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When I led her out of the forest and to the carriage, the girl was surprised to see the horse.

“Is… this.. horse?” she asked. When I told her, “Yes,” she touched its mane and scales with curiosity, clearly impressed and amazed.

(Are there no horses in her country? What kind of transportation do they use? I can’t help but wonder.)

On the way to the mansion, I talked with her about many things.

It seemed she was indeed from outside of Aurora. She appeared to understand what I was saying but didn’t speak much, probably due to not being used to the language, but still gave her best.

This girl truly didn’t seem to know how she had ended up in the forest. She said that she’d just found herself in the woods, but just what on earth had happened for her to be there? That forest was no place for a girl like her to be alone.

I was sure she could protect herself; after all, she did kill a wolf, but it just seemed impossible for her to stay alone for days on end. And especially now in this unusual situation.

Just as I was about to explain all of that to her, she spoke.

“It… must… hard… right?” she said, and I could tell she understood the seriousness of the situation by the slightly tense look on my face.

Still, she seemed to enjoy the village scenery to the fullest along the way.

The wheat fields stretched endlessly, rolling over hills toward the horizon. Hodgson Pond was filled to the brim, reflecting the clouds and thickets on its surface and sparkling under the sunlight. Tall, majestic poplar trees lined the avenue, flanked by rows of blackberry bushes. She looked at everything with a sparkle in her eyes. It warmed me to see her appreciation for the village I called home.

As we crossed the tree-lined road and headed south, my house on the hillside came into view. We were coming from the north side, so we could only see the roof and a few white walls peeking out from behind the windbreaks, but in another five minutes, we’d finally arrive.

I’d been told that you could see the carriage coming up the gentle slope on the south side from the living room window. Sonia always claimed she could tell when I was on my way back from there.

When we pulled the carriage into the house and brought it around to the front of the mansion, Sonia was already waiting by the door. She looked puzzled, noticing right away that I wasn’t alone and that it wasn’t Will who’d returned with me.

As Sonia helped the girl step down from the carriage, I saw her gasp softly.

“Lavi?”

Sonia’s murmur stirred a familiar ache in my chest.

“Howard… What happened to Will? And who is this girl?”

Sonia, her eyes fixed on the girl, finally snapped out of her daze and asked me.

“My… name… Susie… It’s… pleasure…” the girl said, bowing her head politely. Sonia returned the bow with a warm smile and introduced herself in turn.
“I found her in the forest… Rather, she found me and ended up saving my life.”

Sonia’s eyes widened at the words ‘saved my life.’ Her concern grew even more as she noticed my and the girl’s dirt-covered clothes.

“Did something happen?! Are you hurt?! Are you both all right?!!”
Sonia’s face grew tense, and she moved toward me in a rush.

Then, in the silence, a loud rumble echoed nearby.

Apparently, it was reacting to the savory aroma wafting from the house. It was unmistakably the scent of an herb-stuffed bird roasting in the oven—completely mouthwatering! There was no way this hungry girl’s stomach wouldn’t react to it.

Hearing the rumbling sound, Sonia, who had been about to rush over, froze. Meanwhile, the girl’s face flushed bright red as she looked down in embarrassment.

“Bwahaha!”

I couldn’t help but burst into laughter at the sight. The girl, her face still red, looked up at me with tear-filled eyes and a bitter expression.

I quickly apologized, though the timing of her stomach’s reaction was too perfect. And with that, all of Sonia’s tension from just now simply melted away. I couldn’t shake the feeling that her stomach had somehow read the room perfectly.

“Howard! It’s rude to laugh at a girl! Poor thing, look how red she is…”
“I’m sorry. But really, shouldn’t we eat first? I’ll explain everything after. I’ll put the carriage away; can I ask you to take care of her?”
“Yes, yes, let’s do that! Let’s talk over lunch… but first, Elrose! Elrose, come here!”

Sonia knelt down to the girl’s eye level, gently cleaning the dirt from her face with her apron and calling for Elrose inside the house.

“Elrose, I need you to help bathe and clean her up. Please hurry and get everything ready. I’ll grab her a change of clothes!”

Elrose appeared on the mansion’s doorway, briefly glanced surprised between the girl and Sonia, nodded slightly, and returned inside to prepare.

“What a good girl. Just wait a bit longer, okay? We’ll get you all freshened up and have lunch.” Sonia said, guiding the girl into the mansion.

