Chapter 16

“W, who is it?”

Of all things, why was there a guest when her mother wasn’t here!

Luce hurriedly recalled her memories. This mysterious voice was obviously not from the villagers.

If so, who is it? Not looking for her mom, Chelsea, and who could possibly be looking for a little girl at this midnight?

Who could be looking for a little girl in the middle of the night if it’s not looking for her mother? 

A siren sounded in her head. It was when Luce, who was very nervous, picked up a poker. 

“You won the Rodante Quiz Contest, right? I came out under the orders of the Lord.” 

The pulse went off.

“I came to get your signature because the signing process wasn’t done when you got the prize.. Please come out for a moment.”

‘Why do you take care of things like this?’

While grumbling, Luce put down the poker.

Seriously, even when dealing with small documents, you have to get the parties’ signatures, they can’t just throw them 250 gold. 

Still, isn’t it rude to come straight to someone else’s house late at night?

It was when Luce, who was complaining, opened the door.

Her hand on the doorknob stopped.

‘No.’

Something is not right.

‘How do you know my home address?’

Regardless of courtesy, Luce had never given her address to the organizer.

Therefore, it is impossible for the Lord’s servants to come straight to this house.

When she realized that, her body trembled as if she had been struck by lightning.

“…I only filled out my name on the application form. How did you know about this place?”

“Ah, that’s, well.”

Unlike Luce, who was shaking, someone outside the door said calmly.

“As soon as I knew it was missing, I followed you.”

What’s that? 

“I’m sorry I followed you unintentionally. Please open the door.”

“Unintentionally, what a bullshit.” 

“Hmm?” 

At Luce’s cold tone, the people outside the door seemed to be perplexed.

“Do you think that if you make a mistake and say ‘unintentionally’, everything will be forgiven?”

“Huh, Miss Luce?”

“And if you’re going to perform official duties, you should have brought proof or a certificate that you were working under the Lord. Do you even reveal your name? I wonder if I should try to open the door first, or if you follow me proudly, I’m sure I’ll see all sorts of strange people!”

“So, can you open the door?”

“Enough! If that’s really necessary, please come back during the day. But, I’ll be honest, it’s your fault that I didn’t get a signature, so I don’t know why I’m responsible for your mistake in the middle of the night.”

Ha. The sound of laughter was heard outside the door.

It sounded like a laugh, but it was also a feeling of admiration. Luce looked at the door without any hesitation.

The person outside the door, who had been laughing for a long time, answered briefly about what was funny.

“Yes, I understand. I’ll be back.”

“Yes, good-bye.”

The sound of footsteps gets farther away. Was the footstep sound that I thought belonged to Rev on the way home was that guy’s?

Only then did Luce realize.

‘Rev is a kid who will follow me straight, even though it’s a pity if I tell him to go in quickly. So it wasn’t Rev’s footsteps.’

Shaking down her goosebumps arm, Luce rolled her feet.

She doesn’t know who it is, but just come tomorrow because she’ll find out his position, name and file a complaint!

The man who was watching Luce go up to her room through the window took off his hood. 

“So she’s not falling for it?”

Wizard Radanum grinned.

“I thought it was easy because she was a little kid, but she’s pretty good.” 

“—There was someone who dared to call my brother’s middle name by abbreviation. Other than that, there was nothing special.”

“Yes, is that so? I get a rough idea of what’s going on.”

It was the carriage that headed straight for the village to the report, not the report of the gloomy Delmar. 

A girl who calls Prince Aurelio Rev. 

The Prince, who had never rebelled, stopped him. 

Radanum’s reddish brown eyes shone in the moonlight.

Soon he disappeared with a blue light, as if he had never existed.

*****

“Really, Mom? Did you say that the Lord’s person went to the elder?”

“Yeah. They asked if a red-haired girl and a boy with glasses lived in this town, and when they heard the answer, they said yes and went back.”

It was a bland job.

So, was the man that stopped by last night really from the Lord’s side? Am I being sensitive for nothing?

Recalling his unique voice, she was fiddling with her  fingernails, and Chelsea said as if passing by.

“But you did a good job. No matter how much he came under the orders of the Lord, I can’t believe he stopped by a house where only two women live at night. It’s his fault.”

“Right? I did a good job, right?”

“Of course. You learned very well. It’s always better to be careful because there’s only one thing.”

Luce held her chin with a smile.

