Author: TA☆KA	Original Source: Kakuyomu / Syosetu
Translator: Jiro	English Source: Re:Library

Project GB is an official initiative by Re:Library.

When Susie returned home, she saw a figure leading Regulus to the stables.

(It’s Mr. Gilbert. It seems Sir Howard used the carriage today. I didn’t hear anything about that, but it seems he’s been out.)

Gilbert was a servant of the Cloud family who primarily took care of the horses and handled outdoor tasks.

He was a short, old man with one eye who wore an eyepatch over his right eye. He was over 70 years old, but despite this, he was still remarkably lively. He often called Susie “Young Lady” and frequently gave her candy bars whenever he saw her.

Noticing her return, Gilbert waved his hand and said, “Welcome home.” Susie happily waved back.

After greeting him, she entered the house, where the sound of conversation drifted from the living room. Alongside Howard and Sonia, there was another voice she had never heard before—a young male voice. Trying to figure out more, she detected a strong yet calm temperament, full of youthful energy. The atmosphere in the living room was filled with joy.

“I’m home.”

When Susie entered the living room to greet the others, the adults immediately responded;

“Good, welcome home.”
“Welcome home, Susie.”
“Welcome home, Young Lady.”

As they returned her greeting, the young man, who had been chatting with Howard and Sonia with his back turned, noticed Susie and turned his head awkwardly.

“! Big sis Lavi?! Why? How? Lavi… Oh…”

The moment he saw Susie, he stood up abruptly, his eyes wide with shock. However, he quickly realized that the person in front of him was not the one he had just called by name. His gaze shifted nervously, and he looked down in embarrassment.

“U-Um, I’m Susie. Nice to meet you.”
“Ah… Please excuse me. I’m William Cloud. I’ve heard about you from Howard and Sonia. I apologize for my abrupt behavior.”
“Please do not worry about it.”

Howard and Sonia exchanged pained expressions as they looked at Susie.

(Those gazes again. I really don’t want to see those expressions…)

“I’m going to change in my room. Please… excuse me.” Susie said.
“Ah…”

William opened his mouth as if to stop her, but Susie had already gone upstairs to the second floor before he could say anything.

“Will, I’ll talk to her. You stay here with Howard, okay?”
“Aunt, I’m sorry. My careless words must have made everyone uncomfortable.”

William bowed deeply towards Howard and Sonia. Sonia, in turn, gave him a reassuring smile. “It’s okay,” she said before leaving the room. Howard then turned to William and spoke.

“Don’t be alarmed, Will. This is our own fault for being timid. We should have talked to her earlier. Still, now might just be a good opportunity.”
“But, Uncle. I’m…”
“Sit down, Will. Let Sonia handle the rest. Elrose, can you bring us another cup of tea?”

“Urgghhh… That was a little bit rude, wasn’t it?”

Now changed into light indoor clothes, with indoor shoes on, rather than her boots, Susie was lying on her back on the bed.

(I hope I didn’t offend him by leaving so suddenly…)

The thought left her feeling a little down.

(But I couldn’t stay there, not with the way Howard and Sonia were looking at me…)

The name Lavi had come up again. She had hurried upstairs, thinking that if her presence reminded them of that person, it was best to remove herself from the situation.

“Was I a bit too blunt? I… could’ve phrased that better…” She reflected on her actions. “Maybe I’ll give them a bit of time to cool down and then head back down…”

Just as she was thinking that, a light knock came at the door.

(Huh? Is it Miss Elrose? What is it? Did something urgent happen?)

“Yes! I’m coming!”

(Huh? This presence…)

With that thought, she got up, put on her apron, placed her hand on the doorknob, and hesitantly pulled the door open.

“Miss Sonia?!”

Sonia stood in front of the door.

“Why? Miss Sonia, why did you come upstairs?!” Susie asked, hurriedly reaching her hands out to Sonia.
“It’s okay, Susie. This much is fine.”
“But your legs! And you’re out of breath! You’re tired, Miss Sonia!”

