Chapter 76
“Are you really okay not eating anything?”
“…!”
Even though I made my presence known, Deborah startled at the sound of my voice.
She looked at me, flustered—then let out a long, heavy sigh.
When she spoke again, her voice sounded tightly restrained, as if she were holding something down.
“I’m fine…. Don’t worry about me. Go have fun. You seem to be getting along well with the guild members.”
I gave her a small smile and nodded.
“They’re good people.”
As I slipped into the seat beside her, Deborah shifted restlessly, like she couldn’t sit still. She kept stealing glances at me, overly conscious of my presence, and it made me feel a little awkward.
“You don’t have to be so careful around me.”
“…Still, I’ve always felt sorry toward you.”
“…….”
It wasn’t quite right to tell her not to feel sorry. So I chose silence instead. Deborah continued in a soft, measured voice.
“This might sound like an excuse… but when I heard you’d been adopted into the Tierney ducal house, I truly thought you’d live well there.”
“…….”
“You were such a bright, pretty child—anyone could see that… I convinced myself the Duke of Tierney must have thought it a waste to keep you as nothing more than a maid….”
“…….”
“…Yes. Looking back, that was just rationalization. The truth is, I felt burdened by the responsibility of you. My adoptive parents only wanted to raise one child, and I wanted to become the perfect heir they desired. So….”
Deborah’s lips moved, but she couldn’t seem to force the rest of the words out.
I didn’t need to hear what came after so.
I had buried the past because I wanted to focus on the present and move forward.
The people I’d left behind on the road I’d walked—I tried to forget them. To look away.
That kind of selfishness… I can’t say I don’t understand it.
Everyone is selfish to some degree.
But if it had been me—
“I wouldn’t have done that.”
“…!”
“I’m not blaming you. I don’t even feel like I want to. You were young, too. But… if I had been the older sister, I would’ve found some way to bring my little sister with me.”
“…….”
“Even if our adoptive parents refused to take her in, I could’ve asked them to hire her as a maid or a page. And as you know… I was the kind of stupid kid who would’ve said I was fine with that.”
If it meant staying by my sister’s side, I would’ve smiled and said it didn’t matter whether I was a maid or a page.
Even if the Marconi family hadn’t employed me, that would’ve been fine.
Cornello had far better child welfare facilities than Roblet; I could have placed myself in one of those.
Or I could’ve worked odd jobs at some restaurant or general store, scraping by on pocket change, and still been satisfied.
The bar for my happiness had been that low.
What I wanted was simple. So painfully simple.
And yet I never held even a single one of those small wishes in my hands. I lived lonely. Isolated.
‘Well… it’s all in the past. And I’m more than happy now.’
So I was about to tell her it was okay—
“Sniff….”
Deborah’s tears finally spilled over.
The quiet sobs she’d been holding back broke loose, turning quickly into heaving cries.
I simply sat there, watching her.
In moments like this, I should probably comfort her… but that strange sense of distance between us made me hesitate.
Between ragged breaths, fragments of her voice slipped through.
“I’m sorry…. I’m so, so sorry….”
“…….”
“At Tierney… I never imagined they would do something so horrible… to you….”
Deborah… and Raul, too, must have heard my story from the same person.
‘An old servant who retired after working at the Tierney estate…. By now, he’s probably settled in the Winterberg territory.’
That was how it went in the original story.
I was curious about the details, but in her current state, lost in tears, Deborah wouldn’t be able to give me a coherent answer.
I decided to leave it for later and rose from my seat, turning toward the kitchen-slash-dining area.
And right then, my eyes met Lycian’s.
“…….”
He was leaning against the wall near the kitchen entrance, staring at me.
Arms crossed. All his weight resting on one leg. The posture looked almost like a delinquent.
‘How long has he been standing there like that…?’
I brushed past the delinquent fox and shot him a sideways glance.
As expected, he trailed after me.
Separation anxiety…?
The idle thought that foxes were part of the canine family drifted through my mind as I stepped into the kitchen.
“Khahaha!!”
A booming laugh hit my ears at once.
The owner of that rough, hearty voice was a swordsman named Lucas.
At thirty-six, he counted as one of the older members of the Veratis Guild, where most were in their twenties.
Though for an adventurer, thirty-six was still very much active age.
