“If she’s not here either, where could she have gone…?”

As I stood there, not knowing what to do, I discovered a note placed next to the desk.

I heard Blanche crying so I came to check, but you weren’t in the room.

She seemed very startled, so I’ll take her to the dining room for now.

I’ll look after Blanche, so don’t be too alarmed and come down.

-Ayla. ]

‘…So Ayla took her to the dining room. She must have been very surprised when she woke up and I wasn’t there.’

I hurried my steps at the content that Blanche had been crying and looking for me.

“Mama!”

As I entered the dining room, Blanche, who had been sitting on Ayla’s lap, jumped up and came running at once.

‘I told her to never take off her bonnet…’

Blanche’s eyes were red as she wore the bonnet sloppily.

“Blanche. You must have been very surprised when Mama wasn’t there. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay now that you’re here. Shu Shu won’t cry.”

Blanche bravely wiped away the teardrops that kept falling.

“My baby is so brave.”

I gently patted Blanche’s bottom.

“Ayla. Thank you for looking after Blanche. Was it hard to comfort her?”

“No. She stopped quickly. She was so adorable, listening well…”

Ayla denied that it was any trouble at all, opening her mouth slightly and speaking haltingly.

“What happened?”

“I think I know why Blanche cried so desperately looking for elder sister. You really were a good mother.”

“Su-Suddenly? I’m embarrassed.”

“It means she’s attached to elder sister. It made me wonder how much love you must have given her while raising her.”

I felt newly embarrassed at Ayla’s praise.

“I wish Blanche… had been…”

“Hm? I couldn’t hear, what did you say, Ayla?”

I hadn’t caught what Ayla had mumbled in the middle.

“…It was just to myself. It’s nothing. Please sit down, elder sister.”

Just then, the food was served.

“Wow! It’s the potage that Shu Shu likes!”

Blanche licked her lips as she smelled the potage placed in front of her.

“There are… potatoes and corn and carrots in it…?”

Blanche, who had been stirring the potage with a spoon, hid the carrots.

“Blanche.”

I deliberately put on a stern face as I looked at my Blanche.

“…Umm?”

Blanche, feeling caught, blinked her eyes pretending not to know.

“What did Mama say about picky eating?”

“That it’s bad…”

“Then what should we do about the hidden carrots?”

“Shu Shu didn’t hide the carrots. The carrots looked sleepy, so, um, Shu Shu covered them with a blanket because they might be cold.”

Blanche’s voice grew quieter and quieter as she made excuses.

I couldn’t help but laugh at her expression of covering them with a blanket.

“Then do you want to let them sleep today?”

Seeing her dejected look, my desire to scold her completely disappeared.

‘How much must she dislike them to come up with such an improvised excuse.’

We can gradually correct her habit of being picky about carrots.

“Yes! The carrots said they were very tired! They were even snoring?”

“Really? They were snoring?”

As I played along with the situation, Blanche covered her mouth and giggled.

“Why does Blanche remind me so much of elder brother?”

“What do you mean by that, Ayla?”

I tensed up at Ayla’s sharp gaze towards Blanche.

“Children… usually don’t like vegetables like carrots. I don’t think I particularly liked them when I was young either, and neither did you, Ayla.”

I babbled on, not fully aware of what I was saying.

“Elder sister, why are you so flustered? There’s no way elder brother came to mind just because Blanche doesn’t like carrots.”

“Ah…”

“To begin with, elder brother doesn’t even dislike carrots. It’s closer to say he doesn’t particularly like anything.”

“Th-Then why?”

“Elder sister, do you really not know? The thing elder brother is best at in the world.”

What was it that Jade was best at in the world?

‘Is it being unkind? Saying things that rile people up? No, that’s not it…’

It had nothing to do with what Blanche had just done.

“Taking control of the situation with words even when it’s disadvantageous to him. So that things eventually flow in the direction he wants.”

“…Ah.”

“It’s elder brother’s specialty.”

I had forgotten.

‘I see why Ayla said Blanche reminded her of Jade.’

That Blanche’s quick-wittedness came from Jade.

“Is Shu Shu the same as Marquis’ specialty? Heehee.”

Blanche wiggled her cheeks, delighted at being told she was just like Jade.

“Blanche is the first child to be happy hearing she’s similar to elder brother.”

Ayla was astonished, unable to understand Blanche.

“Maybe it’s because Jade plays with her well.”

“I find it amazing that elder brother plays well with Blanche. There hasn’t been a child who didn’t cry after seeing him.”

I could only laugh, unable to answer that Blanche resembled Jade because she was his daughter.

“I thought I was seeing things wrong when she was being held by elder brother yesterday.”

Ayla shrugged her shoulders and held out a plate towards Blanche.

“Blanche. You’re so pretty eating well. Do you want more of this?”