Sonia was breathing slightly unevenly, her cheeks tinged with a pleasant flush.

“And? If that’s the case, won’t you invite me in to sit down for a bit?”
“Of course!”

Susie quickly went to prepare a chair while Sonia went to sit down on the bed.

As Sonia sat down, Susie poured her a glass of water from the pitcher and handed it to her. Sonia drank, quenching her thirst. Once Susie saw that Sonia had calmed down, she was finally able to relax.

Sonia then handed the empty cup back to Susie, patted the space beside her, and gestured for Susie to sit next to her.

“Miss Sonia, why did you come?”
“I wanted to have a chat with you, Susie. Is that okay?”

Sonia gently steered the conversation away from Susie’s questioning, her gaze warm yet filled with purpose.

“It’s okay. I, too, want to talk with you, Miss Sonia.”

Susie saw the calm but determined look in Sonia’s eyes and nodded in response.

“The truth is, we should have told you earlier. We should have told you when you decided to come live with us in this house.”
“Miss Sonia…”

◇◇◇

“We were scared. We were afraid that when she found out about Lavi, she would leave the house. That she would leave us…”
“Uncle… Is that child really so heartless that she would do something like that?”
“No! Of course not. It’s not like that, Will. She’s very intelligent, thoughtful, and just overall a sweet girl.”

“Then why would you think she would abandon you?”
“I assume that Susie is already aware of Lavi.”
“Does that mean someone told her?”
“No, no one should’ve told her. But Sonia and others, just like you now, have mentioned Lavi’s name upon seeing Susie for the first time.”

“I’m really sorry about that.”
“Don’t be. It just shows how much you loved her… how much you loved Lavi.”
“……”

“Up until now, Susie has only asked one person, namely Ryder Haggard, to tell her about Lavi. However, he too hasn’t told her anything. Later, he even came all the way here to apologize for mentioning Lavi’s name in front of Susie.”
“That’s… I understand how Ryder feels. I am truly sorry.”
“I told you already, it’s fine, Fufu. You and Ryder are both honest men, aren’t you? Maybe everyone involved with the knights is like that, fufufu.”
“N-No, that’s… So what happened afterwards?”

“Susie has only asked Ryder about Lavi once. After that, she didn’t ask anyone else. She too must have noticed that everyone who mentions Lavi’s name has a troubled expression.”

◇◇◇

“Susie, you know about Lavi, right?”

Sonia’s eyes wavered slightly. Susie noticed this and gently placed her hand over Sonia’s, which rested in her lap.

“Thank you, Susie. So you really did know.”

Susie met Sonia’s gaze and nodded.

“I think that she was someone who used to live in this house.”
“Why do you think so?”
“The clothes you gave me the first time I came here… The underwear, the accessories. They all seemed like they’d belonged to a girl about my age. But it also seemed like that girl had been gone for years.”
“I guess that’s right.”

“Sometimes, people mistake me for her when they see me and call me her name. Do I… look like her?”
“Fufu. Well, she was about the same height as you are now. She always wore her red hair in a single braid down her back. Her eyes were an ashy green like mine, but sometimes they glittered like emeralds. She had a wide forehead, which bothered her, but I always liked it. She was full of energy, always running around outside—so much so that even the boys couldn’t keep up with her.”

Tears welled up in Sonia’s eyes as she spoke fondly.

“Miss Sonia! Please don’t cry! I’m sorry. This is enough… I’m sorry… Please, don’t cry!”
“No, it’s fine. I’m alright. Thank you, Susie. I’m not sad. I’m just happy… to be able to talk about Lavi in such a joyful way.”
“Miss Sonia…”
“So please, hear me out until the end, okay?”
“Okay…”

“Lavi… Lavinia Cloud was our daughter. The one and only beloved daughter that Howard and I cherished. She passed away ten years ago, at the age of fourteen.”

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