Chapter 11

A few minutes' walk from where the commotion had taken place, we turned into an alley.

There, in that alley, was the house where Lauro was subletting a room. It was a wooden structure, somewhat dilapidated, with an air of being on the verge of collapse.

"Th-this is...! Lady Asaria, let's go back, shall we? Bugs will come out in a place like this!"

Bugs, I do dislike them, indeed. I had slain hundreds of monsters before my regression, but I was always a bit afraid of bugs.

But I can't give up on Lauro just because a few bugs might come out.

"I'm going in, of course. Maimi, you can wait here if you want."

"N-no, I'll go with you...!"

Maimi, it seems, has a surprising loyalty to me. She said this with a trembling voice, something I never had from a maid before my regression, which made me quite happy.

"Besides, it's not certain that bugs will come out."

"I think five bugs came out yesterday. They come out every day, about that many."

"Lady Asaria, I'm sorry, I'll wait outside."

"..."

Maimi, I wish you could have returned my earlier emotion. Well, it can't be helped.

When Lauro and I entered, the inside was indeed dilapidated, but it seemed to be kept surprisingly clean, perhaps due to thorough cleaning.

As we sat at the table, a small boy and girl came out from the back room.

"Big brother! Welcome back!"

"Big brother! Welcome back!"

They seemed to be Lauro's younger siblings. They did look like twins, with black hair and black eyes.

But they didn't resemble Lauro at all, so they probably weren't blood-related.

Both of them looked to be under ten, still too young to work.

"Welcome back, Leo, Rena. Did you behave yourselves while I was gone?"

Lauro smiled gently and patted their heads. Oh, Lauro can make such a face.

Before my regression, I had seen Lauro as a holy knight a few times, but he always seemed expressionless, as if he had no emotions.

"Big brother, who's that person?"

"Is she big brother's friend?"

"Ah! No, that...!"

Lauro looked at me in a bit of a panic at their words, probably because they were being quite rude to me, the duke's daughter.

But his reaction was a bit hurtful. Did he think I would say something like, "How dare you, you commoners!" like the baron earlier?

...No, before my regression, I might have said something like that.

"I'm Asaria. I'm your brother's new employer, I suppose?"

"Employer?"

"What's an employer?"

"Well, I want to work with your brother."

Leo, the boy, has short, curly hair and is quite cute. He might grow up to be a handsome young man like Lauro.

Rena, the girl, has long hair, but it's not well-kept, so split ends are quite noticeable. If it were properly cared for, she might be even cuter than any noble lady.

"I'm sorry, Lady Asaria. They are orphans and don't fully understand the concept of nobility yet..."

"It's fine. They are cute little brother and sister."

"...Thank you."

Lauro smiled happily and served me tea.

"I'm sorry, but I can only offer you a simple tea."

"Thank you."

I took a sip, but it tasted like very weak tea. Considering the state of this house, it's impressive that he can even serve tea.

Lauro sat across from me and started to chat, when his younger brother, Leo, spoke to him.

"Big brother, it's getting cold. Can I light the fireplace?"

Indeed, the sun has set, and it's getting chilly. I'm still in my dress, but Lauro and his siblings are quite thinly dressed.

"Yeah, sure. Can you do it alone?"

"I think I can do it with Rena!"

"Ah, it would be faster if big brother did it."

Hmm? Is lighting the fireplace difficult?

But indeed, lighting a fireplace involves starting with small twigs and gradually transferring the flame to larger logs, which can be quite challenging.

My home is always warm, so I never experienced this struggle.

"Excuse me, Lady Asaria, can you wait a moment? I need to light the fireplace."

"No, I can wait, but if it's that difficult, I can do it."

"Ah? No, I can't let you do such a difficult task."

"For me, it's just a matter of a finger. You two, step back from the fireplace."

The two children moved away from the fireplace, looking at me curiously. I raised a finger and focused a bit of magic, and a small flame appeared at the tip.

I waved my finger towards the fireplace, and the flame transferred to the wood, starting to burn.

