TSKSML 31

Chapter 31

“Oh my, those muffins look delicious. I’m sure the children will love them.”

By the time Blaine came to his senses, the Grand Duchess was already admiring the muffins that Helene and the man had brought.

Just as the Grand Duchess said, the muffins, studded with chocolate chips, were sure to capture both the eyes and the taste buds of the children.

And Blaine didn’t like that one bit.

Did the two of them make the muffins together?

Did they pick them out together?

The image of Helene and the man in that subtly intimate atmosphere kept resurfacing in Blaine’s mind.

Once again, faced with Helene, Blaine lost his composure.

“Today, the Fly Moon group was supposed to provide the children with a barbecue. I’m concerned they’ll fill up on muffins instead.”

“W-What?!”

“Children in their growth period would benefit more from protein-rich meat than bread. If we truly care about them, shouldn’t we consider their health too?”

Blaine knew how petty he must seem, nitpicking like this, but he couldn’t stop his mouth from moving.

“Well, that’s true… but it’s also good for young children to try different things, don’t you think?”

Helene’s attempt to mediate only looked to Blaine like she was taking her ex’s side.

“…Are you speaking from experience when you say trying different things is good?”

‘That’s it, I’ve had enough!’

Helene clearly understood what Blaine was insinuating with that sarcastic remark.

However, she still needed Blaine for the sake of the three sisters and didn’t want to cause a scene in front of the Grand Duchess.

Helene stepped up to Blaine.

And shoved a muffin straight into his mouth.

“How is it? Trying different things isn’t so bad, is it, Godfather?”

Helene said with a cold smile.

‘If that didn’t get the message across, then I don’t know what will…’

She could understand that Blaine, who had been like a younger brother to Raoul, couldn’t easily accept the fact that Helene had an ex-boyfriend.

But what he had just said had crossed the line. Before things went any further and damaged their alliance, it was right to give him a warning.

“……”

Blaine spit out the muffin he was biting.

The part of his lips where Helene’s fingers had touched felt incredibly tingly.

His heart started racing.

Though brief, the fiery gaze that seemed to focus solely on him wouldn’t leave his mind.

He must have really lost his mind.

“Let me say this one more time—he’s my ex. What matters most to me right now are the three sisters!”

Helene truly didn’t want to break her alliance with Blaine.

And it seemed Blaine, hearing the sincerity in her voice, started to feel a little better.

Barely holding back a smile that threatened to escape, he feigned nonchalance.

“…I have no idea what just happened, but we came here to do something good, so let’s focus on the volunteer work.”

The Grand Duchess couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

Though a bit aloof, Blaine had always been the perfect gentleman. Seeing him say something so crude and Helene so cheerfully put him in his place—she was stunned.

She decided she had to step in and redirect things.

“Well then, Countess, and your… former lover, please hand out the muffins to the children. We need to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new library.”

Fortunately, time helped smooth over the awkwardness in the air.

Helene and the man bowed and left. The Grand Duchess dragged Blaine toward the library.

***

“Thank you!”

The children who received the muffins bowed and ran off happily with loud footsteps.

Watching the children enjoy the muffins was nice, but there was a problem.

‘So who on earth is Beth??’

Shaqia, clearly frustrated, mouthed the question to Helene.

Helene felt the same way.

Gilbert had said Beth had brown hair in pigtails, but perhaps pigtails were trendy—almost every little girl had them, and more than ten of them had brown hair.

In the end, all they did was hand out muffins. Helene and Shaqia were no closer to figuring out who Beth was.

If only I had asked Gilbert for more details…

Once the kids had finished eating, they all ran toward the playground.

To find Beth, Helene and Shaqia headed there as well.

***

Helene and Shaqia stood on the orphanage playground, looking around.

“No choice then. Let’s just ask every brown-haired girl with pigtails.”

Shaqia, frustrated by everything going wrong, ruffled her bangs and stomped forward, but Helene grabbed her sleeve.

“…Why?”

“I think that girl might be Beth.”

Helene pointed toward a brown-haired girl sitting alone reading a book on the edge of the playground.

Alphonse, who had passed away, had been precious to Beth too.

There was no way a child grieving a loved one would feel like playing right now.

She was likely missing her older brother.

That’s why Helene believed this solitary girl, reading with a gloomy expression, must be Beth.

Helene quickly approached the girl and asked:

“Hi, are you Beth by any chance?”

At Helene’s words, the girl slowly lifted her head from the book.

“…Y-Yes, I am.”

When the girl confirmed she was Beth, Shaqia looked at Helene with eyes full of admiration.

Shaqia cleared his throat and spoke to Beth in his gentlest voice.

“Hello? I’m a friend of Alphonse’s.”

“…Don’t lie! If Alphonse had a friend, there’s no way I wouldn’t know about it!”

Beth suddenly started hitting Shaqia with her book.

Gilbert had said she was a smart kid, but she was even feistier and sharper than expected.

She was just like April.

Come to think of it, Beth looked about the same age as April too.

Shaqia was flustered.

He couldn’t exactly overpower a child, so he turned helplessly to Helene for help.

“…I’ll be honest. This man might be falsely accused of killing Alphonse. Of course, he didn’t do it. We’re here to find the real killer. You don’t want the real culprit to get away, do you? Will you help us?”

Shaqia looked appalled. He glared at Helene as if to say, How could you say all that to a kid?!

‘Just wait and see.’

Helene might not be great with children, but living with April had taught her one thing:

Smart kids respond best to the truth.

“…Is that true?”

Beth asked, hugging her picture book tightly.

Only then did Helene notice Alphonse’s name written on the bottom of the book.

It must have been one of his belongings.

Beth had likely been thinking about Alphonse while looking at his book.

“I’m not some devout believer or anything, but I swear on the Sun God…”

Shaqia jumped in, placing a hand over his heart and raising the other in the traditional pose used when swearing to the Sun God.

Beth fell silent in thought, and after a long pause, she spoke hesitantly.

“…Okay. But I have one condition.”

Beth wasn’t going to make this easy.

“What is it?”

“…Promise you’ll protect me. I might be the next victim…”

Her light brown eyes were trembling.

She was clearly afraid of something.

It seemed Beth knew more than they had hoped.

Gilbert had mentioned that though she was young, like Alphonse, Beth also possessed divine power.

That meant what she said could be true—she might indeed be the next target.

“…Alright. I swear on the Sun God that I’ll protect you.”

It was clumsy, but Shaqia gave a solemn expression as he repeated the vow.

Whether it was his sincerity or the Sun God’s name that convinced her, Beth looked around to check their surroundings.

The other children were still busy playing and paid no attention to Helene or Shaqia.

“…Follow me.”

Helene and Shaqia followed Beth back into the orphanage.

The second floor was the children’s dormitory.

Beth went into her room and pulled out a box.

Inside were a picture of a red-haired boy, a diary, a wool sweater, tall gloves, a piggy bank, and more.

They all seemed to be Alphonse’s belongings.

Beth opened the piggy bank.