Chapter 30

When I was a child, I think I cried all the time.

I cried because I wasn't given proper meals and my stomach was empty.

I cried because on cold winter days, I was only given a thin, musty-smelling blanket and was freezing.

I cried when the mean maid Melissa pinched my thighs.

I cried when the flowers I had worked hard to find and pick were torn to shreds by Erin.

I cried a lot.

I cried so much.

But every time, my mother would come.

When I cried, my mother would always say, "It's okay," "You don't have to be afraid anymore," in a gentle voice.

She would stroke my head.

She would hug me.

That's why I could cry.

Because I wasn't alone.

Because I had an ally.

But then, my mother died.

I cried so much, and no one did anything for me.

Eventually, my body couldn't produce any more water, and I stopped crying.

I realized.

I was all alone.

No one would help me if I cried.

Crying was a waste of time.

Thinking this, I – stopped crying.

I told myself not to cry.

Even when the mean maid Melissa said, "Here's your dinner," and threw garbage at me from above.

– I mustn't cry.

Even when Erin trampled on the "Comprehensive Guide to Plants" that my mother left me.

– I mustn't cry.

Even when my stepmother Leiche slapped my cheek, saying, "You don't know how to speak properly."

– I mustn't cry.

Even when my father Cedric tore up the documents I had processed without sleep right in front of me.

– I mustn't cry.

– I mustn't...

Suddenly, I thought.

...Will I be like this for the rest of my life?...

「────っ」

Amelia sat up as if she had been pushed.

A sticky, unpleasant sensation spread over her back, neck, no, her entire body.

「……っはあ……はあっ……」

She repeated shallow breaths.

Her breath was labored. She needed to calm down.

She took a deep breath and exhaled.

She tried to soothe her heart, which was beating irregularly and rapidly.

After a few deep breaths, she finally calmed down.

Looking around, she recognized that she was in her bedroom at the Hernberg house.

Amelia finally felt a sense of relief.

「……What a terrible dream」

It really was a terrible dream.

She was shown a series of events from her past that she didn't want to remember.

It happens sometimes.

When the painful memories of the past overflow in a dream and she wakes up with them still vivid.

Maybe it's a reaction to trying to endure and forget unpleasant things quickly.

It felt like the suppressed memories and emotions were leaking out against her will.

– Knock, knock.

At that moment, a polite knock echoed in her ears.

"Come in."

"Excuse me."

It was Sylphie.

Seeing a familiar face, her sense of relief deepened.

"Good morning. ... Wow, you're drenched in sweat. Did you have a scary dream?"

"A scary dream..."

She touched her forehead, and a sticky sensation spread from the back of her hand.

"Yes, I might have had one."

"That's a shame. You seemed to have had a lot of fun yesterday, so maybe it's the fatigue catching up with you."

"Ah, that makes sense..."

Indeed, that was a high possibility.

She tended to have nightmares when she was tired or mentally drained.

"Are you just waking up?"

"Yes, I just woke up."

"Then the timing was good."

"Timing?"

When Amelia tilted her head, Sylphie smiled modestly and said,

"Sir is calling for you."

"R-Logan is?"

She replied with an oddly high-pitched voice.

"Yes. He said that his work has settled down, and he would like to have a leisurely tea with you."

"I see..."

Surprise and joy mixed, but the joy quickly took over.

"Alright, I'll go. But before that..."

Looking down at her sweat-soaked body, Amelia asked,

"…Do I have time to take a bath?"