Chapter 110
***
“But wouldn’t it be a problem if you give Miss Higgins a sleeping apple?”
“Why?”
“Well.”
The maid first handed Loretta a small cut apple, adhering to the young lady’s snack ti, an important part of her duties.
Loretta crunched on the apple with her small mouth, waiting for the maid to continue.
“Miss Higgins has a lot of studies she wants to do up until the exam. If she falls into a deep sleep, she might not achieve her goals, right?”
“Yes, that’s a valid point.”
Loretta didn’t want to interfere with lody’s studies.
“But… what if lody, deprived of sleep, becos ill?”
Just the thought seed to upset Loretta, as she made a sorrowful face.
“I really hate employnt exams.”
She gulped down the apple and muttered softly.
“lody should just stay by my side… forever.”
Loretta envisioned becoming a splendid adult who could protect and make lody happy.
But since lody didn’t seem to want such a life, Loretta had no choice but to support her in her own way.
“I just want lody to be happy.”
Despite saying this, Loretta looked longingly at the apple in front of her, unable to let go of her wish for a magical sleeping apple.
“But, after thinking it over, it seems better that such an apple doesn’t exist, miss.”
“Why?”
“Well,”
The maid smiled shyly, her cheeks in her palms.
“Because there are too many princes in this world who would want to wake Miss Higgins.”
The story might sound sowhat enchanting, yet Loretta responded in a calm voice.
“That doesn’t matter.”
“Wha, what?! It doesn’t matter?!”
The maid’s eyes widened, assuming it was sothing Loretta would strongly dislike.
“Yes. Besides, I already knew.”
“You knew?”
“Because lody is smart and beautiful. Only a fool wouldn’t like her.”
“And still, you thought about giving her a magical apple?”
To her question, Loretta turned with a confident smile, as if there was absolutely nothing to worry about.
“There’s no way I’d lose in a competition for lody.”
“Ah…”
Involuntarily, the maid opened her mouth wide and nodded.
Indeed, if such a situation were to arise, it was clear that Loretta Baldwin would not lose, no matter what.
“You treasure Miss lody more than anyone else.”
“Yes, she’s very precious! My favorite. lody is always the best!”
The child answered with the happiest smile, popping the last piece of apple into her mouth.
***
When Loretta finished her snack ti, lody happened to visit her room.
“lody!”
Loretta quickly ran over and hugged her neck tightly.
“Hello, Loretta.”
The na lody used for Loretta was once “Miss.”
There was an unavoidable distinction in status between them at that ti.
However, now they could comfortably call each other by their first nas, just as when they first t.
This was thanks to lody becoming “Miss Higgins.”
The nobles of the capital allowed such informal titles once they beca close enough.
“Did you sleep well? Nothing special happened?”
Although they had only been apart for a single night, lody closely inspected Loretta’s condition and asked.
“Yes. Nothing happened.”
“That’s a relief.”
lody sighed softly with relief.
Watching Loretta grow up was a joyous occasion, but it also brought its worries.
‘Soday, the power of Physis will awaken.’
Of course, that was a story for several years down the line…
Still, there were tis when lody worried if the precursors would appear earlier than expected.
6 years ago, one night, lody had revealed the existence of the ‘original work’ as ‘records’ to the duke, including the fact that Loretta was Physis.
She was the only being capable of offering her a ‘normal life,’ due to her sad fate.
And about the male protagonist, ‘Augustus.’
The duke didn’t fully believe her words from the start.
Especially regarding the thod to stabilize Physis, he asked very cautiously, ‘Can it really be resolved that way?’
To gain his trust, lody willingly shared so future events she knew about, and together with the duke, they observed whether they would co true.
Most of them did happen as lody had described.
Such as the Tower Master being sent on a long business trip to the provinces, making Jeremiah work hard at the Tower.
Or Ronny getting caught in an old trap at the hunting contest along with the crown prince.
(Even the episode at the hunting contest, which was dangerous, happened despite the duke’s specific warning to Ronny not to go to unauthorized areas.)
Ridiculously, even the minor episode where the emperor shaved off his beard, chard by Loretta’s cuteness, happened just as told.
However, there were tis when the original work deviated slightly.
Especially in cases involving lody.
For so reason, in the story where Claude takes Loretta to a ball, lody ends up taking Loretta’s place. It really happened quite by accident.
Because of this, lody had to deal with the ‘nasty looks of the nobles’ ant for Loretta at the ball, which, for lody, was a good thing.
…But the slight deviation from the original work left her feeling uneasy.