Lucas wielded a greatsword as tall as himself with ease, and he possessed monstrous strength.
Even now, he had hoisted Dante—an adult man who was far from light—clean off the ground.
“Y-you crazy old man! If you’re drunk, stop picking up just anyone like this!”
Dante shrieked in horror, and Lucas, as always, roared with laughter in response.
“You call yourself Guild Master and you’re this light? You’re a sheet of paper! A sheet of paper!”
“It’s you who’s freakishly strong—! Hey, put me down!”
With Dante squirming over his shoulder, Lucas spun around in a full circle.
At the Guild Master’s suffering, every guild member burst into laughter.
‘There’s something wrong with this guild….’
The Guild Master’s authority hadn’t just hit rock bottom—it had evaporated entirely.
I edged toward the counter and picked up a copper kettle. It was a convenient item that heated up when infused with mana.
Unfortunately, I had no mana, so I needed someone else’s help. For example—
“…!”
As expected, Lycian stepped forward and placed a hand on the kettle.
The moment he infused it with mana, the kettle heated rapidly. Pale steam curled up from its long spout.
“You’re making tea, right? I’ll help.”
“No, I’ll—”
…I was about to say do it myself, but Lycian’s hands were faster than my words.
In the blink of an eye, he took out tea leaves, placed them in a strainer, and fitted it into a porcelain teapot.
Then he poured in the hot water and closed the lid. The entire process happened in seconds.
The tea he chose… was lavender. Calming.
He wasn’t just quick with his hands. He was quick on the uptake.
“…Thanks. I could’ve done it.”
“I’m Muriel’s slave, remember? Use me however you like.”
“You’re still on about that slave thing…?”
“Then make me your boyfriend.”
“There you go again….”
Narrowing my eyes, I shot Lycian a glare and moved the teapot onto a wooden tray.
As usual, Lycian had already taken out the teacups. The simple ones patterned with clovers—the kind I liked.
But—
“One is enough. I’m not drinking.”
“Then drink tea instead of alcohol.”
“I’m not drinking alcohol either.”
“You were earlier.”
“That was just because of the vibe—!”
Several guild members glanced our way, stealing curious looks at our bickering.
Suddenly self-conscious under those gazes, I cleared my throat and lifted the tray.
Pretending not to notice, I walked out of the kitchen.
Deborah was still seated where she’d been before. Thankfully, she seemed to have stopped crying.
I approached and set the tray down on the low table in front of the sofa.
She blinked rapidly at me. Smiling, I poured a cup of tea and held it out to her.
“It’s lavender tea. It helps calm your nerves.”
“…Thank you. I’ll drink it.”
Maybe this, too, was a kind of comfort.
I couldn’t soothe her until she stopped crying—but I could at least brew her a warm cup of tea.
A little while later.
After finishing her tea, Deborah stood up.
There was still guilt in her awkward smile, but her expression looked better than before.
“The tea was good. I should get going.”
“Alone? It could be dangerous….”
“It’s fine. My escort followed me in secret.”
“Ah….”
That explained it.
It had felt odd for the heir of the Marconi family to be walking around alone.
‘So she had a guard skilled in stealth with her.’
“Stay well, Muriel. And… would you accept this?”
Deborah took something from her bosom and held it out to me.
I lowered my gaze and examined it carefully.
A mermaid seated upon a reef, singing. Wild waves. And in her hand, a teardrop-shaped gem.
‘…The Marconi family crest?’
Long ago, the Marconi family had been the early pioneers of Cornello Island, which had once been uninhabited.
There was a legend that a beautiful, water-hued mermaid had guided the head of the Marconi household all the way to Cornello….
Whether it was true history or not was uncertain. It was, after all, only a legend.
For while beastfolk existed in this world, a race like the “mermaid”—human above the waist, fish below—had never been discovered.
Then again, perhaps mermaids were simply another kind of beastfolk….
Who knew? In the deep sea, beyond the reach of human eyes, maybe they truly did exist.
“Isn’t this the Marconi family’s token? Why give this to me?”
At my question, Deborah gave a faint smile.
“If you carry this, you can receive the Marconi family’s help at any time. …I don’t know if you’ll ever need my help, but if that day comes… please don’t hesitate to come find me or contact me.”
“…….”
“I know it’s far too late… but still, as your older sister… I want to do anything I can for you.”