Two years ago, it was a time when Ivy cautiously stepped into the Teyanda social circle.

Back then, Ivy was tense every day, as if walking on thin ice, trying to adapt to the unfamiliar environment and not be caught up by the picky nobles.

Then one day, an unexpected crisis arrived.

“Nice to meet you, Miss Ariate. It’s my first time meeting you like this.”

The crisis was none other than the appearance of the saint, Roble Tuhar, who approached the nobles with a seemingly compassionate demeanor.

Ivy heard that the saint rarely engaged in social activities. So, she thought there would be no chance to encounter her at the social hall, but unfortunately, she met the saint that day.

Seeing the saint, Ivy almost lost her composure.

“…Nice to meet you, Your Holiness.”

“Don’t be so formal. We are family in the Tower, right?”

When Ivy greeted with an effort to hide her emotions, the saint responded with an affectionate voice.

So, Ivy was genuinely impressed.

Even though it was three years ago, Ivy vividly remembered.

The way that woman looked down at her from the underground of the Tower, standing next to the Tower Lord, with a gaze devoid of any emotions. Ivy remembered that moment clearly.

But now, she was approaching and speaking first, calling her a family member of the Tower. Indeed, it seems that one needs such audacity to become a saint.

While Ivy secretly guarded against the saint with such thoughts, the saint spoke again.

“I’m keeping the item that Ariate dropped.”

“The item I dropped?”

“The ribbon you threw from the Tower. Don’t you remember?”

Embarrassed by the saint’s question, Ivy forced a smile.

“I’d like to return it to Miss Ariate. What should I do?”

Ivy looked at the saint, who was veiled with a feeling that was difficult to express in words.

This felt like the saint’s restraint or pressure. It felt like, “Don’t you dare set foot lightly because I know your miserable appearance,” something like that.

“Thank you, Your Holiness. I’ll come to retrieve it soon.”

Ivy wanted to say she should just burn or discard it, but reluctantly, she responded with courtesy.

The saint smiled satisfied, and Ivy hurriedly turned away from that creepy woman.

She didn’t keep her promise to come soon. Ivy also completely forgot about the ribbon.

This incident happened when Ivy had just set foot in the social circle, and when Roble Tuhar began to wear a veil.

For this reason, Ivy believed that the person who cursed her was the saint.

But if not, if the Count’s words were true and the saint is innocent, there is no one else to point fingers at right now.

“Unless it’s someone from a different time…”

Ivy sighed with a complex feeling. Then, she picked up the clothes that damn Miel had kicked away one by one.

“I need to confirm with the Count properly.”
That comes first. So, if this perplexing speculation is correct, then…

“…How should I accept it if that’s the case?”

Ivy threw the clothes she had picked up as if possessed by determination onto the bed. Then she lay down next to them.

The hypothesis that both the Count and the astrologer might be Zion Laurel made Ivy feel frustrated and unjust. It felt like being left alone in the bitter cold.

The astrologer, who took Ivy, who could endure harsh treatment, and took care of her, made her fragile and unexpectedly left at the moment she relied on him the most.

Ivy could either resent or forgive such an astrologer, but she decided to forget him altogether. She concluded that he was a person who left irresponsibly, despite being grateful for taking care of her.

So, she reminded herself that there was no need to search anymore. With that, she barely shook off any lingering feelings toward him.

“But what should I do now…?”

When she desperately wanted to find traces, there was none to be seen. Now, what should she do?

Ivy’s heart stirred once again. Ivy herself couldn’t determine what emotions were currently filling her being.

Whether it was joy, sadness, longing, or bitterness, she couldn’t define it with a single term. Perhaps several emotions were tangled up in confusion.

The only thing certain was that she didn’t want to go back to the time she spent with him.

“I want to become a strong person.”

“There, like the people living in Teyanda.”

Ivy suddenly recalled her words from her childhood when she met the astrologer.

Wanting to become a strong person had been Ivy’s dream even before she met the astrologer.

Before meeting him, the world had been cruel to Ivy. So, Ivy had to pour everything into surviving each day.

But one day, when every day became too difficult, and her vision dimmed, Ivy suddenly realized.

That the world wasn’t cruel to everyone in the same way.

That there were people who leisurely enjoyed well-prepared meals while I ran with blood rushing to my head to steal a piece of bread.

That, unlike me, who depleted my daily energy for just one meal, there were people who could fill their hunger just by sitting at the table.

When Ivy first learned this, she felt deep relief in the fact that the world wasn’t as bad as she thought.