What if, as things continued, early precursors began to appear around Loretta?
Like a teacup breaking on its own or a window shaking on a windless day.
“lody.”
Suddenly called by Loretta, lody quickly smiled.
“Yes?”
“Did anything happen to you?”
“Of course not. I studied as usual.”
“As usual?”
Loretta repeated the phrase, looking a bit sad. Was there a problem?
“Yes. Why? Do you have any concerns?”
At her question, Loretta shook her head vigorously.
“No… Not really.”
The child seed to have sothing to say as her lips moved hesitantly, but she ended up smiling brightly.
“By the way, lody.”
“Yes?”
“Are you going out sowhere? You’re dressed so prettily. Like a princess.”
lody laughed at the exaggerated expression. Loretta, who made such a comnt, was no different from a real princess herself.
“Chuckle, yes. Actually, I was planning to go to the library.”
lody told her that Ronny had taken on the task of returning the books on her behalf.
This had freed up so of her ti, so she ca to visit Loretta.
“It’s been a while since Brother Ronny did sothing gentlemanly. So, are you going back to study now?”
“Uh, no.”
“Then?”
“I’m going to the Tower.”
The Tower? A place entirely unrelated to her exams made Loretta tilt her head slightly.
“Why there?”
“I’ve arranged to et with Lord Jeremiah today.”
“With my brother?! Why?!”
“Yes, he seems to have so business.”
“Ha… But, lody, your exam is tomorrow. It’s a very important exam.”
Loretta said and then clapped her hands lightly with an “Ah.”
It occurred to her that Jeremiah might not know about lody’s exam.
The kind-hearted lody must have been unable to tell him directly.
“I’ll write a letter to Brother. Saying lody can’t go out because of her exam!”
“It’s okay. The appointnt was made before the exam date was announced.”
“But if you overdo it, you’ll be too tired to properly take the exam.”
Loretta disliked the exams that troubled lody, but she hated the idea of lody failing them even more.
She knew how hard lody had worked for this exam.
“I’ll be fine.”
Just then, the maid who followed lody brought over a sumr hat for going out.
“…Still.”
As Loretta hesitated, lody bent her knees to et her gaze.
“I’m
just helping with a simple experint. It won’t take long.”
“An experint with lody! I really hate Brother.”
Loretta grumbled but still carefully adjusted the ribbon on lody’s hat.
“Promise , you won’t overdo it?”
lody nodded easily at the concern-filled request.
“Of course. Tomorrow’s exam is really important to .”
lody glanced at her watch for a mont.
“Loretta, you have classes starting soon, right?”
“Yes.”
“I hope your class ti is enjoyable.”
“Of course, it will be. Loretta is smart… uh.”
Loretta started to say ‘because I’m smart!’ out of habit but then hesitated and closed her mouth. She rembered the terrible score she had received on a recent test.
Nobody had scolded her, but Loretta was still holding onto it in her heart.
“Loretta.”
lody hugged the hesitating child tightly.
“Don’t be upset.”
“…But.”
Loretta buried her head into lody’s shoulder.
“I’m actually not smart.”
“Hmm.”
lody patted Loretta’s back and, after a mont’s thought, offered her honest feelings slowly.
“I like Loretta.”
“Huh?”
“I like you so much that you always seem smart and cute to .”
lody slightly pulled away and held Loretta’s cheeks in her hands, as if she was the most precious thing in the world.
“I think you’ll always appear that way in my eyes.”
“But… you might be disappointed if I’m not smart. Because lody is… incredibly smart.”
“, smart?”
At the question, the child nodded fervently.
“But I’m also not confident about doing well on tomorrow’s exam. If I fail tomorrow’s exam, would you be disappointed in
for not being smart?”
“No. lody, you’ve worked so hard. Regardless of the result, that’s impressive.”
“Thank you for thinking that way.”
lody smiled broadly.
“I always think Loretta, who always tries her best, is amazing too. Regardless of the result.”
“Huh…”
“I’ll continue to like any version of Loretta, hoping only for your happiness.”
Touched by the affection, Loretta stretched out her arms and hugged lody tightly.
“I’ll also continue to like lody! No matter what, I’ll make you happy!”
“You already have.”
Everything lody was enjoying now was almost a gift from Loretta.
If it weren’t for her insistence on going together to the duke’s house, nothing would have happened to lody in the first place.
“No.”
But Loretta shook her head vigorously, still holding onto lody tightly.
“lody can be much, much happier.”
The child, insisting stubbornly, hugged lody even tighter.
“Thank you.”
It was always nice to feel soone’s kind heart.
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