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“Mother! Father’s calling for you, saying the carriage’s ready!”
“Oh my. That was quick. I’m all packed, but this is way ahead of schedule.”
“Father seems to be quite on edge about it… He’s been complaining, asking whether you’re done yet!”
“I see. But still, let’s have him wait a bit more. We still have some things to get ready, no?”
“But mother, didn’t you just say that you’re all packed up?”

“No, I didn’t. You said that, Lavi!”
“Me? I don’t even need to get ready! You and father are the ones going out!”
“Oh, god! Just come here! Your hair’s a mess… Come sit here so I can comb it.”
“What? B-But I just finished a workout… It’s always like this after a workout… It’s fine. That’s right! It’s totally fine!”
“Just sit down! You really are… Aren’t you meeting everyone at the temple later? You should start dressing a little better if you don’t want that gentleman you have your eyes on to be disappointed.”

“T-There isn’t anyone like that!”
“Oh my, really? Isn’t there that boy who came to pick you up for the harvest festival?”
“T-T-That’s… He probably has his own things to worry about… I don’t know. I don’t know, all right!”
“Oh my… And here I was sure that the second son of the Haggard Family would come and pick you up…”
“W-W-Why are you bringing up Ryder all of a sudden?!”
“Why else? You two have been friends ever since you were little.”

“I-Is t-that s-so?”
“It is. You’d hold hands wherever you went, and…”
“Really?!!!”
“Fufufu. So? Will Ryder come and pick you up?”
“R-Ryder is no good!”
“Oh? Why? Did something happen?”

“He gives up way too quickly!”
“Oh my…”
“When we spar, he always gives up when I knock him down! I wish he’d put up more of a fight!”
“My goodness. You’re right. Boys should be a bit more tenacious, agree?”
“T-Totally! After all, I’m the one that ends up thinking about it when he gives up too easily… A-Anyway! Ryder should be able to beat me first!!!”

“Fufufu. Ryder sure has his hands full then. Okay, you’re done. See, Lavi? You always wear a braid, so how about you try wearing two? You’d be really cute.”
“Thank you, mother! And two pigtails are way too childish. Besides, it’s easier to move around with one… but if you’ll be the one doing it, then maybe… Ah! That’s right! A souvenir! A hair clip would be great! You can get me either a ribbon or a hair string! And I can tie it down here!”

“I see… In that case, we’ll stop by Cecilie’s shop on the way back and see what’s there. I’ll look for a color that will suit you.”
“Okay! I can’t wait! Ah! Father is calling for us! Mother, let’s go!”
“Fufu. I guess we did make him wait way too long.”

“Father, mother, have a safe trip!”
“We will. Be careful not to get hurt.” Howard said.
“Father! Why are you worrying? You and Mother are the ones going out. You are the ones that need to be careful.”
“Hmph. I guess you’re right. Certainly.”
“Good grief, Father!”

“Fufu. It’s fine, Howard. Lavi is a wise girl. Lavi, we’ll be back by lunch tomorrow. We trust you to watch over while we’re gone.”
“Leave it to me, mother! Oh, yeah! Leave tomorrow’s lunch to me! How does herb chicken sound?”
“Oh?! I can’t wait! When did you learn to make it so perfectly?” Sonia asked.
“I wouldn’t go as far as calling it perfect…”

“Fufufu. If you have any issues, feel free to ask Melbert.”
“O-Okay! I’ll have Lady Long teach me how to do it… T-That aside! The house is in my hands!!!”
“Thank you, Lavi. I can’t wait to taste that herb chicken.”
“We’re going, Lavi. Take care of yourself.”
“Have a safe trip, father, mother!”

◇◇◇◇◇

“That was the final time I spoke with Lavi…”

Sonia’s voice was quiet, as if she were gazing into the distance.

“The next time I saw her, she was in bed. That night, I received word that the village had been attacked, and Howard rushed off… Several of the village’s children were killed. Lavi fought to protect them, but she wasn’t strong enough to stop it… I was never told who the attackers were or how it happened. I was only told that Lavi fought bravely to protect the children until the very end.”

Sonia’s mouth tightened, and her clasped hands trembled slightly.

“Miss Sonia…”

Susie looked up at her with concern, gently clasping her hand.

Sonia placed one hand on Susie’s head, stroking it softly, her eyes filled with gratitude.

“They never told me what she had fought against, but I could imagine it just by looking at Lavi’s condition. Her skin had lost all color, turning pale as wax. Two horrific scars were etched onto her throat. It was a vampire. And a high-ranked one at that. The Child Eater—an abominable vampire that preys only on children. I believe he was the one who attacked the village and hurt Lavi!”

Sonia’s expression was filled with anguish as she uttered the name of the vampire.

“Miss Sonia…”
“Three days later, the faint light of life within Lavi was finally extinguished. Even with the help of Henry, the temple’s chief who had arrived in the village not that long ago, Lavi’s physical wounds could be healed… but the essence of life she had lost could never be restored.”

Sonia’s voice was quiet as she gazed upward toward the heavens. A few tears slipped down her cheeks from the corner of her eyes.

“Miss Sonia… I’m sorry! You didn’t have to talk about something so hurtful! You didn’t have to remember it! I’m sorry! I… I’ll…”

◇◇◇

“If she sees us and realizes she reminds us of Lavi, and that this is burdening us, then she’ll distance herself from us. That’s the kind of kid she is.”
“What? Isn’t she just 13 years old?”
“Fufu. Appearance-wise, she’s just a child. But I told you, didn’t I? That kid is clever and very thoughtful. Will. Susie has a much calmer outlook than most kids her age. By looking at her, even I feel like I should get myself together.”
“R-Really? You sound like you’re having fun, Uncle.”

“Fufufu. I am. I’m having a ton of fun, and I’m happy. The light that had once been extinguished in this house was reignited when that child arrived. That’s why we don’t want to lose her. That’s why we hesitated to talk about Lavi.”

“……”

“Even now, we still get emotional whenever we speak of Lavi. What would Susie think if she saw that? She would probably believe that seeing her reminds us of Lavi and stirs painful memories for us… If this happens, she is likely to try to distance herself to spare us that pain. This is what Sonia and I feared.”

“……”

“However, it was something that we would have to face eventually. Avoiding it was just delaying the inevitable. We knew that. We knew that, but we didn’t have the courage to act. We couldn’t bear to lose another child. To lose Susie.”

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