Chapter 13
“Our lovely little Berdette is right. No carriage was found within a five-meter radius of where she was discovered. Instead, we found several young noblewomen held captive in a nearby building. All were rescued safely, correct?”
…That’s the first I’m hearing of this. All rescued? That’s such a relief.
I should ask if one of them was a noblewoman named Anna. I was just making that decision when Ferriot, cornered and desperate, suddenly yelled.
“That’s impossible! Lies!”
“Then why were you so certain there was a carriage there? Did the person who shared the plan with you tell you one would be there?”
Saldir tilted his head and asked Ferriot with a smile. But it wasn’t a kind smile—it was cold, several times more chilling than it appeared. Ferriot flinched at the sight of Saldir’s expression and even trembled where he stood.
“T-That’s…”
Oh, we’re reaching the limit here. I glared at Ferriot.
“Say it.”
“W-What?”
“Admit that you’re the culprit.”
“What the hell are you talking about?! I’ve been saying over and over that I’m not! Why are you so stupid?!”
“Hey!”
I finally felt my temper explode. If he still didn’t get it after all this, then I was done with him. I glared fiercely and struck the iron bars of the cell hard with my fist.
CLANG!
At that moment, the iron bars began to melt. Right where my hand had touched them.
“Gasp!”
A gasp spread among the people watching. Of course, I was just as shocked. I hadn’t even summoned the gauntlet—yet I had melted this thick steel bar with my bare hand.
Was this… because of Comet?
“Rather than me doing it… you simply wanted it melted.”
Comet clicked his tongue in my mind.
“Guess you lost your temper. Still, try to control your power. Once you better understand Sylkarth’s power and improve your stamina, you’ll produce a much better flame. Right now, it’s too red—meaning the temperature’s low.”
So… wait, that’s not the point!
What am I supposed to do?! I was interrogating the personal physician, and suddenly I became the one who melted steel bars?! I looked around and accidentally made eye contact with Albrecht and Saldir, who had both been watching. Their gazes felt intense. Understandably so—they hadn’t expected me to do something like this.
But regardless of how much trouble I was in… it seemed to work wonders on the physician.
“KYAAAAAH!”
She screamed, clutching her head and trembling violently.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! It was me! I did it! I was blinded by the promise of 500,000 gold! I’m truly sorry! Please… please don’t burn me!”
Is she afraid of fire? She wasn’t faking it—her entire body trembled like someone freezing in a blizzard.
“It was me! Yes! It wasn’t the young lady’s nanny!”
Ferriot looked up as he confessed, saw the still-dripping molten metal from the bars, and quickly ducked his head again. He collapsed to the ground, shaking all over.
“…Take her away.”
Albrecht frowned and gestured at Ferriot with his chin. The knights quickly surrounded Ferriot and led her away. And then, it was just me, the half-melted bars, Saldir, and Albrecht remaining. A heavy silence fell over us.
“…I-I’m sorry.”
Okay, first, calm apology.
I apologized, then bit my lip and continued.
“Anyway, please release the nanny. I truly believe she’s innocent… As for the bars… I’m really sorry about that, too…”
Should I say I’ll pay for the damage? I hesitated for a moment. They all still looked stunned, waiting for me to finish speaking. Ah, forget it. I clenched my fists with determination.
“I’ll… I’ll pay for the bars.”
I don’t know how much that is… or even if I have any money… I drooped my shoulders in defeat.
“Pay for what?!”
A sharp voice suddenly ripped through the air. Louder and sharper than anything Ferriot had shouted earlier.
“Berdette! My sweet little lizard, my darling!”
“…?!”
I turned my head, startled, toward the source of the voice. Everyone else did the same. Even Ferriot turned her head.
From the entrance to the dungeon, a petite woman was walking in. She had long, loosely braided light brown hair and wore a simply designed gown dress. The style was modest, but the fabric was so fine I could recognize its high quality.
Behind me, Saldir gasped.
“M-Mother?!”
Mother? That woman is the Duchess of Sylkarth?
I widened my eyes in shock. At the same time, I remembered the maids stopping me earlier, saying “The madam will be here soon.” And what had I said?
“Then I’ll head down to the dungeon first—just send her after me!”
Oh no… So she really came herself?
As I swallowed dryly, the woman caught sight of me and her eyes flared.
“Berdette! You little brat!”
She rushed at me, faster than a frog snapping up a flying butterfly with its tongue.
“You think you’re going to pay for this iron bar? This bar, touched by the awakened flame of Sylkarth?! This is a treasure to be commemorated forever! My adorable fire spirit! Such a responsible girl!”
“U-U-Uh…”
With a flurry of over-the-top pet names, she grabbed me and lifted me off the ground into a tight hug. Then she began kissing my cheek repeatedly.
Smooch, smooch, smooch.
As kisses rained down, I reflexively hugged her shoulders in return. And the moment I did… I involuntarily held my breath.
Her embrace was warm and comforting, and she smelled sweet… but her body was solid.
She looked so dainty and delicate, yet her body was completely different. She had the hardened physique of someone who’d trained for decades—like a warrior encased in armor. Wait. Those are actual muscles?!
“We salute Grand General Horne Sylkarth!”
While I stood frozen, Albrecht, Saldir, and all the knights bowed deeply at a perfect 90 degrees.
‘Grand General…?’
They didn’t call her the Duchess. Though her children referred to her as “mother,” her official title seemed to be Grand General.
The contrast was shocking. That delicate face and tiny frame… was a general? But the most surprising thing was that, despite all the salutes from the soldiers, she ignored them and kept gazing only at me.
“My darling girl, why did you come to such a harsh and dangerous place yourself? Do you not trust your brothers that much?!”
She yelled, turning around with me still in her arms to face the knights and Albrecht.
“What exactly is going on here?”
At her words, the knights behind her visibly flinched. And for some reason, I felt a sudden intuition: if I didn’t step in now, someone might seriously get hurt.
“U-Umm, Mother.”
That moment, I called her “Mother.”
I said it. I really said it. I called her mother. I shrank back slightly after saying it. I never thought I had a mother or father. I had never once said that word out loud before. It felt awkward, like wearing clothes that didn’t belong to me.
Of course, she was technically my biological mother… And Comet had told me this wasn’t someone else’s life, but a life I had once lost.
Still…
“…M-Mother?”
