Diana entered the monastery. It had been a little over two weeks since Raoul’s holy body awakening began.

Unlike usual, the atmosphere in the monastery was desolate.

The area underneath the platanus tree where children used to play was clean without a single footprint, and there was not the slightest trace of people.

“This is the first time the monastery has been this quiet…”

“I know… It was always noisy because of the kids.”

There were many children who lost their parents to the expedition, and funerals were held every day to send their souls to the goddess.

Although she had heard the news before arriving, the atmosphere was even heavier than she thought.

“Lady Diana, you’re here.”

Just then, the head nun, who had returned from the Elder Council meeting, greeted Diana warmly. Next to her were many newly admitted children.

The children who suddenly became orphans due to their fathers’ expeditions all had dark expressions.

Seeing them sobbing was heartbreaking, and as she tried to approach them, one boy revealed hostility.

“You evil bitch!”

The sudden curse made the atmosphere heavy. The head nun was startled and tried to cover the child’s mouth, but it was no use.

The child twisted his body as if having a fit and bit the nun’s hand hard.

“Why did you send our father to the ravine! If you want to go so badly, you go!”

“What kind of language is that? Can’t you stop?”

Biché stepped in front of Diana and spoke quietly.

“Young lady. Please go up first. I will take care of the supplies.”

“…”

Behind Biché’s back, she could see the child lying down.

“It’s all because of nobles like you! The duke keeps taking in slaves, so God is angry! That’s why monsters keep popping up! But why does our father have to die! Why! Why!”

The young vocal cords cracked and his voice was filled with tears.

Diana reached out restlessly, but eventually left her spot.

Sitting in the silent prayer room, Diana became lost in thought. The doomsday theory advocated by the pagans had begun to dominate the thoughts of the common people in the territory.

She felt a sense of helplessness for not being able to stop the expedition despite knowing the future, and at the same time, a tension as if a knife had come to her throat.

‘No matter how well I treat the orphanage children, the fact that I am the daughter of the villain will not change…’

Carlyle de Arnel, the number one contributor to bringing the end closer. Diana was his only child.

‘I need to leave this land as soon as possible.’

She closed her eyes to calm her anxious heart.

She chanted prayers until her clasped hands became damp, then opened her eyes due to an inexplicable sense of discomfort.

“What is it?”

Following the sound, she looked up and saw the door leading to the cemetery.

The half-open door closed with a thud, and the light coming through it faded away.

‘Is it the wind…?’

It was a place of mystery that children were always curious about because it could not be opened without a key, but today was different.

If her eyes were not deceiving her, the door was definitely open.

As she was about to get up from her seat with a puzzled face, suddenly a warm and heavy sensation pressed down on her thigh.

“…Huh?”

Looking down, there was an unfamiliar living being she had never seen before.

A child who looked to be about three or four years old at most stretched out their short legs, trying to climb onto her lap.

In the confusing situation, she just blinked, and urgent little hands grabbed the flesh on the side of her chest. Painfully tight!

“Aaaah! Ouch! It hurts!”

The child seemed to have been trying to grab her back. But with short arms, they ended up squeezing the flesh near her ribs. Startled by the scream, the child hurriedly let go.

“Ow!”

It was Diana who was in pain, but the child made a groaning sound. She lowered her gaze and looked down at the round head.

The child, who had made a nest under her chest, clung to her like a koala, constantly rubbing their cheek against her.

After a moment of surprise, she quickly checked the child’s face.

‘There are a few gray-haired children at the monastery, but was there such a small baby?’

Lifting the soft cheeks, a face she had never seen before popped out.

Milky white skin, delicate and cute features that exuded a somewhat chilling atmosphere, lake-blue eyes…

The appearance was a perfect recreation of Raoul’s childhood.

“…Is this a newly admitted child?”

Diana looked down at the cute face and spoke. The child playfully bit her hand and brought their head closer.

“Pat me!”

“You want me to pat you?”

“Yes!”

Diana stroked the child’s silky hair and lifted the warm little one.

“Oop― What’s your name?”

“Ru!”

“Ru?”

“Yes!”

“I see, Ru. How old are you, Ru?”

“Three! No… Four! No… Three…?”

He couldn’t gauge his exact age and clumsily folded and unfolded his fingers.

Roughly meaning he was about three or four years old. She nodded vaguely and headed outside.

“I’ll take you to the nun teacher. Just wait a moment.”

