Sedilroy chuckled at Meyana’s brazen response.

“You really know a lot. Many people don’t even know that there’s a Labor Advisory Board.”

“It’s inevitable. After all, I’m destined to live as a laborer my whole life. Royal bureaucrats who feast on the royal treasury are sitting there saying they’ll help me. I can’t pretend not to know, can I?”

Sedilroy wore a strange smile. He was about to respond with a somewhat bitter expression, but Arianthe abruptly asked a question.

“Father, what does ‘unscrupulous employer’ mean?”

At that moment, the expressions of Sedilroy and Meyana sharply diverged. Meyana’s face flushed as she struggled to hold back laughter, while Sedilroy squinted at Meyana with a troubled look.

“Is it funny?”

“No, why are you angry with me? Just answer quickly. The princess is curious.”

Arianthe was looking at both Meyana and Sedilroy with a face full of childlike curiosity. When Meyana elbowed Sedilroy in the ribs, he coughed awkwardly while glaring as if to ask what she was doing.

“Arianthe… An unscrupulous employer is…”

Arianthe’s eyes sparkled with anticipation and curiosity. If Meyana had been the one hesitating, Arianthe would have pestered her for a quick response, but since it was Sedilroy, she only clenched and unclenched her hands, looking adorable.

“Someone who… um, mistreats their employees.”

“What does ‘mistreat’ mean, Father?”

Sedilroy’s eyes wavered in bewilderment. He hadn’t expected another question. He glanced irritably at Meyana, who was half-dead from laughing, and coughed again.

“It means to torment them very severely.”

Arianthe then turned to Meyana.

“My father is not an ‘unscrupulous employer’. He doesn’t torment his employees.”

Meyana finally burst into uproarious laughter, loud yet pleasant. Arianthe, who watched this, was puzzled, not knowing why Meyana was laughing. And Sedilroy…

“You’ll burst your belly if you keep laughing like that.”

For some reason, his tone was grumpy and annoyed. His tone resembled Arianthe’s so much that Meyana, who was in tears from laughter, finally caught her breath after a while.

Meyana said,

“Count, decide whether you’re worried or annoyed.”

“It’s neither. I’m just stating facts.”

Then Arianthe chimed in like a rabbit.

“Father! Will your belly really burst if you laugh too hard? Is it true?”

Meyana started to laugh again. Sedilroy fell into serious contemplation as to whether he should keep his mouth shut from now on.

Upon arriving at the windmill, Arianthe stared at the slowly rotating giant wings with sparkling eyes. Inside, creaking noises accompanied by occasional thumps were heard.

“Father, can we go inside?”

Before Sedilroy could answer, Meyana spoke.

“Why not? Let’s go in, princess.”

Arianthe was so excited she didn’t know what to do. It seemed that she really wanted to see the windmill. A rather unique fascination for a seven-year-old…

The three cautiously entered. Stacks of hay were piled high, and a thumping sound could be heard from the pillars above as the wings moved.

Meyana had frequently visited windmills when living in the countryside, so she wasn’t impressed. But Arianthe was extremely curious, asking questions about everything.

‘However…’

Meyana carefully observed Sedilroy and Arianthe.
Even though Arianthe was a child and could be excused for her fascination, it felt odd to see Sedilroi also cheerfully looking at the windmill’s inner scenery as if enchanted. Moreover, he didn’t even flinch at Arianthe’s incessant questions, providing detailed answers.

Born into a ducal family, he would have received an education almost unimaginable for Mayana. But it seemed unlikely he would also have specialized knowledge about windmills.

‘Is he just fond of windmills?’

Watching Sedilroi and Arianthe absorbed in their own world, Mayana gently touched the straw mats stacked along the round wall. The texture was rough and the tips were sharp.

She had used something like this for a bed back on the farm where she grew up.

Initially, she could hardly get used to it and couldn’t sleep. Contemplating what situation she had found herself in, and how such a thing could happen, her childhood was both tranquil and complicated.

Later, her parents pondered whether they should send her away for her unchildlike behavior.

But when she turned three, a younger sibling was born, and another after that… From then on, she had no time to worry about her life. There was too much work for a child, and life on the farm was exhausting.

Her parents were somewhat indifferent to Mayana, but they neither beat her nor starved her. They were clearly too tired themselves to know what to do.

So, Mayana couldn’t forget her past life. She missed the times when she was the only daughter, monopolizing all the love, her parents’ affection and attention, and above all, the dogs that had been with her since childhood.