Chapter 5

"Cleaning?"

Noah, looking puzzled, nodded at Claudia's words. When he turned his eyes to her, demanding an explanation, Claudia closed her eyes, wondering where to begin.

"‘Claudia’ was born and immediately, the empress had me expelled from the castle."

Claudia sat down on the bed where Noah was sitting.

"My mother, who gave birth to me, was a songstress. She didn’t have much magic and had no family. Father invited her to the royal castle to bear me and intended to make her a concubine."

"…Not an unusual story."

"Yes. It’s also common for the mother to die right after giving birth."

She yawned softly, rubbing her small eyes, and continued.

"The empress didn’t oppose Father taking a noble concubine. But she couldn’t forgive my mother, who had been an orphan. So, when I was a baby and they were testing my magic, she switched the gemstone used for the test with a fake one."

She rolled onto the bed, looking up at Noah. At that time, she must have looked up at the empress’s painted red lips from a not-so-soft cradle.

"‘—This child is lacking. She has neither the royal bloodline nor magic!! Look, the gemstone doesn’t even react!!’"

The empress shouted at the newborn Claudia.

"Father liked my mother, but he had no interest in the child. Without much investigation, he exiled me to a tower on the border."

"…"

"The maids assigned to me were five of the empress’s people. If I cried, I was beaten, and if I cried for food, I didn’t get any. If they found me troublesome, I was locked up…"

She endured various other abuses. Thinking about it made her feel sick, so she tried not to think about it now. Noah frowned and looked down at Claudia, who was lying on her back.

"You don’t seem like the type to accept such treatment silently."

"I didn’t have the memories of ‘Adeleheit.’ But I was always deep in my consciousness, watching ‘Claudia.’”

Perhaps it was for the best that I didn’t wake up prematurely. As a baby, I wouldn’t have been able to use magic as I do now, and I would have been in a living hell, unable to fight back despite being conscious.

"…Your eyes"

"!"

Noah’s hand touched Claudia’s cheek, and he peered into her eyes without restraint.

"The color changes completely depending on the light and angle. …Are these the eyes that Adeleheit was said to have?"

It is said that the nature of one’s magic is reflected in the color of their eyes. Those with fierce magic have red eyes, those with calm and sharp magic have blue eyes. Noah’s black eyes probably indicate the dark, dark nature of his magic.

And Claudia’s eyes are proof that she possesses all the qualities of magic.

"Of course, they’re not the result of any magical manipulation."

Noah gave a sarcastic smile.

"…The royal family of this country is really incompetent."

"Hehe"

Claudia was exiled before she even opened her eyes and was confined in the tower where she grew up. Even her nurse never saw her eyes, and the maids never got a good look at her face. Her bangs, which were left to grow, hid her eyes even from her uncle, who occasionally visited.

"…My guardian, the uncle, claims to be my mother’s brother."

"Hmm"

"Before I met you, he tried to push me out of the tower window. He thought that if he killed me, he could raise his own daughter, who has the same hair color, as Princess Claudia."

"…"

Noah’s black eyes narrowed.

"That guy is an idiot."

"Isn’t he? …But it might actually work. If all the maids are dismissed, no one will know the real Claudia. Father and the empress haven’t seen me since they exiled me… *yawn*"

Overcome by drowsiness, she pulled the blanket closer.

"Tomorrow, someone from the castle is coming to inspect the tower. …My uncle plans to introduce his daughter there…"

"So ‘cleaning’ means getting rid of the uncles before the inspection?"

"…"

"Hey?"

"Hehe"

She laughed, but Noah looked disturbed.

"It would be great if you could help me."

"…What do you mean?"

"Because if you do the cleaning, it won’t go too far, right? After all, I can’t control myself properly now."

She looked up at Noah and smiled lazily.

"…We can’t kill them, you know."

"…"

Noah furrowed his brow for a moment, then exhaled and said,

"I agree. …Revenge is meaningless if they escape death."

"Mmm…"

She wanted to respond, but sleep overcame her. She hugged the blanket tightly and laid her head on the pillow.

"Then, tomorrow… *mumble*"

"…Wait. You’re not planning to sleep here, are you!?"

"That side… can be used…"

"The other bed is buried under the clothes and accessories you conjured with magic… Hey!"

Pretending not to hear, Claudia snuggled up to Noah.

"…Order. Make me sleep here…"

"…"

Tomorrow is going to be very busy.

She needed to get plenty of rest to prepare.