I, in turn, went to quickly feed Regulus and prepare to head inside myself. I didn’t know if it was because of the smell of the herb bird, but my own stomach had been growling for a while as well.

◇◇◇

As we waited at the table with our meals, Sonia guided the girl—Susie—into the dining room, where she hesitantly murmured, “Sorry to keep you waiting.”

She looked different. As I’d expected, her features were well-defined once she’d been properly cleaned up. Her red hair was neatly pulled back, and she wore pale blue loungewear that suited her perfectly, both in fit and color.

Susie appeared a little shy and restless. Once Elrose seated her, she stared at the food on the table with clear eagerness, leaning forward. It looked like she was about to begin drooling any moment now.

“We’ve had you waiting, haven’t we? Don’t hold back and dig in.”

Sonia and I smiled, inviting Susie to eat, while Elrose carefully served her a portion of the herb bird.

At first, Susie was hesitant, holding a forkful of the bird close to her mouth and looking at me as if for permission. When I laughed and gave her an encouraging nod, she took a determined bite.

The bird’s crispy skin crunched in her mouth.

Once the food was in her mouth, her expression softened in sheer delight. With the fork still in her left hand, she pressed her right hand to her cheek, tilted her head slightly, and murmured.

“Mmmmm… So goood!!!”

Susie’s face lit up instantly. As if a light had been turned on inside of her.

And that was just the beginning. The large portions that had been set aside for Will—who was known to have a big appetite—vanished one after another.

“S-So good! Tasty…. So guf! Abazing! Hic… Goof…”

She ate without pausing, savoring each bite with teary eyes, praising the flavors as though overcome with emotion. She was actually crying as she ate.

“Now, now, girls shouldn’t eat while crying. The food isn’t going anywhere, so just take your time and enjoy it, okay?”
“O-Okay… Hic… So goof…”

Sonia didn’t eat much as she tended to Susie, wiping her tears, her mouth, and clearing away any mess, while Elrose refilled her plate and brought freshly poured soup. Between the two of them, they made sure Susie was well looked after throughout the meal.

Here they were, treating Susie like a little girl, yet she wasn’t actually that young. Still, seeing the two of them happily tending to her brought a smile to my face.

I wondered how she’d managed to put away so much food with such a petite frame.

Eventually, the meal ended, and we enjoyed a sip of after-lunch tea brewed by Elrose.

“Ahhh… tea… good too…”

Susie sighed, her face blissful as she let out a long, satisfied gasp. Her expression seemed so overjoyed that both Sonia and I couldn’t help but smile.

As we sipped our tea, I began to tell Sonia about everything that had happened that day—how Will wouldn’t be able to come, our encounter with the Two-Headed Boas and the Gray Wolves in the forest, and how Susie had bravely defeated one of the wolves and even managed to heal my poisoning.

“This young lady did all that?”

Elrose murmured in surprise. Sonia looked equally surprised.

“I’m thinking of taking her to Henry after this.”

Sonia placed her teacup down, her gaze lowered, and asked quietly, “What do you plan to do with this child?”

“I need to consult with someone first. Without knowing where she came from, we can’t reunite her with her family. That’s something the temple may be able to help with.”

“I guess you’re right… I can only imagine how worried her family must be…”
“E-Excuse… I… going… somewhere?” Susie asked us, looking somewhat confused.
“I’m sorry, Susie. I know this might make you anxious, but don’t worry! It won’t take long. Isn’t that right, Howard?”
“Of course!” I replied. “We’ll be back before you know it! After all, you saved my life, Susie. We’d love you to stay over tonight.”

Elrose then asked, “Master, shall we go ahead with dinner as planned?”
“Please do. We’ll be back before dinner. If I remember correctly, we’re having venison tonight, right?”
“Yes, the deer you brought in is prepared and ready. It’s Will’s favorite, so we had a full-course venison meal planned.”
“Deer? Full-course? Meat?”
“Oh? Susie just lit up all over again. And here I thought you were already full—you must be a bit of a glutton, Susie.” Sonia laughed heartily.

As Susie blushed and looked down, Elrose gave her a warm smile.

“Growing children have a huge appetite, my lady.”

It had been ages since I’d had such a lively dinner or seen Sonia smile so genuinely. If possible, I wanted to continue having such happy days.

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