I hadn’t shown any signs of discomfort at all.

It seemed that discomfort was not a feeling that could be hidden.

“Miss, are you very tired?”

Leanne whispered softly.

Even when I shook my head, it didn’t seem like anyone believed me.

It was partly because I was still inexperienced, but also because everyone around me was paying attention to my every glance and gesture.

On the day the preliminary sketch of the portrait was completed.

Not only the painter but also the maids were all focused on me. In such an environment, it was impossible to hide my fluctuating emotions.

At least the sweltering summer weather provided an excuse.

As soon as everything was over, the people around me hurried to help me change my clothes, and I tried hard to compose my expression.

“Miss, I’ve prepared something cold in the next room. Please rest for a while…”

“Claire!”

A lively call cut off Edna’s whisper.

The maids greeted the unexpected visitor with smiles and made way for her to come to me.

Not much time had passed before Eciel really came to check on my <homework>.

“You didn’t lose the paper, right? Show me!”

“It’s with Leanne right now.”

Luckily, I had kept it, thinking she might actually come to check. If I hadn’t brought it, she might have been angry.

Eciel immediately held out her hand to Rianne. Her eyes lit up with anticipation as she looked over the paper.

“Monastery? Priests?”

She read aloud and then looked at me with a completely confused face.

For the first time that day, I smiled at her innocent face.

As time passed, the days grew hotter, and the portrait was getting closer to completion.

Filling in the missing parts and emphasizing what needed to be highlighted.

Since human endeavors could never be perfect, the painter meticulously touched up and spent a long time filling in the gaps.

It seemed like the time had come for me to do the same.

Moments in Eciel’s memory that had naturally faded. But to me, they were still vivid with their colors, shadows, and outlines from that time.

What kind of reaction would Eciel have when she learned about those worn-out times?

“It’s a bit of a long story. Is that okay?”

Eciel nodded as if it were only natural. We held hands and moved to the adjacent room.

There, cold  tea and sweet, chilled snacks awaited us. Forks, knives, and individual plates were set at the table.

“Eciel, sit over there.”

But instead of sitting across from me, my younger sister sat next to me. As a bonus, she immediately pressed a cold teacup against my cheek.

“… why?”

“Your face is still a bit red. It’s hot, isn’t it?”

I couldn’t help but smile again.

When we came into the room, she was pestering me to hurry up and tell him why I liked it…

But seeing my slightly flushed face, she seemed to forget all her curiosity.

“Among the thousand things Countess Locard said not to do, this isn’t included yet?”

It was meant to be a joke, but Eciel’s face suddenly hardened.

“It’s not on the list yet. As long as no one tells her, it never will be.”

Then she glanced around the room nervously. She looked cautious.

I had heard that Eciel’s maids occasionally reported her <un-ladylike> behavior to Countess Locard…

I waved my hand behind her back to dismiss everyone. Eciel opened her mouth in surprise and then complained in a grumbling tone.

“When I ask to be left alone, they don’t leave right away like this!”

“Nine-year-olds generally shouldn’t be left alone, Eciel. Now more than ever, we shouldn’t be alone.”

I consoled her calmly.

I covered her hand holding the teacup with mine and gently placed it back on the table. Her hand was cool from holding the cold cup for too long.

I cradled her small hand, with its soft palm and tiny nails, in my hands. Like gently cupping a delicate flower petal.

Then I whispered softly.

“If an accident happens, my judgment and power would be enough to protect us both for a while, so they stepped out. They won’t leave us alone for long.”

“An accident?”

“Something like breaking a teacup by mistake and getting hurt. I can stop it with the wind, right?”

Or an assassination or kidnapping attempt, for instance.

Of course, such things wouldn’t dare to happen inside Duke Chelsiers’s estate.

Without me explicitly mentioning these hidden dangers, Eciel’s sulky expression gradually softened.

The reason was convincing enough for her to understand.

Suddenly, Eciel exclaimed.