“Umm, but then elder sister won’t have anything to eat. Let’s eat together!”

“…It feels a bit awkward hearing ‘elder sister’ from elder sister’s daughter. Blanche, call me aunt instead of elder sister.”

“Aunt? What’s that?”

Blanche tilted her head, not understanding what it meant.

“It’s what you call your father’s female sibling? How about it, Blanche? Want to try calling me that?”

I was uncomfortable with Ayla’s suggestion for Blanche to call her aunt.

‘Ayla really is Blanche’s aunt, but…’

It was no different from walking around with ‘Jade’s daughter’ written on her forehead.

If someone heard her calling Ayla aunt, they might find it strange.

“Ayla, isn’t aunt too casual? If someone were to hear…”

“Isn’t it fine when it’s just us? And what does formality matter? I’d like Blanche to call me comfortably…”

I couldn’t handle Ayla’s disappointed look.

“Well, if you insist, instead of paternal aunt, let’s go with maternal aunt.”

‘She’s so similar to Blanche when she’s being stubborn.’

It was a moment when I realized again that Blanche truly only resembled me in appearance.

“Paternal aunt or maternal aunt. They’re similar, aren’t they? Elder sister was just embarrassed, right?”

Ayla looked at me suspiciously.

“Elder sister, you were with elder brother yesterday, weren’t you?”

I broke out in a cold sweat at the sharp question hitting the mark.

“N-No.”

“Don’t deny it. Why isn’t elder brother coming down?”

I lowered my head at Ayla’s sly gaze.

“H-How would I know? He must be sleeping.”

“Elder brother sleeping? At this hour? That’s impossible…”

Ayla trailed off, saying that he couldn’t sleep long even with medicine.

“Ayla. Jade was wandering around at night… Did you know?”

“…Elder brother? He must not have taken his medicine again.”

Seeing Ayla sigh and become anxious, I knew Jade had been doing this for a long time.

‘He said he sees me burning to death.’

Then it meant he had been doing this at night since I set fire to the annex and ran away.

“It could have been dangerous. Ayla, please keep a close eye on him.”

I asked, hiding my mixed feelings of guilt and worry.

…I couldn’t always be by Jade’s side like yesterday.

“I’m worried too. It’s fine now that I’m here, but…”

“…”

“After he gets married, elder brother will have to live alone… Even if I want to postpone the wedding, he won’t allow it.”

Ayla bit her lip, worrying about Jade who would be left alone after the wedding.

“Ayla. Are you being forced to marry because Jade told you to?”

“It’s true that elder brother told me to, but I’m not being forced. Grand Duke Usith’s influence has grown too much over the past few years, so this marriage is needed to suppress it a bit.”

I felt bitter knowing that Ayla’s dream was to meet someone she loved and live a long life together.

‘She’s not refusing and following Jade’s decision. It seems Ayla has grown up. Wait, if it’s Grand Duke Usith…’

Grand Duke Usith.

The elder of the Rowe family, and Jade and Ayla’s uncle.

Grand Duke Usith also appeared as a villain in the original story, putting Jade in danger.

True to being the mastermind, Jade paid no heed to Grand Duke Usith’s interference.

‘In the original story, Jade was put on trial because of Grand Duke Usith… What was that about?’

I was confused whether it had already happened or was yet to come.

‘Was I too immersed in Larien and ended up possessing her? I should have read more carefully.’

When reading the original, I skimmed through the scenes with Jade since it was after Larien’s death.

“Elder sister? Are you listening to me?”

“…I’m sorry. I was lost in thought for a moment. What did you say?”

I snapped out of my reverie at Ayla’s call.

“I said it would be nice if Blanche could be the flower girl at the wedding. What do you think?”

A flower girl was the role of scattering flowers for the bride and delivering the ring during the wedding.

After the wedding, there was often talk about the flower girl among the guests.

“Since Blanche resembles me, that might be a bit difficult…”

Sharlin also immediately thought of me when she saw Blanche, and it was dangerous in many ways.

“She can wear a mask! There are cases where flower girls wear masks at other weddings, so it won’t look strange!”

“Mama! Shu Shu can do it well! I’ll scatter lots of pretty flowers for auntie!”

“Elder sister, please, allow it.”

“Mama! Shu Shu will be careful!”

Ayla and Blanche took turns persuading me with all their heart and soul.

“Elder sister. I don’t have a father to walk down the aisle with me or a mother to watch me from the front, so I think I’ll feel too lonely walking down the virgin road alone…”

My heart softened at Ayla’s words tinged with sorrow.

“…Then you really have to be careful.”

Ayla and Blanche’s mouths formed identical circles.

“Yay! Mama is the best!”

“Thank you, elder sister!”

Their similar smiles spread like blooming flowers.