A little earlier, May had deliberately left Lucillea alone, using the excuse of fetching a scarf.
She had expected the chosen children to approach Lucillea the moment she disappeared.
People always reveal their true nature when they're cornered.
The truth was, May wasn't particularly fond of Lucillea.
The fact that Grand Duke Elvadin had personally chosen her and brought her here.
The fact that she had immediately been assigned a room on the fifth floor.
And the fact that May herself had been assigned as the girl's maid.
None of it sat well with her.
What exactly did His Grace see in that unimpressive little girl?
May could tell.
The Grand Duke was treating the child differently.
Is it simply because of her mana? Because the family lacks mages?
No.
The Grand Duke wasn't such a simple man.
There had to be another reason.
But since May couldn't figure it out, the uncertainty only irritated her.
After stepping outside through a hallway window, she positioned herself at a distance and watched the area where Lucillea stood.
The girl was practically bouncing with excitement, as though watching some fascinating play.
Following Lucillea's gaze, May spotted Serdian, freshly returned from the battlefield.
Ah. The Young Master.
His life isn't exactly peaceful either.
Well, that's none of my concern.
Leaning against a marble pillar, May sighed.
Honestly, I should have left this place long ago...
She had entered the Grand Duke's household alongside Grand Duchess Radia.
But now that Radia was dead, there was no longer any reason for May to remain here.
No killing people, they say.
And it's not like anyone gives me missions either.
Years of unbearable boredom had stretched on endlessly.
And yet, she couldn't bring herself to leave.
Faint traces of Radia still lingered throughout the estate.
One of those traces was the peridot necklace Lucillea had chosen.
I was surprised when she picked that one.
The necklace had been made using peridot that once belonged to the late Grand Duchess.
There had been countless necklaces that were more expensive, more dazzling, and more fashionable.
Yet out of all of them, Lucillea had chosen that one.
The feeling it left behind was strangely bittersweet.
The necklace sparkled less than the others.
Its design was outdated.
For years, nobody had selected it.
Part of May had wanted Radia's belongings to remain untouched.
Yet as the years passed and nobody chose it, she'd begun feeling oddly resentful.
Then Lucillea came along.
"I like light green."
"The same clear, bright green as your eyes. That's why I love this dress."
For a brief moment, May had remembered Radia.
"May, I like your light-green eyes. They remind me of a forest touched by sunlight. Looking into them makes me feel as though even wicked thoughts would lose their way."
The two couldn't have been more different.
Aside from liking light green.
And liking May's eyes.
Yet somehow...
The face of Radia, which May had believed time had long since worn smooth in her memories, overlapped with that little girl's face.
Ridiculous.
A bitter laugh escaped her.
Have I lost my mind?
How dare I compare anyone to her?
May's eyes narrowed as she watched Lucillea.
Stay vigilant.
For all she knew, the child could be a spy sent by an enemy faction.
Those gentle eyes.
That soft way of speaking.
The pitiful expression and scars that naturally invited sympathy.
Even her thoughtful, lovable choice of words that seemed designed to win affection.
She's practically the perfect weapon for lowering someone's guard.
And she was annoyingly cute, too...
May shook her head.
At least one of us needs to stay sensible.
Elvadin had always shown a slight softness toward children around Lucillea's age.
Probably because of the child he had lost eight years ago.
That's why I'll find it.
Proof that she's a spy.
Proof that she's a threat to this household.
May's gaze sharpened.
Time passed.
And exactly as expected, a group of children eventually started picking a fight with Lucillea.
May's eyes grew colder.
Well then, little one.
What are you going to do now?
Show me your true colors.
But then...
The situation began developing in a rather unexpected direction.
“Come on! Let's all go together, hand in hand, and ask him directly! Ask His Grace what kind of trick I supposedly used to fool him! Because honestly, I'm curious too!”
