Episode 45
Belzeon had always maintained a cold, distant demeanor.
Seeing him reveal his emotions to this degree was so rare that Cheshire was momentarily taken aback.
*But I really don’t need expensive things.*
As a fairy, Cheshire wasn’t particularly driven by material desires.
If anything, she had a fondness for pretty clothes or accessories.
But Mia and Hata had already crafted more than enough of those, leaving no room for greed.
Besides, she already had wealth in abundance.
People picking fights with a sorceress like her weren’t uncommon.
So, she’d dealt with them and amassed money and jewels—enough to rival any noble house.
But Belzeon didn’t know that, and he seemed deeply concerned.
To put his mind at ease, Cheshire added a few words.
“I came here with nothing anyway! Really, just the puppy is enough.”
“…”
“Thank you for everything, Count and young masters.”
As she expressed gratitude to the Count and the young lords for their kindness, Belzeon’s expression darkened further.
*What’s with him?*
Since they wouldn’t be family anymore, she’d avoided calling them “Daddy” or “big brothers” and used formal titles instead.
But somehow, it seemed to have the opposite effect of what she intended.
*Maybe I should’ve waited longer to change how I address them.*
Calling them “Daddy” or “big brothers” right before leaving felt awkward, though.
*What should I even call them?*
As Cheshire mulled over the issue of titles, Belzeon suddenly spoke.
“…Aren’t you upset?”
The unexpected question made her eyes widen.
His gaze was almost piercing now.
“Why aren’t you begging to stay with the Basilian family? I thought you’d been happy here. If you felt even a shred of attachment, shouldn’t you be crying or something? Why…”
Belzeon’s jaw tightened.
He clenched his teeth, then spoke again, slowly.
“…Why are you so calm about this?”
She hadn’t expected *Belzeon*, of all people, to say something like this.
*What…*
Despite his aloof facade, it seemed he’d grown attached to her after all.
Her heart twinged oddly, and she let out a small, awkward cough.
Then, putting on a pitiful expression, she hugged the puppy in her arms tightly.
Cheshire whispered softly, “But there’s nothing I can do about it. Even if I wanted to stay, I couldn’t.”
She buried half her face in Hata’s fluffy fur, mumbling, “It’s okay. I’m used to this.”
It wasn’t a lie—it was the truth.
In orphanages, children being adopted and then returned was common.
Being taken in under the guise of adoption only to be used as a servant was considered a good outcome.
Countless children were abandoned again.
Cheshire had experienced it too.
They’d take her in, charmed by her cuteness, promising to raise her as a daughter.
Then, slowly, they’d grow tired of her, neglecting her.
And eventually…
The people at the orphanage where Cheshire grew up were all kind.
The orphanage director was one of the rare souls who genuinely cared for the children.
Other orphanages often sent their kids out as menial laborers.
Pretty children, in particular, were sent to wealthy households as commodities under the pretext of adoption.
If that didn’t work, they’d be sold to unsavory places.
When adopted children were returned, they were treated as burdens and harshly reprimanded.
But Cheshire’s director never did that.
When Cheshire was eight.
She’d been adopted by a wealthy family anyone would envy, only to be sent back to the orphanage after a few months.
She returned empty-handed.
Though she was young, the shame of that moment was etched vividly in her memory.
She’d lingered outside the orphanage’s rusty iron gate, hesitating to go in.
The director had spotted her first, aimlessly circling.
Upon seeing Cheshire, she dropped to the ground.
Cheshire’s disheveled state must have shocked her terribly.
“Why didn’t you come back sooner…!”
Embracing the battered, bruised child, she wailed loudly.
She cried buckets of tears on behalf of Cheshire, who couldn’t.
What had Cheshire said then?
Probably that she was sorry for coming back.
She knew the orphanage’s finances were tight.
Sorry for being another mouth to feed after being returned.
Sorry for coming back from a rich family with nothing.
As she repeated apologies in a dazed whisper, the director, still crying, got angry.
“Do you think I can’t afford to feed you?”
She tended to Cheshire’s wounds, crying and scolding all at once.
When the scars on Cheshire’s body had fully healed, and the bruises faded completely.
The director took her hand and spoke gently.
“Let’s stay at the orphanage together until you’re grown. And if you don’t want to leave even after that, you can become a teacher here.”
She smiled at Cheshire.
“This is your home, isn’t it?”
Those words were her salvation.
Only then did Cheshire let her suppressed tears flow.
She cried in the director’s arms, saying she’d wanted to come home.
That she’d missed everyone so much, that she didn’t want to leave again.
She sobbed and threw a tantrum, and the director soothed her with a smile.
They were truly good people.
The director, the other children—they all genuinely cared for her.
Cheshire gave them her whole heart in return.
Her childhood at the orphanage, though hungry and tough, was filled with nothing but happiness.
But now, they were people she could never see again.
*Because they all died that day.*
The orphanage, devoured by roaring red flames.
The screams of her dying friends.
The director’s desperate pleas to spare the children.
The laughter of the slave hunters.
She’d failed to save anyone, barely escaping herself.
A fledgling fairy, newly awakened, weak and powerless.
The memories weren’t pleasant.
Cheshire hugged Hata tighter.
Her trembling hands gripped his fur.
The soft warmth eased her stifled breath a little.
Noticing her state, Hata let out a quiet *woof*.
Thanks to him, she pulled herself out of the abyss of sinking memories.
“I’m really okay,” she whispered, as if to herself.
But her voice was one no one would believe was fine.
Belzeon was silent.
The mood had grown too heavy because of her.
It wasn’t Belzeon’s fault, and she didn’t want to burden him with unnecessary guilt.
Cheshire lifted her head brightly and forced a wide smile.
“I’m all ready!”
After a long silence, Belzeon spoke heavily.
“I see.”
He covered his face with his hand for a moment, then continued slowly.
“I’ll make sure you live comfortably outside, so don’t worry.”
Cheshire nodded.
If it was Belzeon’s plan, she could trust it.
*First, I escape like this, then slip away later.*
If she could hold out until the Little Saints’ Prayer Assembly was over.
Kierne would likely stop looking for her after that.
She just needed to stay hidden until then.
Or, as soon as she got out, depending on the situation, she could wait for Hata’s potion to be ready, transform into an adult, and vanish.
*Escape, no matter what!*
But Cheshire’s rosy plans for the future crumbled entirely.
She’d managed to leave the estate smoothly, just as Belzeon had arranged.
But an utterly unexpected situation arose.
“I’ll go with you,” Belzeon declared, announcing he would accompany her.