The moment she opened the prayer room door, Ru abruptly pulled Diana’s long hair in an X shape.

Her vision suddenly obscured, she was startled and lowered her gaze.

“Ru! Why all of a sudden?”

“I stay here!”

“Yeah, I see you there. I can see you too.”

“No! Here!”

He jumped out of Diana’s arms and pulled on her dress hem. It seemed like he was trying to keep her as far away from the prayer room door as possible.

“You don’t want to go outside…?”

“Yes!”

The child nodded happily, then buried his face in her skirt again.

“Stay here with Ru…”

Similar appearance to Raoul, but a much more affectionate attitude. Diana’s heart sank, feeling like she had met his second child.

“Okay… I’ll stay here.”

Ru reached out again, satisfied. As Diana lowered her head, his arms naturally wrapped around her neck.

She lost count of how many laps she walked around the prayer room while supporting his bottom. Ru made happy sounds and constantly rubbed his nose against her neck.

‘Was this child’s father also taken away on an expedition mission?’

Feeling sorry for him, she indulged his whims as much as he wanted, when suddenly Ru made an incomprehensible sound.

“Mommy. I like.”

“…Mommy?”

“Mommy!”

“…Did you miss your mommy?”

“Yes!”

“I see.”

Diana didn’t think he was talking to her and just patted his pitiful back.

‘How much he must have missed his parents.’

It was common for children at the monastery to mistake the nuns for their mothers.

Diana didn’t think much of it either.

She just found the natural sound coming from his pursed lips as they opened and closed a little heart-wrenching.

After holding the child and spinning around for a long time, it was only when Diana put the small body down from her arms that she noticed the child was quite grimy.

The heels sticking out of the crumpled shoes were pitch black, and the apron the child held was stained black in the shape of his hand.

“Ru, did you not take a bath this morning?”

“Bath?”

“Yes. Didn’t you wash?”

Diana mimicked washing hair and asked. Ru shook his head sullenly.

“They didn’t make me.”

With many new children being admitted and a shortage of helping hands, this happened occasionally.

Diana managed to persuade Ru, who said he wouldn’t go out, and took him to the empty backyard.

“Is this okay?”

“Yes. Don’t look at Ru.”

The child had been shushing and looking around since earlier.

‘I heard that new children sometimes get bullied. Is that the case for Ru too?’

When she patted his back with a sympathetic heart, Ru burrowed further into her neck and mumbled.

“I love mommy…”

She wasn’t his mother, but having experienced similar things many times, she didn’t point out the form of address. Kids are like that at this age.

The backyard was filled with basins and firewood for heating water for the children’s baths.

When Diana boiled the water and filled the basin, Ru took off his clothes on his own and prepared to get in.

‘He’s quick…’

“Bath! Soap!”

“What, Ru likes baths too?”

“Yes, yes!”

Without Diana even telling him, he went into the water and waited obediently for her to serve him.

“Do this, do this!”

He ruffled his own hair and blinked, telling her to wash his hair.

“Hahaha. How cute. Okay. I’ll do it now.”

Laughter burst out naturally at the fluffy appearance like a dandelion seed.

“I’ll pour water. Close your eyes tight, okay?”

Ru covered his eyes tightly with his maple leaf-like hands and nodded.

When she poured water and rubbed his hair with soap, a round smile escaped from between his protruding lips.

“Feels good?”

“Yes! I like baths!”

The obedient face was very cute. As his gray hair got wet and his eyes were tightly closed, his long lashes of the same color were visible.

The more she looked, the more Diana was surprised at how much he resembled Raoul.

She even began to suspect that this child might be a lycan.

‘No way― There’s no way the monastery would accept a different race. The Holy Kingdom is still on friendly terms with the empire.’

She dismissed it as a ridiculous thought and focused on Ru’s bath.

She washed off the grime and played with the remaining bubbles.

Finding Ru waiting obediently cute, she placed two round bubbles on top of his head. It reminded her of a prank she had played on Raoul when he was young.

“Wolf ears― Haha. It suits you well, Ru. You look valiant.”

“Ears! Ru has ears!”

“Of course you do. You have them here, and here too.”

Diana playfully pinched his real ears and was about to touch the bubble ears.

‘Huh?’

Soft and squishy.

‘Huh??’

She felt something where there should have been nothing.

“Tickles!”

As Ru shook off the bubbles, inside were moving…

“Ru, what are these…?”

“My ears!”

Ru laughed innocently and pulled on his ears. Those were definitely not human ears.