Chapter 96.2: Her resolve

Rishe gently wrapped her hand around Myria as she tried to rub her eyes.

“Is that why you said you’d stop being wayward earlier?”

“…”

Her small head bobbed.

Evidently, the Order didn’t do anything to her.

It was probably something Myria decided by herself after a long contemplation in order to avoid hurting anyone else any more.

“I’m sure my real mom and dad abandoned me because I’m a cursed child…Just like with Leo, Bishop Schneider asked Papa for help, and that’s how I became Papa’s daughter.”

It dawned on Rishe.

When they were having lunch with Leo during the day, Myria told not to say Father carelessly since they weren’t related.

It was an uncharacteristically cold thing for Myria to say to Leo and Schneider.

However, those words were not directed at others, but were Myria’s own introspection.

She has long known that she wasn’t related to her father.

That was why she told herself that she should keep her distance from the duke.

“But Papa is so kind. I know that there was no use waiting for him to drive me away if I was going to give all my love back to him for raising me when I wasn’t really his daughter.”

“So, you got the location of the orphanage from Leo and tried to leave on your own?”

“Um…”

Myria looked into Rishe’s eyes and cried out, wailing.

“I’m sorry. I intentionally lost the ribbon that you tied for me…!”

“…”

She tightly embraced Myria , who was soaking in tears, over again.

“I should be the one saying sorry, My Lady.”

“Hiccup, h-hiccup…”

“Sometimes, you looked so desolate, but I couldn’t pet you like this. ――Truly, to the very end.”

She wished she hadn’t done such things as leaving Myria alone.

Even when she sulked about wanting to be alone, she should have hugged her and asked her why she was so sad.

“You’ve been working so hard to protect your father, haven’t you?”

“Y-yeah…”

“You’re a wonderful girl. Your father will surely cry a lot if you tell him you’re going away.”

“What, Papa?”

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Rishe smiled and nodded in response to her disbelief.

In fact, the Duke of Jonal had been shedding buckets of tears on the eve of Myria’s wedding.

The presence or absence of blood ties didn’t matter to him at all.

“Let’s go back to your dad, Myria-sama.”

However, Myria still shook her head.

“No, I can’t go home!”

“Myria-sama…”

“I don’t want to be around the people I love! How I wish it’s me who dies, not Mama or Papa or anyone else…”

“Myria-sama!!”

At that moment, Myria pushed her away with all her might, a bit away from her.

“…?”

Then a popping-like sound echoed.

A hard-sounding noise, like the clang of metal against metal. Rishe reflexively looked around and noticed the heel of Myria’s shoe.

Then, she noticed that the heel, which was about an inch high, had what looked like a very thin string tangled around it.

No way…

It only took a moment for a series of thoughts to occur to her.

The reason why Myria was crying here, and the metallic sound high up in the air. She surmised that she must have fallen into something that used a certain string technique.

“…!”

She marveled if there was ever a time in her former lives where she saw a trap entangled in the prey’s legs and set the “target” in the direction the string was pulled.

She was pretty sure that was a trick with a poisoned arrow.

“No!!”

Rishe reached out as fast as she could.

She grabbed Myria by the shoulders and embraced her in a shielding hug, trapping her in her arms.

“―――― …… !!”

Immediately afterwards, pain struck her neck.