“Hate it.”

In response to Ariante’s firm answer, Mayana couldn’t help but burst into laughter. With a puffed-up face like when she was young, Ariante, sitting with a defiant expression, clenched her fists tightly.

“You don’t like being called Mayana. Okay, got it then.”

“No, seriously, why! Don’t do it, it’s scary!”

“Why would you find it scary?”

Mayana asked with a sly smile. Ariante pursed her lips for a moment and then exerted force on her forehead. Her angry expression was no different from when she was a seven-year-old.

“Why are you doing this to talk to me? Don’t do this. Not today. It’s an important day.”

In response to Ariante’s words, Mayana shrugged her shoulders.

“Exactly. I’m getting upset and worrying because I thought I’d say something important on such an important day?”

“That…”

Ariante, taking a deep breath, stared intently at Mayana’s face. It was an expression as if she was frightened. The azure eyes shook with anxiety, like ripples on a trembling surface struck by a carelessly thrown stone.

“I’m sixteen now.”

Ariante’s words made Mayana nod.

“Yes, that’s right. So what?”

“In the past, you know? Do you remember? I said…”

Ariante’s eyebrows under her unclear words sagged. At the same time, Mayana’s face and voice flashed through her mind. It was something she thought she had completely forgotten as it happened a long time ago.

Mayana at that time, when she was nothing more than a hired hand to be employed to lift her spirits. She didn’t have elegant accessories like now, nor did she wear dresses. She always wore an apron and comfortable clothes to move around. Her hair was often disheveled.

But Ariante liked Mayana like that. She loved her enough to think she could exchange her with the world. If Mayana didn’t appear when Ariante woke up, she cried in anxiety and had to step forward to repay anyone who harassed Mayana. This was the same even after Mayana became the viscountess.

After turning fourteen, Ariante occasionally stayed in Vaison with Cédrare. Whenever she did, she always caused a few incidents. The cause was usually Mayana, and if someone spoke ill of Mayana, saying she was a servant’s daughter or mocked her background, Ariante rushed forward to repay them without looking back.

Not only tearing off expensive head ornaments as if it were an accident but also casually dropping newly made shoes into a puddle when showing them off, or pretending to carry ink and books and accidentally spilling them on an irreplaceable dress.

If the opponent was a man, especially a young man of the same age, she didn’t hesitate to pick a fight. Therefore, Ariante became a famous troublemaker in Elbleu’en even before her debutante ball, and she got the nickname ‘the crazy lady living in Elbleu’en.’

King Elmerat ordered someone to embroider Ariante’s deeds on the shawl.

But now, Ariante was contemplating whether to take off Mayana’s shoes and throw them into the mud. If she spoke nonsense even a little, if she said she would leave now that she’s sixteen…

“My lady.”

“Why!”

Ariante, who was getting worked up alone in her imagination, yelled loudly, even tears welled up. Mayana, looking at her with a puzzled expression, hesitated before bursting into laughter.

“Why are you crying?”

“Why on earth are you doing this! Are you trying to say you’re going to leave because I’m sixteen now? Are you going to say you’ll leave, leaving behind Father and me? Don’t call me my lady! I’m your daughter!”
Tears welled up in Ariante’s large eyes. Only then did Mayana understand why Ariante showed a sensitive reaction. As for her… honestly, she hadn’t been thinking.

“Were you worrying about such things?”

“If not, why suddenly call me ‘my lady’ and use formal language?”

Mayana couldn’t endure it any longer and burst into laughter. As she laughed, Ariante glared at her with an even more resolute expression. However, the anxiety that Mayana might suddenly leave lessened a bit. Surely, if Mayana had the intention to leave, she wouldn’t be laughing like that. That thought crossed her mind.

“Where would I go? I just wanted to call you ‘my lady’ after a long time. Come here, my lady.”

As Mayana opened her arms, Ariante, with tears streaming down her determined face, approached her with all her might. Now, Ariante couldn’t hug Mayana like she used to when she was younger.

Yet, today, she seemed to want to be stubborn, struggling comically to sit on Mayana’s lap.

“My lady, don’t you think you’ve grown too much to sit on my lap now?”

“I don’t know, just let me in.”

“The dress is all wrinkled.”

“So what! Let it get wrinkled.”

Ariante, with all her might, pressed her forehead against Mayana’s shoulder. Trembling could be felt. Instead of trying to separate Ariante, Mayana gave up and gently stroked her back with a calm touch.

“When I first met you, my lady, I wondered when this child would grow up, sixteen years old… I wondered if that day would come. But really, in the blink of an eye, you’ve grown so much.”