“Not as an escort, just help me. You helped me too, knight! I know Cien. Ah, not Cien! The, God.”

“Haha…”

It was a casual remark, but Ted’s expression turned to confusion. I heard him mutter, ‘The God…’

‘Come to think of it, Ted was the FM type who values faith, wasn’t he?’

A thoughtless remark, but it seemed to pierce his emblem.

I had dug into a crack in his heart this time and made him indebted. From now on, this rigid holy knight will remember me and extend his hand at a critical moment.

‘Anyway, I thought I couldn’t take him with me today.’

He looked down at my small hand and muttered something in a low voice.

“Young Lady Mirmode.”

He carefully searched his bosom and handed me a small hairpin.

“…Thank you for your kindness. This is not a valuable relic, but please accept it.”

I paused, staring at the hairpin. His unhesitating manner in giving me the hairpin threw me off. In the original work, Melodia received this hairpin as a gift and formed a rapport with him.

“Yes.”

I bowed my head, receiving the pin he offered.

‘I’m treading exactly the same path as Melodia.’

She’s the heroine of this world, and I’m not.

While I might fall short in usurping Melodia’s role, his gaze gave me hope.

‘I can’t be sure whether he’ll become mine…’

I stared at his complicated expression. His serious talk about his younger brother resembled my determination to protect my father.

After glimpsing his earnest sincerity, I truly wanted to help him find his brother.

“Then, let’s go see the third night, brother!”

Tomorrow is the day of my father’s succession ceremony, and the day after tomorrow is the hunting competition, so there will be time.

I had to use my time as effectively as possible.

“I understand. Thank you very much.”

I stared at him, nodding his head.

And…

‘The face of someone trying to protect their family looks like this.’

His expression reminded me of my own. I really wanted to sincerely help him.

Because I knew he felt the same.

Somehow, with a trembling heart, I went straight back to the duke’s house.

With the butterflyshaped hairpin given by the knight in hand.

The muscular temple maidens were waiting for me right in front of the temple. They had been intimidating the attendants in the prayer room.

“Hahaha! Lady Cien!”

“…Uh?”

I hesitated, retracting my body. Then, they looked at me with broad smiles.

“We got this temple access card!”

“…”

“From now on, when you come to this temple, we will escort you right away!”

“As befits a temple maiden!”

I stared at the whitened face of the priest standing behind them. For some reason, he looked pitiful, as if they really had intimidated him.

“Uh…”
I felt relieved that the muscular maid sisters were on my side.

After such a small commotion, the next day came when my father was to receive the office of viscount and earl.

The succession ceremony was carried out in a simple manner.

In this time of territorial dispute and the imperial palace keeping our family in check, it meant there was no need to hold a large succession ceremony.

But I knew.

As I went to the western mansion prepared by my grandmother, I cursed the Mirumod family inwardly.

‘These evil family members, are they having a small succession ceremony because our father is anyway going to be the successor?’

It seemed like less than 10% of people thought our father would survive.

Just by listening to the murmuring voices of people every time I took a walk around the mansion, it seemed so.

‘Isn’t he going to die soon?’

‘But in the past… so we don’t know what will happen, right?’

Their whispers reached my ears.

I strained my ears as much as possible to get information.

‘…Even if you look at it, he lost all his strength and was exiled, so what.’

‘Well. Sir Axel and Miss Delfia are expected to return soon.’

‘Really? Is Miss Delfia going to arrive faster?’

‘Both will arrive within a month. A messenger has been sent!’

But all I heard was the desperate news that Axel and Delfia would return soon.

Stiffly, I clung tightly to the offensive artifact my grandmother gave me and seriously considered.

‘I have to gain strength!’

It was the same now. As I walked quickly to the mansion, biting my lip, the gaze and words followed me.

“There will be another bloodbath in the family soon. Sigh.”

“That young one will die soon too. Pitiful.”

Then.

At some point, the whispering people stopped talking.

Thump, clatter.

Was it because of the sound of cracking joints next to me?

The maid sisters murmured in a low voice.

“Miss Cien.”

“Hmm.”

As I stopped and looked up, the dark expressions of the maid sisters greeted me.

Looking at their expressions, even the muscular maid sisters, who were bright in muscles but somewhat dark in ears, seemed to have heard their bad whispers.

“Do we handle it right away?”

“Everything is prepared.”

…What’s this?

‘Where did you learn this strange way of speaking, you sisters!’

I even felt awkward, wondering if they had the same attitude when they handled the principal’s spy.

‘It’s scary!’

People, tired of their menacing momentum, turned their heads forward.

“What, why bother with those about to die?”

“Sigh, an exile returning. When Sir Axel returns, those!”

“Sir Axel? We don’t need to go that far. It ends when Miss Delfia comes and handles it!”

Of course, there were also those who poured out wicked remarks like villains. Those who shamelessly lifted their heads as if committing a crime deliberately raised their voices.

‘I know that feeling.’

I smiled at them.

“Hmm, my dad will definitely not die.”

“That’s right. We all know.”

“Then, shall we handle those loosetongued ones in the name of Sir Matthias?”

“Hmm? In our dad’s name?”

For a moment I thought I heard wrong and tilted my head.

Handle it in my father’s name, then my heartwarming and innocent father would undoubtedly be shocked.

He might be sulking for several days saying that I handled people with trembling hands. The thought of it made my heart ache. But without knowing my speed, the maid sisters chorused loudly.

“Huh? Miss Cien! Please make a decision!”

One of my specialties was firmly shaking my head at ridiculous remarks. I shook my head vigorously.

“Nope. Our dad will cry!”

“He, hehe……?”

“Miss Cien…….”

It seemed like the muscular maid sisters were avoiding my gaze strangely.

‘Why do they look like that?’