Chapter 10

It had been about ten days since Iris arrived in Lemuria. One day, Clarissa led Iris to a certain room.

The children of Rebecca, who had been restrained under the guise of protection after the operation to subdue the mastermind using Rebecca as bait had ended, were confined in that room.

The boy with blue eyes was twelve years old and named Nate. The girl with red eyes was eleven and named Eve. Both had black hair with a bluish tinge, and their appearances were quite well-kept.

However, they must have already heard about what their mother had done. Instead of sitting on the sofa, they were huddled on the carpet, looking exhausted and leaning against each other.

"Hey, who are you, big sister?"

"I'm Iris."

(…Big sister, big sister?)

Kneeling in front of the two, Iris's unexpected response made Clarissa's eyes widen. She had noticed that Iris had a bit of charm in her interactions with Prince Alvin, but she never expected the girl, who was often called the unsmiling wise princess, to respond in such a way.

"What does this big sister want? We've already told you everything we know!"

From those words, it was clear that the children had been interrogated. Iris turned her gaze to Clarissa.

In response to that gaze, Clarissa shook her head slightly. It was true that they had been interrogated, but it was necessary and not done to blame them unjustly. Confirming this, Iris turned back to the children. She smiled reassuringly and gently stroked Nate's head.

"Whoa, what are you doing!?"

"It must have been scary. But now that I'm here, everything will be okay."

She gently, only gently, stroked Nate's head, conveying the message that there was no need to worry. Slowly, she continued to stroke his head until Nate calmed down. Then, she did the same to Eve.

"Wha… wha…?"

Eve, surprised, stiffened slightly. But as she realized that Iris had no intention of harming them and was only being gentle, her tension eased. Clarissa noticed that Iris was experienced in handling children.

"Are you feeling a bit better now?"

"…Yes. I'm sorry for losing my composure."

"Me too."

Following Eve, Nate also bowed his head. There was a reason for their fear—yet, it was also true that they had lost their composure. The fact that they could properly apologize showed that Rebecca had disciplined them well. Iris seemed to understand this and smiled, saying, "You both did a good job by apologizing."

"First… let's see. How much do you understand about the situation?"

In response to Iris's question, the two looked at each other and nodded. Then, Nate asked with a pleading look, "Mom betrayed the king… is that true? …Is it really true?"

He wanted to hear a denial, a "No, it's not true."

But—

"—It's true."

Iris spoke the truth. Listening to this, Clarissa felt an impulse to object, but she bit her lip and remained silent, knowing that she was not in a position to do so.

"…Why, why did Mom do such a thing? Because of that, I and Eve were suspected of doing something too!"

"…That's true."

Even though it was necessary, it must have been a shocking experience for the two. However, it was important to make this clear. While Clarissa thought this, Iris continued to reveal the truth.

"Hey, do you know why your mother did such a thing?"

(Stop, please stop!)

But Clarissa's silent plea went unheard.

"—It was for your sake."

The two gasped at Iris's relentless truth.

(Why are you forcing such a harsh reality on them?)

Iris had pleaded for a reduction in Rebecca's sentence. She had also offered to protect the two as her servants. Yet, why was she making them so sad? Clarissa, unable to bear it any longer, was about to intervene.

—But just before that, she noticed Iris's skirt, which was crumpled and tightly gripped. Iris was holding her skirt so tightly that her fingers had turned white.

(She has a reason for her actions.)

Clarissa didn't know what that reason was, but she realized that Iris understood the children's pain. Because of this, she decided to watch and wait.

"Rebecca did something unforgivable, but it was to protect you."

"What do you mean, for our sake? That's—"

Nate's voice suddenly broke. Eve had been pulling on his sleeve, and he fell silent in surprise. Then, Eve, who had been trembling, leaned forward.

"…What do you mean, for our sake?"

"Mom was threatened by bad people. They said she had to do as they said to protect you."

"Mom did bad things for us…?"

"Yes."

Iris met Eve's gaze directly and revealed the harsh reality. Eve looked sad but nodded in understanding, as if accepting it.

"What do you mean, that's for us? That makes us the bad guys!?"

In response to Nate's angry outburst, Iris shook her head this time.

"The bad guys are the ones who threatened Rebecca."

"Then… is Mom not to blame? Will she not be punished by the king?"

"Um, even if it was for your sake, Rebecca did do something wrong."

Looking at Nate's pleading gaze, Iris revealed more of the harsh reality. Clarissa, who had been silent, clenched her fists. For a while, Iris had been revealing too much of the sad truth to the young children. Even if there was a reason, she thought the children couldn't bear it anymore.

But—

"I respect Rebecca."

Iris continued with those words.

"…What do you mean?"

"Rebecca did something unforgivable as a servant. But it was to protect you. She knew she would be punished, but she still made the decision for your sake."

Iris paused, then continued, "I think she's a very, very wonderful mother."

The two widened their eyes and then began to cry.

(Ah, I see. Iris understood why the two were in despair.)

It was true that they had been sad because they were blamed by adults and because they knew their mother had committed a crime. But the reason they were in despair was that they felt their mother had betrayed them.

If they had only been comforted without knowing the reason for their mother's actions, they might have continued to believe they had been betrayed. Instead, Iris revealed the harsh reality to them, but also taught them that they had been loved so much by their mother.

Whether this was the right way to comfort them was a matter of hindsight. They might have been overwhelmed by guilt. But as they cried, they also felt relieved to know they hadn't been betrayed. Then, Iris began to defend Rebecca and the interrogators.

She explained that the adults had interrogated them to prove their innocence, that Rebecca's actions had a reason, and that she would receive a reduced sentence for helping to arrest the mastermind. After explaining these things carefully to reassure them, she asked what they wanted to do next.

"Your mother's sentence will likely be reduced, but she won't be able to work for a while. If things continue as they are, you will end up on the streets. If you wish, I will lend you a hand."

This time, the added words were so soft that only Clarissa could hear them. She didn't understand what they meant. But when Iris continued, asking if they would try to repay their mother's kindness for committing a crime for their sake, the two nodded seriously.