‘By the way, did he just give up on the excuse of signing yesterday?—well, he may have thought that he could fake a sign as long as he has confirmed our residence. It’s signed by non-adult children anyway, so there won’t be any public credibility.’ 

She was pouting out of vain, and Chelsea closed the letter from Grandma Marie that she was holding and added.

“You have to be careful if that happens in the future. My daughter is good, so I’m not too worried.” 

“…In the future?”

“You know Dahlia and mom are close, right?”

“Of course I know that.”

What’s with that all of sudden? 

Thinking Luce saw the folded letter. Chelsea nodded.

“Mom and Dahlia once worked at Grandma Marie’s general store with Dahlia. Grandma was not feeling well and was trying to sell the store, so I decided to save money with Dahlia and take over the general store.” 

“Huh, really? Then this letter…”

「Acceptance Certificate」

Chelsea laughed, waving a letter with big letters.

“We decided to open it in the winter.”

“Wow, mom, so you’re going to be the owner?”

“Of course. What’s the point of playing? I have to make money.”

Rather than the fact that Chelsea was making money, she was more than happy that she was dexterous and resourceful, and that her talent didn’t go to waste.

Luce’s face, who had been applauding, turned pale at a glance.

“Then, Mom, are we moving to Rodante?’

“You saw it yesterday. Wasn’t it good? It was much bigger and more crowded than Xenon.”

“It’s good, but…”

She’s happy to be moving out, of course. 

It’s good to say goodbye to the leaking house with a broken roof and to Vincent, who argued that they could fight every time she ran into it.

But if she moves to a neighboring town, she probably won’t be able to see Rev as often as she does now.

Chelsea, who looked at Luce with drooping eyebrows as if it was funny, replied.

“Just kidding. We’re not moving. Mom likes this house.”

“Well, I’m not hate either, but wouldn’t it be hard for you to commute to work?”

“Don’t worry about that because I can come as early as 30 minutes. There will be a lot of times when mom will be away from now on. I’ve decided to take turns working with Dahlia, so if something happens to you when Mom’s away, go to Dahlia. Or you can stay at the elder’s house.” 

“Ung, mom, I’m rooting for you. I’m sure you’ll do really well.”

Chelsea, who smiled at her daughter who said admirable things, brought out the shopping bag.

“You bought a lot.”

“It’s all my mom’s!”

‘You just robbed the prize money, didn’t you?’

“It’s just the prize money, I bought it with a gift certificate I won as a giveaway and all my money. It’s a gift from my daughter, so you should be grateful for it, Boss Chelsea!”

“This is really.”

It was a prank she could play because she knew Chelsea would grunt every time, but still would cherish whatever she gave her. 

This time, Chelsea asked, who had been scouring clothes and shoes with affection, contrary to the words. 

“This look very expensive? You bought this from Revenue? Did you have any prize money to share with that friend, Rev?”

“Oh, what happened was.”

Chelsea tilted their heads when she explained the situation.

“Really? I didn’t do much for you. But tell him thank you. By the way, what is that necklace? Is it a treasure hunt?”

“Oh, this is from Rev. It’s pretty, right?”

When she explained about the necklace, Chelsea shook her head. 

“Huh.”

“What’s wrong, Mom?”

Luce didn’t seem to know, but Chelsea, who had an eye for miscellaneous goods, could know right away.

‘It’s not made of cubics or glass. It’s a real gem. 200 gold at the very least.’

There are some unchanging truths in the world.

However, time is gold. And the other thing, the money goes and the heart goes.

‘I was talking about a date to make fun of Dominic, but—’

Chelsea’s expression became complicated in an instant.

“Mom?”

Luce called her carefully.

“What’s wrong?”

“Whatever it is, don’t take it for granted. It’s the same even if it’s from a friend, not someone else. How many times do I have to tell you that nothing is free?”

“O, okay.. I didn’t take it like that. Actually, it wasn’t even free.”

“If you refuse what you get, you’ll get it!”

“Hiik, I know!”

It was a message usually given by a mother who values courtesy.

Luce, who jumped over the doorstep, waved her hand as if she would be hit again.

“Where are you going, you punk! Mom is not done talking!”

“I’m going to play at Rev’s house today.”

“Don’t even think about causing trouble!”

“I’ll be right back! I’ll pick mushrooms, too!”

She responds in advance to what Chelsea might say and then runs away.

Chelsea sighed as she watched the back of Luce moving away through the trees.

“…because they’re still kids.”

It’s going to be okay, right?

Chelsea murmured so much that she hit the forehead.