"...."
But soon, she realized this wasn't something to be happy about.
No matter how terrible his judgment of people was, she shouldn't have said it outright!
"No, Your Grace! That's not it!"
"So that's what you think, Miss Merriweather."
Adel tried to explain, but he gave her no opportunity.
While she was stammering, unsure how to respond...
"Then I'll take my leave now.
See you again, Miss Merriweather."
It seemed unlikely they would meet again...
"Why? You don't want to see me again?"
"Yes. Ah, no! I mean, no!" An honest answer that slipped out in the moment.
Without any particular reaction, the Duke of Winchester left the entrance hall.
'I'm insane! I've offended a powerful figure—what do I do now?!' Adel clutched her head in agony.
...For about five seconds? After that, she was fine.
Whatever he said, they wouldn't see each other again anyway!
Adel was going to leave the Merriweather family.
Meaning, their ill-fated connection ended here.
'Besides, he's the kingdom's pride, a true gentleman, isn't he?!'
Such a person wouldn't bother tormenting some nobody.
Absolutely not, definitely not. Feeling completely reassured, Adel headed towards the servants' stairs at the end of the corridor.
She happened to run into two maids there, but they ignored her and immediately went downstairs.
It was a familiar occurrence for Adel. 'It's better for me too if they pretend not to see me.'
There was no point in getting attached to someone here—it would only be a hassle.
It would make leaving more difficult. "Miss Adel?" Just then, someone called her from downstairs.
It was the nursemaid.
The dignified woman she had briefly encountered in front of Clara's room earlier today.
She was one of the few adults Clara relied on. "Oh my, good heavens."
When Adel turned around, the nursemaid immediately frowned.
"What His Grace said was true. What happened to your face?"
Could it be that the gentlemanly Duke had been going around saying Adel's face was horribly ugly?
"The blood has completely dried." Blood...? Ah, come to think of it, when her mother hit her, her cheek felt unusually hot—it must have torn.
The wound itself wasn't large, but she hadn't stopped the bleeding properly, so it seemed quite soaked with blood.
'So that's why... the handkerchief?' Adel finally understood the real reason the Duke had handed her the handkerchief.
Though there was nothing she could do about it now.
The nursemaid took Adel to the break room used by the servants.
"Now, let this nursemaid treat you." Her tone was as if she were handling a child, which was a bit embarrassing to hear.
Adel had become an adult today, after all. Of course, no one in this mansion would know that today was Adel's birthday.
"You turned sixteen today, how can you go around with an injury like this?"
"...How did you know?" "Well, of course I know. Lift your head a bit." When she raised her head, a cotton pad soaked in medicine gently brushed against her cheek.
Was it because the soft cotton touched the dried wound? Somewhere deep in her heart felt ticklish, making it hard to stay still.
It felt like receiving a precious birthday gift... But that didn't mean she had grown attached to this mansion in the slightest.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The next day.
Adel had decided on her new roommate.
'Yeah, a spider would be better.'
The Spider House said they could move in anytime.
A truly attractive condition.
Adel packed her belongings into an old leather bag.
Three sets of underwear.
Two pairs of socks.
One pair of stockings with holes.
One outfit for going out.
Three sets of indoor clothes.
One set of pajamas she had just taken off.
A diary.
And the most important, her identification card.
'Now, with just this, I can live freely anywhere!'
Adel pressed her lips to the identification card she had received from the government office as soon as she turned sixteen yesterday and slipped it into her bag.
With a noticeably refreshed expression, she looked around her own attic room where she had lived since she was ten.
Through the large window beside the bed, strong sunlight poured in as always.
And on the desk placed beneath it, Adel had...
She gently swept her hand over the rough surface of the desk.
"Farewell."
Adel bid farewell to her past self who had struggled sitting at this desk and turned her back.
It felt a bit lonely to leave the place she had lived her whole life without anyone else to say goodbye to, but...
'It's proof that my decision to leave wasn't wrong.'
Thinking that, she was about to step out the front door when...
"Are you leaving now?"
A cute voice came from behind.
"Your Ladyship?"
When Adel turned around, Clara was coming down the stairs accompanied by the nursemaid.
