What Mona felt toward Roseliel was a form of attachment complex bordering on codependency.
That was a conclusion Roseliel had reached back in her past life while playing the game.
At the time, she had thoroughly enjoyed this slightly unhinged relationship dynamic as a player. But now that she was part of the story herself, she had to carefully examine and manage this relationship.
As far as Roseliel was concerned, one had to take things step by step.
Forcing Mona to become independent right this instant would only backfire.
That was why Roseliel chose this approach to guide and reassure her.
Still, one day, she—the "training wheels"—would leave her, and Mona would have to learn to move forward on her own.
Roseliel stepped out of the basement and let out a long stretch. It was sunrise, and the golden morning sun bathed her face in cozy warmth, making her narrow her eyes.
“I will take these letters back to the Holy See, then send a copy to the Royal Capital Guard Department so they can assist in tracking down clues.”
Lucia tucked the sheets of paper into her bosom.
The three of them had just read through the contents of the letters together, and Roseliel had put on a grand show of analyzing them as if reading them for the very first time.
At present, the primary focus was undeniably uncovering the true identities of Executioner and Drunkard.
With their mission in Maple Creek Town successfully concluded, it was time to head back.
Roseliel cracked her sore neck, looking completely drained of energy. “How about we rest first? This whole day and night has been exhausting.”
Now, even Lucia, who had been the most suspicious of her, had basically lowered her guard. The sword dangling over Roseliel's head had finally shifted away slightly, and the tension she had been holding since reincarnating suddenly snapped. Only then did she realize every bone in her body was pushed to its absolute limit.
Right now, she felt completely dead tired.
Lucia nodded. “Mm, we really should rest. Analyzing these letters will take time as well.”
Mona didn't speak, but her eyelids were already drooping. Last night had been equally draining for her, and after her bout of crying just now, she was utterly exhausted.
Of course, before leaving, there was still one more thing to do.
The three returned to the mill and reunited with the sisters, Nancy and Amy.
“Nancy, these are our saviors! Quick, thank them!”
As soon as they reached the mill, Amy dragged the now-awake Nancy to kneel before the three of them. Roseliel and Lucia quickly stepped in, each catching one sister.
“She's a Saintess! Helping you is her duty! Otherwise she wouldn't deserve the title—ow, ow, ow!”
Lucia pinched Roseliel's ear without batting an eye. Looking at Amy, her tone was serious yet gentle. “You've thanked us enough. Now, take your sister and live well.”
“Lady Saintess...” Amy's eyes were filled with reverence.
“Let go! Stop tugging!” Roseliel's wails shattered the touching moment. She forcefully shook off Lucia's devilish grip and rubbed her reddened ear with an aggrieved expression.
“Sister,” Nancy, who was lying on the ground, suddenly spoke up. “What... what will we do from now on?”
Hearing the question, Amy's body froze.
Right, what were they going to do from now on?
Now, each other was all the family they had left. Maybe there were a few distant relatives, but they weren't close, and turning to them for help would inevitably mean suffering indignities.
Nancy's hand had been injured by a living corpse. Though her life was no longer in danger, she probably wouldn't be able to do heavy labor for a long time. Furthermore, just as Lucia said, there might still be lingering aftereffects.
On top of that, out of fear of corpseification, would anyone even be willing to take Nancy in?
Everything was an unknown.
Confusion and anxiety weighed heavily on Amy's shoulders. She wasn't much older than Nancy, yet right now she had no choice but to force herself to stand tall.
“In that case, why not come work as servants at my place?”
Roseliel's voice chimed in abruptly.
“Well, after all those incidents recently, a lot of the household staff packed up and ran off early. The manor is pretty short-handed right now.”
She extended a hand to Amy. “If you don't mind, you can come be servants at my house. My home is huge, more than big enough to fit you both. I can have the head maid assign you lighter duties so you can focus on taking care of Nancy first.”
“We don't mind at all! Thank you so much!”
Amy answered almost frantically, grasping Roseliel's outstretched hand and quickly agreeing.
Although she didn't know who this young lady was, judging by her appearance and attire, she clearly came from no ordinary household.
To become a servant in such a household was something a small-town girl like her wouldn't have dared dream of before.
Besides, from what she could tell, this young lady was a good person. To her, this was practically dream treatment.
Lucia hadn't expected Roseliel to offer either. She had originally intended to ask someone to send them to an orphanage under the Holy See, but now she hesitated.
She knew full well that not every child in an orphanage was as fortunate as she had been back then; such places were ultimately not very good to live in.
Going to work as servants at the Rosenwal household was indeed a very good option.
Of course, all of this hinged on Roseliel truly being different from before. Had the old Roseliel made such a proposal, she would have been the first to object.
However, there was one thing she had to confirm first.
“You didn't say that out of some peculiar kink, did you?” she whispered into Roseliel's ear.
“What kind of talk is that!” Roseliel bristled instantly. “Please do not insult my character! Do you have any evidence to back up what you just said?!”
“Who knows?” Lucia drawled. “La-dy Sis-ter~”
Warm breath brushed past Roseliel's neck, sending a ticklish sensation down half her body like a feather stroking her skin, while making her heart skip a beat like a demon's whisper from hell.
“Huh?! You heard that?! You really heard it?! Forget it! Forget it right now, aaahhhh!”
Taking Nancy and Amy with them, the group found the militia stationed among the ruins of Maple Creek Town. After briefly reporting the events of the past two days and verifying their identities, the militia dispatched escorts to bring them back to the royal capital.
Before returning, Lucia headed to the monastery first; she needed to deal with the letters right away.
Meanwhile, Roseliel repeatedly asked Mona if there was any magic capable of wiping specific memories. Upon receiving a negative answer, she bade Mona a hopeless farewell and brought Nancy and Amy back to the Rosenwal estate.
“Welcome back... Oh my goodness, Milady, what happened to you?!”
The maid at the door was startled by Roseliel's current appearance—her clothes were tattered, her hair was a disheveled mess, she was covered in dust from head to toe, and dried, blackened bloodstains lingered on her cuffs and hem.
She looked like a completely different person from the young lady who was usually immaculate down to the single strand of hair.
After instructing the head maid to settle Nancy and Amy in, Roseliel was immediately dragged off by the arriving Luna and shoved into the bathroom for a thorough scrubbing.
“What on earth have you been doing these past two days?” Luna couldn't help complaining while scrubbing her back. “This definitely isn't 'going to the monastery to play with friends' like you wrote in your letter, is it?”
“Ah, Luna, you must understand.” Roseliel rested on the edge of the bathtub with her eyes closed. “Life is full of twists and turns.”
“And?”
“So don't ask where I've been. I was merely following the path laid out for me by destiny.”
“Milady.”
“Hmm? Aaah!”
A solid fist landed right on top of Roseliel's head, making her howl in pain as she clutched her head.
“I'm the young lady of the Rosenwal family, you know...” she muttered aggrievedly.
Only after dealing the blow did Luna belatedly realize what she had done. A wave of dread washed over her, her spine stiffening slightly. “Milady, I'm sorry...”
Before she could finish, Roseliel turned around, still clutching her head.
Her face was flushed red (from anger), her eyes were shining (from aggrievedness), and her cheeks were puffed out like a pufferfish (purely throwing a tantrum) as she glared fiercely at her.
So cute...
Just like that, all the remorse in Luna's heart vanished into thin air.
Rate on N.U.
