Chapter 5

"Ralph, why are you in a place like this?"

"To meet Lady Lisette."

"…Well, I suppose so."

I don’t remember ever telling Ralph that I lived here. It’s kind of scary. Could he be one of those stalkers I’ve heard about? While thinking this, I turned my gaze to him, who was sitting next to me.

His hair shone like silver, and his beautiful purple eyes. His face, sculpted like a statue, initially gave off a cold impression. However, because he always wore a soft smile, I couldn’t feel any coldness now.

When I asked him how he knew I was here, he just evaded the question with a bright smile, so I decided not to think about it anymore.

"So, you came to see me, but why are you doing farm work?"

"To repay you, I thought I should start by helping with something."

"Repay…?"

"Yes. I’m willing to do anything for Lady Lisette."

"Uh… I see…"

The situation became even more confusing. If it’s about repayment, that means I must have done something for him in the past.

"…Um, have we met before?"

When I asked tentatively, he nodded deeply with a smile.

"Yes. Lady Lisette is my savior."

"……?"

I have no memory of helping such a handsome young man. I tilted my head, wondering if he had me confused with someone else, and he continued.

"You saved me, and my sister, didn’t you?"

"Sister?"

"As children, we were orphans, and my sister was on the verge of death from an infectious disease. Then, Lady Lisette, who happened to pass by, gave us her accessories and shoes to buy medicine."

"…Oh."

Finally, the dots connected. I do remember doing something like that on my way to this place when I was a child.

It seems that the boy from back then was him.

"Thanks to Lady Lisette, my sister was saved. After that, we were taken care of by Reira, but by a twist of fate, I now live as the adopted child of a noble family."

"Is that so…"

To go from that situation to becoming the adopted child of a noble family is quite a stroke of luck. Anyway, it’s really good to know that they are living well.

"Lady Lisette, who can take such actions for a stranger, is truly a remarkable person. A noble lady giving her shoes to orphans… no one has a more beautiful heart than you."

"Uh… no, that’s not true…"

I’m really not that great a person. But I understood why he felt indebted to me.

In his eyes, I apparently looked like a saint. And over time, this image was further idealized in his mind.

"But how did you recognize me just from one glance?"

It’s been eight years, and I feel like my appearance and demeanor have changed quite a bit. Yet, he recognized me at first sight yesterday.

"There’s no way I wouldn’t recognize you. I’ve thought about Lady Lisette every day for the past eight years."

"R-really…"

"It’s true. I heard from Reira that you were planning to enter a convent, but I couldn’t find you in any convent in the continent, and I thought I might never see you again."

"Across the continent…? Well, my plans changed along the way."

By the way, Reira is still worried about me. She is very well, married to her former lover, and they have a child, living happily in a town near the capital.

Just hearing that made me feel really good.

"Anyway, if Ralph and your sister are living happily, I’m really glad. I appreciate your feelings, but there’s no need for repayment. Take good care of your sister from now on."

"Yes, thank you. Shall we take care of the animals next?"

"Really, it’s fine. Take care of your sister."

"I’m confident in taking care of the animals."

This guy, despite his polite demeanor, is surprisingly stubborn.

"Of course, I don’t intend to call this kind of help a repayment. Soon, I want to give you jewels and a house…"

"O-offering a house is more than enough. Just helping out once is fine."

A house is way beyond the realm of repayment. I decided to let him help out a bit, make him feel satisfied, and then be done with it.

With that in mind, I led him to the animal shed.