“Hey, mother. Is silver a bad color? Am I a bad girl?”
“René…”
Rosalia hugged René, who came back crying after having a stone thrown at her, without asking any questions.
The smell was as comforting as a bedding bathed in the sun. Her soft, light purple hair touched René’s cheek.
“The color of your hair or your eyes doesn’t make you a better or worse person. I love your silver hair and silver eyes. They’re as beautiful as the moon.”
Rosalia said softly in René’s ear.
The west edge of Ciel-Terra. Inion, Marquis Berger’s feudal capital.
In terms of the city’s scenery and culture, René, a silver-haired, silver-eyed abomination in close proximity to the Federation of Gireshtal, was not blatantly persecuted.
But that was just ‘not blatantly’.
Just walking down the street, she was avoided or looked upon with disdain. There were children who behaved in a distant manner because of what their parents said to them. Even before she could remember, she felt as if she had grown up with a sense of alienation.
When did René realize that it was because of the color of her hair and eyes…
“…There is a story from a long time ago. When this country was first established, a great fortune teller said, ‘Someone with silver hair and silver eyes will destroy this country’.”
“Then, is it a bad color?”
“No, it’s not! That story has nothing to do with René!”
Bending down, Rosalia gripped René’s shoulder and faced her.
Her gentle, sun-colored eyes held an ever-stronger light. Rosalia looked more serious than René had ever seen her before.
“How could such a pretty girl destroy Ciel-Terra? Besides, maybe the fortune teller got something wrong. For example, maybe it wasn’t really silver-haired and silver-eyed, but rather someone who was covered in snow.”
“… Hahaha.”
René laughed as she imagined it.
A person covered in snow after walking through a blizzard would be all silver and shiny white all over, not just the eyes.
As if caught in the act, Rosalia also smiled and lightly kissed René.
Then, with a giddy look, she pulled René’s hand.
“Let’s forget about the boring story and have dinner. Hey, René. Today is a special day, do you remember what day it is?”
“Of course! It’s my tenth birthday!”
“Perfect answer.”
Rosalia clapped and took out a small package.
It was a cute little box with a red ribbon tied around it.
On René’s birthday, it was customary for her to give a present and have a little feast. They afforded themselves enough to do so.
Life was frugal, and Rosalia worked hard, but when she left the palace, she may have had some possessions, or she may have received some kind of pension.
“Here is a present for you. Open it.”
“Yes!”
The short time it took for the ribbon to be untied seemed frustrating to René.
She unwrapped the package with her clumsy hands and inside the box was a sparkling piece of jewelry that shone like the brightest star in the twilight sky.
“This is… a brooch?”
“A silver rose brooch. It’s the same color as René’s hair. I think it will look good on you.”
It was a brooch in the shape of a rose, with a pin fastened on the back.
It was probably plated or something, not pure silver, but it still looked very beautiful to René.
No jewelry could ever compare to this brooch. Such a beautiful thing she could wear. And it was her beloved mother who gave it to her!
Rosalia pulled out an identical brooch from the pocket of her apron.
“This one is for me. It’s a matching one.”
“Ehehe… Thank you, Mom!”
She was happy again.
What made her happy on her own will make both of them even happier when they are together.
“Come on, then…”
Rosalia, with bouncy steps, retreated to the kitchen and brought something to the table.
“…There’s a feast for you!”
With a clatter, a large platter was set on the table.
A platter with Rosalia’s head on it.
“Eh?”
A face distorted by the beatings. Eyelids closed, she seemed to be asleep, but her sleep never seemed restful.
There was a pool of blood on the plate, and her light purple hair, smeared with blood in places, was overflowing from the plate and spreading across the table.
Rosalia, who had put down the plate, was without a head.
The fresh blood dripping from the severed surface stained her ragged clothes red.
“Mother…”
The headless mother collapsed.
A gush of blood splashed onto René’s cheek.
The warmth of the house had turned into a profane view.
Gutted cupboards.
Pulsating flesh-colored walls and ceilings.
A single vase of flowers bloomed with blood and pus.
Bone doors slammed wildly.
Ah, the knights are coming…
＊ ＊ ＊
“… Haa… Haa…”
It was Panilla’s (René’s) bedroom.
It was a luxury to have a private room in an orphanage that was always short of money, but Panilla’s (René’s) room was a space that had been inadvertently created when the plans were drawn, and it was as if they were forced to make it into a room. It was a room for one person.
Not even a fireplace. A brazier was brought in, but to conserve fuel, it was agreed that it would not be used ‘unless it was really cold’.
Panilla (René) raised herself up on the hard bunk and breathed heavily.
Her short hair was so sweaty that it stuck to her forehead.
“It’s not foul, that thing…!”
Poisoned.
For a nightmare that was too much.
Lawrence and Hilbert, her direct enemies, were killed, and she has killed many knights. Ciel-Terra was also in a state of collapse.
But still, the nightmares were not over. The pierced wounds would never heal.
–I don’t want to sleep as much as possible,… but sometimes I have to sleep while possessing a person or else it will interfere with the recovery of magic power…
Unlike the bodies of the undead, which did not need sleep, rest, or eat, the bodies of living human beings need sleep.
Physical issues could be solved with magic, but even the magical power required to use that magic was painfully difficult to recover if one did not get any sleep.
In Panilla’s (René’s) case, she could do without sleep for three days, but she still needed to get proper sleep once in a while.
But when she did sleep, she had horrible nightmares.
And as usual…
“… After all.”
Her shabby chemise and bed sheets were soggy and wet.
She knew it was probably stress-related, but… it was a sight she didn’t want to look too directly at.
–But! Today I have a new spell I had Everis develop for me!
In the darkness, Panilla (René) started to clean up the mess with a scheming look on her face.
She was about to.
“Panilla…”
“Woah!?”
Panilla (René) was surprised when the door to her bedroom suddenly opened.
A candlelight illuminated the room, which had been illuminated only by moonlight through the small window shutters.
The girl wore the same crude chemise as Panliaa (René) did, as her nightgown. She had sharp blue-black eyes that looked strong-willed. Her walnut hair, usually in a braid, was untied and hung down like tangled ivy.
She was 14 years old, one step short of adulthood in this world, where 15 was considered an adult.
Her name was Eunice, the oldest in the orphanage.
“I-I’m sorry. Did I scare you? You seemed to be having a nightmare.”
“It’s okay. I’m fine now.”
Eunice, the oldest, worked with the teacher and treated the other children like a guardian.
It seemed that she heard Panilla (René) having a nightmare and came to check on her.
Hearing Panilla’s (René’s) reply, Eunice, who had looked worried, seemed relieved.
And.
“”Ah.””
Their voices came together.
Panilla (René) was currently stripping off the straw-wrapped comforter and blankets to inspect the tragedy.
In short, Eunice, with her light, could see what was going on.
Eunice awkwardly looked away for a moment.
“…Eh, um, …I’ll tell the teacher, and …Panilla, please change your clothes.”
“…Yes.”
Panilla (René) responded with a downcast look.
–I didn’t expect this kind of development…
There was no new magic in play.
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