Those short arms and legs, exuding the dignity of a high noble, were as adorable as ever today.
"Well, I asked an obvious question, didn't I?"
"I am grateful for the long hospitality of the Merriweather family."
"Mm."
It was an indifferent reply.
Adel hesitated for a moment but still wanted to add one piece of nagging advice.
"Please don't spend too much time just sitting at your desk."
"Hmph, it's none of your business."
Even though she was flatly rejected...
"...Take care."
After seeming to mumble something, Clara offered only a brief farewell.
Then, she casually tossed an envelope onto Adel's bag.
"This is...?"
Clara didn't answer Adel's question and went back up the stairs.
Opening the envelope, Adel found cash inside.
"Your Ladyship!"
Clara and the nursemaid, who had climbed about halfway up the stairs, turned to look.
"Please stay healthy. Truly."
"My health is the nursemaid's responsibility."
At that, the nursemaid smiled softly and added as if in agreement.
"Of course, I will protect Your Ladyship's health."
And the two continued up the stairs.
"...."
Even after they disappeared from sight, Adel stood dazedly in the entrance hall for a while.
'Just now...'
Adel had seen a red gleam in the nursemaid's eyes.
They were definitely red eyes.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Adel properly recognized her 'ability' when she was fourteen.
From a very young age, Adel had occasionally seen people's eyes glow red.
Not knowing how special that was, she simply thought it was beautiful and liked it...
In the winter when she was fourteen.
Adel learned from a book compiling the founding history of the Kingdom of Selmiria what the phenomenon she experienced was, and she fell into deep despair.
'It can't be.'
Adel closed the book containing the frightening story and, pale-faced, ran to Rose's room.
Opening the door without knocking, Rose, who was applying cream to her face, jumped in surprise and turned to look at Adel.
"Child! What are you doing coming in without knocking?!"
"Mother, listen... I..."
"Isn't it your study time now? You're getting lazier and just thinking about playing."
"That's not it!"
Adel shook her head and grabbed Rose's hand.
And she asked something she had believed without a doubt for so long.
"Mother, Father will come back someday, right? If I work hard and become a splendid lady. Right?"
Mother had always said.
When Father, who had gone far away, returned, he would marry Mother, and the three of them could live in a beautiful room.
However, to summon Father to the mansion, Adel had to become a splendid lady.
Otherwise, he would be too ashamed to return.
"Why are you suddenly asking that? I'm busy now, go study."
Rose pushed Adel's hand away and gently rubbed the cream piled on her face.
"It's true, isn't it? Father really will come back, right? He will, right?"
"You really!"
Mother raised her voice irritably, then answered as if doing a favor.
"...How many times do I have to say it? Yes."
At that moment, Mother's brown eyes sparkled like red jewels.
'No, absolutely not...'
While denying what was plainly visible, Adel, somehow with a despairing face, asked another question.
"You... love me, right? If I become a splendid lady and become your pride, you'll love me more, right?"
Sensing something strange, Rose stopped touching her face and turned to look at Adel.
"Of course."
"...!"
"I love you, Adel."
Mother kissed Adel's stiffly standing cheek.
Even at the kiss from her favorite person in the world, Adel remained frozen, not even blinking.
It felt as if the red light flowing from Rose's eyes filled her entire vision.
Adel blankly recalled the book she had just read.
It described various abilities appearing in the kingdom's long history.
'Truth' sees the lies of others. In the vision of a gifted one with the ability of 'Truth', the eyes of those who lie glow red.
"You know you're all I have, right?"
Looking at Rose, who raised her head again, Adel thought.
Every time she said 'I love you,' that beautiful light that bloomed... she had genuinely liked it.
Without knowing what it meant.
Without giving any response to the words she had so longed to hear, Adel fled Rose's room as if running away.
As she hurriedly closed the door, Rose's voice, full of discontent, came from beyond the non-soundproof door.
"That little one is suddenly being annoying. Tsk."
Ah.
It's true.
Somehow, she couldn't stay here any longer, so Adel ran down the stairs and dashed out of the mansion.
Into a world densely falling with white snow.