"There, that's it. Just make sure the fire doesn't go out and add more logs."

Well, with me around, you can have a fire whenever you want.

When I said this and smiled at the children, their eyes sparkled.

"Wow! Sister, you're a magician!"

"The fire, it's burning! It's burning!"

Hehe, they are so cute.

That level of magic is as easy as turning a doorknob for me, but it must seem like a great feat to them.

"I'm glad you're happy. You two can warm yourselves by the fireplace."

"Okay! Thank you!"

"Thank you, sister!"

"You're both very polite."

I watched them go to the fireplace, smiling, and then turned to face Lauro. He didn't show much emotion, but he seemed a bit surprised.

"Your magic is really impressive, Lady Asaria. You even shot through that baron's shoulder earlier."

"I hope you won't be surprised by such a small thing. You need to be strong enough to protect me."

"Can I really become that strong?"

"Of course, I, the daughter of Duke Spencer, guarantee it."

Well, even if I say it as a duke's daughter, I doubt a stranger would believe it.

But I want to persuade Lauro here.

"If you come with me, you won't have to light the fireplace ever again. You can live in a proper house, and you won't have to leave those two alone."

"Y-Yes, that's true."

He must be worried about leaving his siblings alone.

"I think we can buy a house and hire servants. I can provide trustworthy servants from my home."

"Would you really do that for us?"

"Of course, you'll be the knight of the Spencer family. It's only natural to provide such things."

Well, it's natural for a duke's daughter to have a dedicated knight, but it's quite a generous offer to a commoner who hasn't even held a sword yet.

Still, Lauro is worth it.

"Big sister, what are you and big brother talking about?"

"About work?"

The two children, who had been warming themselves by the fireplace, came over and asked innocently.

It's quite refreshing to be spoken to in such a way.

"It's about work. I'm offering big brother a job based on his talent, but he's not agreeing easily."

"Really? Big brother, why don't you work with big sister?"

"Well, it's just... "

"Why, why?"

Lauro frowned, troubled by the innocent questions of his siblings.

Hehe, children are so honest.

But to trust someone just because they lit the fireplace is a bit worrying for their future.

"Big brother, you were worried about not getting enough money at your current job, right?"

"Oh, is that so? Is the pay that low?"

"...Well, it's a bit difficult to explain, but the store owner lets us live in this house. So, I get a lower salary than others, about 20% of what others get."

"20%? You mean 20% less?"

"No, I get only 20% of what others get."

"Ha!? That's an incredibly unfair wage."

Even if you're renting a house, getting only 20% of the pay is too low.

Moreover, this dilapidated house is clearly an unfair deal.

"But if I complain, I might be kicked out, so..."

"...Yes. But if you come with me, you won't have to worry about such things."

"Big sister, is that true!?"

"Yes, it's true. You can live in a warmer, bigger house."

"Can we get fluffy futons!?"

"Of course, we can get fluffy beds."

The two children, imagining their dream life, looked very happy.

Watching them is quite healing; innocent children are so lovely.

Lauro, looking at his siblings, seemed to have a joyful aura despite his usual expression.

"Lauro, what about you? What would you want to do if you had money and a house?"

"Me?..."

"Yes. Is there anything you look forward to?"

Before my regression, I never saw the holy knight Lauro smile.

He seemed mechanical, but he does seem happy with his siblings.

But I never knew what he wanted to do or what he enjoyed.

"I... "

"Life is not worth living if you don't enjoy it. I've come to realize this more than anyone."

I truly felt this, feeling the pain of death.

If I had known more enjoyable things earlier, I might have avoided such pain and humiliation.

"Enjoy life..."

"Of course, life isn't all fun, and you'll have to work hard to become a knight. But I think you can live with more money and peace of mind than you do now."

"...Is that so?"

Lauro's eyes widened for a moment as he answered.

"Lauro, what will you do? Will you take my hand?"

I smiled and extended my hand to him. Lauro looked at my hand, then met my gaze with a serious expression.

"...I..."

And Lauro's answer was—.

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