“Ah! The monastery! Quickly, tell me why you like it!”

She grabbed my hand and shook it eagerly, so I explained obediently.

“We couldn’t be left alone at nine years old. How do you think it was when we were just born? We needed someone to take care of us, right?”

“Yeah. But we had Mom.”

“But it would have been hard for Mom to take care of us all by herself. She was alone, and we were two, plus she had a lot to do.”

Eciel tilted his head, pondering.

“Then?”

“We had help from others. We grew up in a monastery, Eciel. For about 30 months after we were born.”

I continued speaking, neither too slowly nor too quickly.

Throughout my explanation, Eciel listened attentively, gradually smiling. By the end, she was looking at me with wide eyes.

It wasn’t because the storyteller was particularly skilled.

Even though my memory of those times was clear and intact, my tone remained calm and quiet.

It was just that Eciel knew me well enough to empathize with the underlying emotions in my otherwise dry words.

“I don’t know when you started to remember… but after leaving the monastery, we moved around a lot. We met Dad very far from that monastery.”

A moment of silence. Then Eciel suddenly asked.

“Claire, do you also not know where it is?”

“I don’t know, but Mom does. Dad said he’d find it for us.”

“That’s a relief.”

Our hands were still firmly clasped together. Though no one else was listening, Eciel whispered softly.

“It’s a relief that you and Mom remember them.”

Saying so, she closed her eyes and prayed reverently. Her lips moved silently.

May God bless them.

May He grant us the courage to face the unknown, the patience to endure hardships, and unwavering faith.

As He delivered us from evil.

It was the most widely quoted prayer. Although I rarely heard it from our mother’s lips.

‘Considering that, Eciel is quite devout.’

Perhaps the traces of the monastery remained in Eciel not as memories but as faith.

With that thought, I looked up at the sky outside the window. The summer sky was just a clear, unbroken blue.

May her prayer reach that high without any hindrance.

Astariol was said to be a fragment of God.

If I supported Eciel’s prayer with mine, it might reach the end of the sky, to the place where God was shattered.

I quietly murmured, adding to his prayer.

“May God bless them.”

The jagged, rocky edges of my heart slowly filled up and smoothed out.

During that time, Eciel finished her prayer and looked around.

“Claire, do you have a pen?”

What for?

I blinked and shook my head. Eciel’s face showed a hint of disappointment.

“I wanted to give you a circle.”

“Where?”

“On number 8 that you wrote. To show you did well.”

… why?

“You told me to  write seven. I haven’t finished yet, so why?”

“A reward for Claire who worked hard!”

Despite her confident voice, I really didn’t understand at all.

“Why is a circle a reward? How do you know I worked hard just because I wrote one?”

Eciel looked bewildered. Her expression clearly showed her inner thought, ‘Why doesn’t she understand this?’

My face probably looked quite similar.

“… doesn’t getting a circle make you happy?”

Wasn’t it just a symbol indicating a correct answer?

I honestly couldn’t understand it at all.

But knowing how to handle Eciel, I simply nodded.

‘Alright. If you say so, then it must be true…’

It was the best way I had learned to avoid arguments with Eciel. Accepting whatever she said made everything easier.

Today, this method worked again.

Eciel smiled brightly, handed the paper back, and spoke with hope in her voice.

“Since you quickly found something you like, you’ll be able to  write other things you like soon.”

Hmm…

“… that might be difficult.”

“Why?”

Eciel stared at me intently. Her clear green eyes were like summer sunlight, piercing and warm.

I glanced away briefly, then met her gaze again.

“We lived in the monastery for over two years. That’s quite a long time, right?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ve been reading books since I learned to read.”

“Yeah. So?”

“Almost everything I really like; I’ve known for a long time. Even with exceptions, most things I’ve known for a very long time. If you think about it, I didn’t not know Fermata either.”

Looking into her sun-like eyes, I declared.

“It takes me a long time to truly feel that I like something. So, it might take a long time to find and  write down new things I like.”