Instead of crying over her injured palm, Lucillea grabbed the boys' hands and insisted they all go see Elvadin together.
What?
Is she planning to tattle to His Grace?
Did she think the Grand Duke was someone people could simply walk up and meet whenever they pleased?
Actually... has there ever been a child who volunteered to meet Elvadin first?
No.
Everyone else avoided his gaze and hid from his overwhelming presence.
What a strange kid.
Was she really not afraid of him?
Or perhaps she was simply bluffing to scare the boys.
Push her a little further and her true feelings should finally—
But then—
“Huh? Why are you running away? Let's go! Come with me! We can clear up this misunderstanding together. Right?! I told you already. I don't want to fight with you. I want us to be friends!”
“Y-You little—! Get away from me!”
One of the boys raised his hand to strike her.
And before she realized what she was doing, May had already moved.
The next instant, she was gripping the boy's wrist.
“M-May?!”
The moment she met Lucillea's wide, tearful eyes staring up at her—
Throb.
A strange pain tightened around her chest.
Those eyes looked like...
A baby animal that had barely escaped a predator while its mother was away hunting, only to finally find safety again.
Looking down at her, May muttered inwardly.
...Little one.
You got lucky today.
I can't allow a child under my care to get hurt.
That's the only reason I stepped in.
That's all.
Then, as if nothing had happened, May smiled brightly.
“Yes, that's right! It's me, May!”
The moment May appeared, the atmosphere changed completely.
In Tesian's eyes, she could see layers upon layers of suppressed rage.
May gently stroked Lucillea's head as the girl clung tightly around her waist.
Then she glanced sideways at Tesian.
“Lord Tesian. I won't report today's incident to His Grace. So why don't we stop here? It would be troublesome if one week of confinement turned into six months, wouldn't it?”
Tesian's jaw tightened.
“...Just wait.”
Hmph.
The people who said just wait were rarely the truly frightening ones.
May smiled sweetly.
“Please head inside now, Lord Tesian.”
“Fine! I'm going! Happy now?!”
Stomp stomp stomp.
His face red with fury, Tesian spun around and stormed away.
Once the group disappeared, May knelt down on one knee.
“Our Lady Lucillea.”
She brushed the dust from Lucillea's dress.
“I thought you were a flower growing safely inside a greenhouse. Turns out you're more like a volcano waiting to erupt.”
Huh?
A volcano?
Wait... did she hear what I said to Tesian earlier?
Lucillea recalled the conversation.
"Huh? Why are you running away? Let's go together. Let's clear up the misunderstanding. I told you, I don't want to fight. I want us to be friends!"
She had said she wanted friendship.
But that wasn't entirely true.
Half of it had been a threat.
Could you repeat those accusations in front of the Grand Duke?
That was the real meaning behind her words.
And just as she'd expected, the boys had panicked and resorted to violence.
From Lucillea's perspective, she hadn't had many options.
But perhaps it looked different through May's adult eyes.
She probably saw right through me.
Drooping at the corners of her eyes, Lucillea asked quietly,
“Are you disappointed?”
Because she wasn't cute.
Or sweet.
Or innocent enough for her age.
May blinked.
“Not at all.”
“...Really?”
“Actually, I thought it was impressive. The way you handled the situation without showing any fear was admirable.”
Admiring?
The unexpected praise made Lucillea laugh shyly.
“Hehe...”
Her cheeks turned pink.
“However.”
As she wrapped a scarf around Lucillea's neck, May's voice became more serious.
“You need to be careful from now on. Boys that age are like ticking time bombs. You never know what kind of trouble they'll cause.”
Lucillea nodded.
“I will.”
Then she glanced down at her injured palm.
A ticking time bomb, huh...
Her fingers slowly curled into a fist.
Just try it one more time.
Her jaw clenched.
And I'll show you something far scarier than a time bomb.
An eye for an eye.
A fist for a fist.
And revenge?
Revenge comes back twice as hard.