CHAPTER~30
……This is bad.
This was completely unexpected.
Of all people, I ran into Artemene.
Yeah, it couldn’t possibly be a tree.
But how nice it would have been if it were just a tree.
A quick glance at Artemene revealed an immense aura of killing intent.
‘……Eek.’
At this point, it felt like she saw me not as a person, but as a monster.
“Hello, Aunt!”
Unlike me, who was utterly terrified, Mela didn’t seem scared at all and looked straight at Artemene.
She even smiled brightly and bowed at a perfect ninety-degree angle.
“…….”
In contrast, Artemene’s face showed nothing remotely resembling greeting; it was terrifyingly fierce.
How could Mela not be scared of those bloodshot eyes?
Eyes that could make anyone bow just by looking at them.
“Does Count Leella have no mouth? Just staring without the slightest intention of replying.”
Yet Artemene ignored Mela’s greeting and immediately confronted me.
Her tone was so rigid it made my body tense.
Even so, couldn’t she have at least accepted a child’s greeting?
Sometimes, Artemene’s insistence on equality was just unnecessarily strict.
For a moment, I almost felt upset, but I deliberately didn’t show it and finally greeted her belatedly.
“My apologies for the late greeting, Aunt Artemene. Were you on a walk?”
“As you can see.”
Her short response left me completely speechless.
She was incredibly harsh.
Artemene was like a rose with thorns; her exterior dazzling like the Decart family, but dangerous to approach.
Most of all, her strong intention not to continue a conversation made things awkward.
“I don’t know how Count Leella got all the way here, but this is where my family and I come to rest.”
“I—I had no idea! I’m sorry! I won’t come again. I really didn’t know.”
“…….”
I quickly bowed in apology.
In such situations, an apology must come first.
Then, surely, even Artemene wouldn’t say anything, I thought, hoping she would just let it pass.
“Oh?”
Mela’s playful voice pierced my ears.
At the same time, her gaze shifted somewhere other than Artemene.
Precisely, it fell on a girl standing behind Artemene.
Her skin was whiter than snow, almost translucent, contrasting strikingly with her ebony hair.
She seemed generally cold, but her faint green eyes gave her a mysterious aura.
Judging by the fact that she was with Artemene, she had to be her granddaughter.
Her name… was it Reia?
At that moment, Mela spoke to Reia without hesitation.
“Wow! There’s a girl my age! Hi, nice to meet you!”
“M-Mela…!”
Seeing this, Reia flinched, rolling her large eyes nervously.
Just as she seemed about to speak, Artemene shouted.
“You little brat, don’t come any closer!”
Artemene furiously blocked Mela from approaching.
I caught Mela, who was nearly knocked over.
The situation escalated in an instant.
“Mela…! Are you okay? Did you get hurt?”
Fortunately, I had shielded her from behind, so she wasn’t physically harmed, but her heart must have been bruised.
“Ugh, Mom. I’m fine.”
She was treated like a germ, not just ignored.
No matter what, I couldn’t tolerate Mela being treated like this because of me.
I hid her behind me and stepped forward.
“Aunt! That’s really too much! What did the child ever do wrong…!”
Artemene shot back angrily, freezing the atmosphere instantly.
“Too much? That little brat approached my granddaughter without permission! Don’t ever be rude like this again.”
“Aunt, please apologize to Mela.”
“Hah! Apologize? Don’t expect that from the Decarts. She hasn’t committed any sin deserving an apology to just anyone.”
“Aunt!”
With that, Artemene grabbed Reia’s trembling hand and calmly left the greenhouse.
The feeling was… the worst.
* * *
Time passed, and the short sun dipped below the horizon, bringing night.
In the north, the sun was particularly short, making the night pitch-black.
The only comfort was that light snow had fallen, making walking easier than usual.
I was still in a sour mood from the events earlier.
‘She hasn’t committed any sin deserving an apology to just anyone.’
“Hah! She treats me like just anyone, huh?”
Even thinking about it made my teeth grit.
Moreover, this blatant hostility and disregard were new to me, so I couldn’t confront her.
It wasn’t like this five years ago…
Was it because I divorced and returned?
Her caution seemed even stronger than before.
Why was this so difficult?
I exhaled heavily, watching the sky turn a deep red.
Fennel’s words came to mind.
‘It was shortly after Madam separated from our family. Since then, the red moon has stopped appearing.’
Indeed, in the past few days, I hadn’t seen a red moon.
Five years ago, it appeared frequently.
Could it be that the curse of harmony dislikes me, and that’s why she treats me this way?
“Mom!”
As my thoughts deepened, a small, soft hand gently grabbed my pinky.
It was Mela
“Your expression looks really serious. Are you upset about what happened earlier?”
I crouched down to her eye level and stroked her wind-tousled hair.
Mela flinched in surprise, then soon giggled.
I had promised to make her smile, but this was unexpected.
“…I’m sorry, Mela. I couldn’t protect you. But Aunt Artemene probably didn’t mean any harm.”
If I had been slightly stronger and less disliked…
Mela would have grown up in a loving environment.
Even as a child, she wouldn’t fail to notice rejection and disregard.
It was no different from the Lopenter family, who frequently abused others.
Mental abuse was still abuse.
Thinking that made my teeth clench.
“Don’t say that! My jaw hurts! Evelyn, I mean Mom, didn’t do anything wrong. I’m fine.”
Mela comforted me instead, and my heart ached.
Even in the original story, she was tender-hearted and deep.
No matter how much memory I lost, her good nature remained.
“Really? You’re really okay?”
Worried, I asked again.
“Yeah. And you promised me, remember? Just trust me. I’ll protect you here!”
I felt a lump in my throat and couldn’t look at her properly.
I barely held back tears, smiled widely, and nodded.
Mela giggled happily as usual.
“So, Mom. Can we not come here next time too?”
“Of course we can. Or would you like to take a walk with me every morning?”
“How cute, okay. Let’s go; it’ll be freezing at night.”
“Yes!”
From now on, Mela had started calling me “Mom” even when we were alone, instead of “Evelyn.”
It felt a little awkward, but I didn’t mind.
In fact, it brought us closer.
“Also……”
Mela suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
“What is it, Mela?”
She pouted her plump lips and fidgeted.
I patiently waited for her to speak.
“Next time… can we come with the Duke? Or would that be too busy?”
“……”
I was dumbfounded, unable to respond immediately.
Mela blushed slightly, embarrassed.
“See, I guessed right? The Duke is busy. Actually, I haven’t seen him since coming here. I was hoping… to get closer to you again too…”
“……”
She hesitated and fumbled but was thinking that.
Perhaps she had grown attached to Frezen more than I realized.
Though I wondered if there had been enough contact, a child’s perspective is different.
“It’d be nice if the Duke could see the flowers in the greenhouse with Mela and Mom too…”
But I couldn’t answer immediately, thinking of Frezen.
Would he like this? How should I phrase it…?
I was struggling to find the right words when…
“Sure, I won’t refuse.”
A voice came, and both Mela and I turned our heads as if by promise.
It was Frezen.
