Chapter 96.1: Her resolve

As the setting sun turned the surrounding area red, Rishe ran east through the corridors of the Grand Shrine.

Before the area was buried in complete darkness, she stepped into the forest.

A child’s footprints. Not Leo’s, a girl’s shoes!

She found tracks left on the ground and frowned, taking a shallow breath.

I knew it, Young Miss entered this forest…

She was tempted to move quickly, but that would mean missing the trail. While calming herself with shallow breaths, Rishe observed the woods.

The soil was only partially exposed, and fallen leaves covered the ground.

There were only a few footprints left, but Rishe didn’t hesitate to start walking.

The toes of the footprints were facing east.

Myria must have headed that way. She followed the fresh treads on the grass and whatever few marks she could find.

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Humans were one of the largest creatures in the world.

It was easy to forget, but even a child like Myria was taller and heavier than most of the animals in the forest.

As such, it was possible to consider tracks such as treads of fallen branches or torn spider web.

Stay calm, stay cool, and be sure. The searchers that His Highness Arnold will surely find my tracks.

The way the meadow has been shoveled, the remnants of spider webs that have been torn up. A tree branch that looked like it had been trampled on by shoes or hooves, as if someone had fallen over it.

She proceeded while distinguishing the traces of large animals from those of what might have been a child.

One tiny oversight, it could be too late…

An unpleasant image came to mind, but she pushed it down with a deep breath.

Eventually, she found a strand of purple hair caught in the bark of a tree. She was relieved that she was in the right direction, but at the same time, a new concern arose.

This is as far as Leo and I walked. I don’t know anything about the traps that lie ahead.

But then, she sensed a presence that was different from that of an animal.

Found you!

Some distance away from Rish was a small girl’s back.

It was definitely Myria. Myria was sitting down at the base of a tree and wiping her eyes repeatedly with the back of her hand. Seeing her, she felt a tightening in her chest.

“Myria-sama!”

“…!”

Myria’s shoulders jerked up, and she looked at her in the distance.

She wondered if she had been crying because she was all alone in the dark forest. Rishe rushed to her and made sure she was okay.

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“Myria-sama, are you hurt?”

“Riche-sama…!!”

A small hand stretched out and clung tightly to Rishe.

“Are you in pain? Did you sprain your foot or got hurt somewhere?”

Myria shook her head. She was relieved at her reply and stroked her head in a hug.

“Thank God…”

“…”

Rishe muttered and sensed that Myria was trying to hold back her tears.

In contrast, she asked in a shaky voice.

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“Why are you being so nice to me?”

“What do you mean, why?”

“Because I have bad powers.”

Rishe blinked and pulled away from Myria.

The face she saw was crumpled and close to tears.

“I thought you liked me.”

“O-Of course I do!!…Of course, I like you very much!!”

“Pfft, I’m glad to hear that…If that’s the case, isn’t it safe even if you have the power of the curse?”

“It’s because I uttered some things. Even if I possess such a horrible power, honestly, I still like it. But I’m to blame for Mama!”

“Myria-sama…”

Even in Rishe’s life as a maidservant, Myria never mentioned her mother’s death much.

She looked like she didn’t want to talk about it, so Rishe didn’t dare to delve into it.

She hadn’t realized that the reason for this was because she was carrying such anguish.

“Oh, you know what, Rishe-sama?”

Once she started talking, she couldn’t stop like a bursting dam.

As if in sync with her overflowing tears, Myria struggled to speak.

“I was trying to get Papa to hate me. Wouldn’t it be better if he gets away from me so he wouldn’t have to go through what Mama did?”

“That’s…”

“So I decided to be a willful and troubled kid. Once Papa hates me, he’d send me back to the orphanage!”

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“!”

Myria sniffled and wiped her eyes repeatedly.

“…I love Papa.”

Myria, who had been repeatedly doing and saying things to earn her father’s rejection, uttered in a tremulous voice.

“I’d much rather he hate me and drive me out than have him die because of me. I don’t care if I can’t be around him anymore. I just want him to be healthy, so…”

“Myria-sama…”

“Everything’s been fine until now. When I wasn’t feeling really angry, saying ‘I hate you’ wouldn’t trigger the curse. But yesterday’s carriage accident and today’s dress, were my fault…”