“Is this why you adopted her?”

Mia’s sharp words revealed Lucia’s bad habit.

It was a habit of affirming the truth.

Thus, the child’s misunderstanding went unnoticed by Lucia, who simply nodded her head.

“Ha, I knew it would be like that. Ani, wake up! Since when have you been using divine power? Since when?”

Mia yelled, but Nia was fast asleep and couldn’t wake up at all.

“You make her use her strength until she reaches this state? You’re crazy! And after she’s already had such a pitiful upbringing…”

The thin Mia already knew the woman before her was the leader of the Black Knights.

She couldn’t forget the time when a word from this woman caused the black masses to part like waves, although she didn’t know how she had fainted.

But the girl who thought she had already hit rock bottom was not afraid for her life.

She was simply trembling with anger that was nothing but evil.

Being used.

It was the adults’ sick joke, which now made her nauseous even to imagine.

Mia was a smart child.

So unlike the cases where she was adopted like a maid, she was adopted as a daughter to continue the lineage of a husbandless noblewoman.

Smart Mia tried hard to live up to expectations.

And that effort was more than enough to satisfy her adoptive mother, and life where she could just study was happy.

But the incident happened at a social party.

Children who felt ashamed to lose to a mere adopted daughter accused Mia of being a thief.

And the adoptive mother who came running.

She thought she had a warm mother who would believe in her, but the pain of a slapped cheek that was hot beyond warmth was terrible.

And the mocking laughter and animallike gazes of the people around her.

What she realized while looking at them was that no matter how much she struggled, a fake could never become real.

It was like the curse of having nothing.

But Nia is real.

That a child with divine power is precious is a wellknown story to the world.

Mia had once gone to the temple for baptism as a child, so she had seen how well the children there were treated and how well they lived.

Mia could only think that she had been adopted by this monstrous woman to exploit Nia’s divine power.

But Mia had to be calm.

If she showed only anger, Nia would lose the opportunity she was born with.

She didn’t know how much her persuasion would work, as she had nothing, but she wanted to help Nia see a just light, even a little.

Mia knelt quietly before Lucia.

“……You may not know how hard Ani has grown up. So please send her to the temple. I beg you.”

Lucia, watching Mia’s determination, opened her lips.

“Nia is a saintess. But if she goes to the temple, she will die.”

“……A saintess? No, she’ll die? That’s absurd. Even a dog knows that temples seek saintesses in every way……!”

Mia, who had bowed her head, screamed in rage at the nonsense, then met Lucia’s serious gaze.

An earnest gaze, completely different from the adult eyes she had seen before, without a hint of mocking laughter or contemptuous eyes.

For some reason, Mia couldn’t continue to speak at that sight.

“It’s important information that nobody knows. Why do you think I’m telling you this?”

Surely the woman in front of her was a black monster.

Why would such a woman try to hide a saintess?

Just like a cruel demon?

Then why is she holding Ani so… Preciously?

“……I don’t know.”

There were many questions.

But the meaning of the questions did not readily come to mind with that gentle touch.

“My child ran toward you enough to leave my side. And you’ve knelt for that child now. How can I not trust you?”

“……!”
This woman, it would take really not even a second to shut my mouth forever, just like that vicious drunkard died at the hands of his subordinate in one blow.

Moreover, now while she’s asleep is the best time to do it without letting Ani see.

But she didn’t do that.

“Trust me,” she said.

Mia’s heart, for some reason, felt dead at those words, but then it started beating again.

“You can be with me.”

Lucia extended her hand to the child.

Why not take another maternity leave, thought Lucia, absurdly.

But Mia just stared blankly at the hand in front of her and shook her head.

And she straightened her bent knees and stood up herself.

“I hate it. I’m sick of living off others… I’ll just come to check from time to time.”

Mia was thinking of joining another gang of thieves again, and though the thought made her vision go dark, what she hated more was living off others’ strength again.

“Then let me introduce you to a job. You’ll be nearby, so you can come to visit often.”

“……Yes?”

Lucia pointed outside the window, at the palace.

She hadn’t noticed, but this place was incredibly close to the palace.

Mia ran to the window, clung to it, and looked down at the palace.

Behind the palace on a hill. The only place in the capital where you can look down on the palace.

The magnificent building decorated with gold on snowwhite walls.

And the lakes covered with flowers and elegant gardens painted with exotic patterns.