Chapter 64
“It might be better to take it slow when looking for [Ampelos],” I said. “If he’s not ready to accept everything, he might lose control. His power can be even more dangerous than the Grand Duke’s, depending on the situation. We should be careful.”
As I spoke, I picked up the baby sweet potato who was reaching out to me with both stubby arms.
“So for now, could you help me name this child?”
“Ma—!”
As soon as I touched the baby, she smiled brightly like magic.
…But wait, didn’t she only have one sprout on her head before? Now it looked like actual hair was growing.
“It’s brown.”
“Yes, it definitely looks brown.”
I gently stroked the dark brown, grass-like strands growing from her head. Maybe her father also had brown hair?
Because of her mysterious origins, her eyes looked different depending on the angle—sometimes silver, sometimes red, sometimes green, and other times blue.
Looking at the half-human, half-sweet-potato baby closely, I wondered aloud, “Do you think it’s a girl or a boy?”
Our eyes naturally moved to the same spot, but all we found was a sweet potato peel covered in dirt.
“We can’t even tell by the smell, so let’s assume she’s a girl for now,” Winter said.
I rested my chin on my hand, thinking hard. Then I began saying names that sounded pretty.
“Ara, Ari, Lina…”
“Interesting names. Are they trendy in the land of sweet potatoes?” Winter asked with a straight face.
Ouch. I thought they sounded like names from this world, but I guess they still feel strange.
Names like Jenny, Mary, or Kelly were too common and didn’t feel right either.
“What about Shuri if it’s a girl, and Shuran if it’s a boy?” Winter suggested.
“Do they have a special meaning?”
“Shuri is a chestnut-flavored sweet potato from the Southern Empire. Shuran is a pumpkin-flavored one.”
“So they’re sweet potatoes.”
“Yes. But surprisingly, those are popular names among farmers. They carry a wish for abundance.”
Chestnut and pumpkin sweet potatoes, huh?
I groaned and held my head.
“You know, if you name a child poorly, they get teased forever. Let’s put it on hold and decide after we know the gender.”
Giving up on the naming for now, I went back to eating the mountain of food.
Then I heard noise outside the door before it suddenly burst open.
“Young Lady!”
“Lottie!”
It was Lottie, Rena, and Alfred—the ones I had left at the palace lodging.
Lottie ran in with a thud—not to hug me, but to jump into my arms.
I awkwardly patted her back and asked, “How did you get here? I haven’t even sent a word yet.”
“The Grand Duke sent a carriage for us!”
So… what about the bandits?
Seeing my questioning eyes, Winter answered softly, “The bandits were handed over to a noble from the Northern Empire who’s staying in the capital. We came straight here.”
I had planned to bring the bandits with me to the North later. They could either testify about what happened in Elahi or end up in the Northern Empire’s infamous ice prison for life.
“Young Lady, I have something to say,” Rena said.
Unlike Lottie, who clung to me tightly, Rena had been hesitating in the back. She now dragged Alfred forward and spoke firmly.
“Please take us in.”
Alfred turned red and quickly shook her off.
“Sis! Just because the Young Lady is going to become the Emperor’s goddaughter doesn’t mean you should act so obviously…”
“Shut up!”
Rena stomped on his foot and stood even straighter.
“Those bandits, they were sent by Lady Gongbi. You think so too, don’t you, Young Lady?”
Rena really was smart and quick-witted.
“Sis! That doesn’t even make sense! Lady Gongbi is the Young Lady’s mother!”
“Yes, she sent them.”
I nodded without hesitation.
Alfred, who had been hopping on one foot from the pain, looked up in shock.
Hmph. Love really makes people look alike. Alfred’s eyes were starting to resemble Lottie’s—adorable but a little spacey.
Rena, on the other hand, had sharp, intelligent eyes. She calmly and clearly laid out her case.
“Lady Gongbi probably suspects us, too. After all, she tried to kill the Young Lady. She wouldn’t care about us servants—she probably sees us as ants.”
“Sis, the Young Lady is still young. Maybe we should wait—urk!”
Alfred got stomped again. This time, Rena politely sat next to him and added, “I don’t want to die like that. And I won’t let Alfred die either. Please let us stay with you.”
“I understand, Rena. But first—”
“I can’t embroider like Lottie, but I’m good at repairing clothes and doing calculations. I can also read and write. Alfred knows everything about stables, and he’s strong. He might be a bit dumb, but it’s just because he’s innocent. He’s a good guy.”
Rena held Alfred’s hand tightly as he scratched his head in confusion.
“We’ll do anything you ask. Just please… get us out of that duchy.”
Her voice was so desperate it tugged at the heart. But her eyes were dry—just tense, her brows clenched tight like she was trying not to cry.
“Rena.”
“Yes, Young Lady?”
“First… maybe you should let go of Alfred’s hand. It’s turning purple.”
“Ugh…”
Only then did Rena notice the poor boy’s sweaty, pained face and release his hand.
I turned away from the scene of Lottie blowing on Alfred’s hand and helped Rena stand up.
“Alright. First of all, I already thought of that risk. Of course I was planning to protect you and Alfred.”
“There’s a debt, Young Lady.”
“Huh?”
Her voice, which had been confident just moments ago, now trembled.
“Our father was a textile merchant. That’s why Alfred and I can read and do math. But one day, we ended up with a huge debt to the duchy. Then Father disappeared, and we were left to pay it off by working there.”
Tears began to well in her thick purple lashes. She must’ve tried so hard not to cry—her eyes were red and swollen. When she finally closed her eyes, deep tear tracks marked her cheeks.
“…With a servant’s wages, we can’t ever repay that debt. As long as we owe it, we can’t leave. Lady Gongbi will probably make us disappear quietly. I don’t want to live and die like that.”
She clenched her fists tightly, shaking with frustration. But she didn’t sob out loud—her chest just rose and fell with each breath.
“I told you to leave me behind, sis…”
“And I told you to shut up because you always say dumb things!”
Rena yelled at Alfred again, then closed her eyes as if trying to stay calm.
Lottie looked between them and whispered in my ear.
“I have some jewels and gifts saved up, but even then, I couldn’t help them. Rena’s dad had a big business once…”
Seriously? That’s going to be tough.
“Hm… I thought maybe you could use your money to pay off the debt, but it sounds like it’s more than that.”
At my words, Lottie quickly stood up and said, “Young Lady, if anyone’s paying, it should be me! Why would you use your money? And why do you assume I’d give up all my money for you… Not that I don’t care about you! I do, it’s just—”
I leaned in and whispered to her, “I’ll pay you back ten—no, a hundred times more. Don’t you trust me?”
“It’s not that I don’t trust you… but the Grand Duke is right next to you, and you want to open my tiny wallet?”
“If you were me, would you go after the Grand Duke’s wallet or yours?”
“…Okay, fine. Mine’s definitely the easier target.”
Just as Lottie went speechless, Rena looked at me again, her eyes still damp.
“I’m not trying to run from the debt. I’m not a coward like that man. If you help us, I promise I’ll repay you. Even if it takes my whole life. Please… help us.”
“…Oh no,” I muttered, resting my chin on my hand and speaking seriously.
“I don’t know if you realize this, but I’m actually even more broke than Lottie.”
