Chapter 8

"I'm going to the Kafudo Duke's house now."

The next afternoon, Yuno spoke to Lily, who was sitting in the corner of the magic tool room.

(I hope I can see Marie.)

Though she was anxious, Yuno had done her best to make Lily look as good as possible by the morning. She had covered the hole in her right cheek, washed and carefully untangled her matted hair, and mended the dress that had become frayed.

Yuno thought Lily looked completely different, though not exactly the same as the old Lily in her mind.

"Well—huh? Where did she go?"

Lily, who had been sitting in the corner a moment ago, was gone. Yuno searched the room in a panic.

"—Found you. Why are you hiding?"

She found Lily hiding behind a shelf. Yuno, who often hid in dark places and cried at her own home, was good at finding hiding spots.

"You'll get dirty again after I cleaned you up. —Wait!"

Lily tried to run away again, so Yuno quickly caught her. Perhaps because the evil spirit had been removed, Lily was no longer as aggressive as before.

"What's wrong? You might get to see Marie."

Hadn't she called out so desperately? If she wanted to see Marie, why was she running away?

Looking at Lily, who was still struggling, Yuno suddenly realized something.

"…Are you embarrassed by your appearance?"

Lily stopped moving. Her shoulders drooped.

"I see… That's it, isn't it?"

Even though Yuno had said she looked beautiful, Lily was far from her former self. Far from the way she looked when Marie used to hug her happily.

"Don't worry, it's okay. You might not look exactly the same as before, but you're still cute, and Marie will surely be happy to see you…"

As she said this, Yuno realized it was a lie. She didn't know if Marie would be happy to see her.

Yuno had felt the same way. She didn't want Dirck to see her with the soot stains from cleaning or the bandage on her nose. She was afraid of being thought of as pitiful and being rejected.

"You're right… It's scary, isn't it?"

The fear of not being accepted was terrifying. Even though she knew Marie well.

Feeling a sense of helplessness, Yuno looked at Lily. Lily was still looking down, trembling slightly.

(Can I fix her?)

She was surprised by her own thought. But if she could fix her, she wanted to. Yes, if she had magic power—

"Come here."

Yuno gently reached out her hand and enveloped Lily in both hands. Lily looked up at Yuno with a puzzled expression. Yuno smiled and then—applied force to her hands.

Dirck and Reuben appeared at the door.

"Yuno, it's time to leave. Are you ready—"

Both of them were taken aback when they saw Yuno facing Lily.

(Please, let her be back to normal. Let her regain her confidence…)

Yuno's palms grew warm and began to glow. Lily also began to glow. Her entire body was enveloped in light, and then—

Lily jumped up. She quickly examined her body and ran to the mirror. She looked at her reflection.

Turning around, her face was filled with joy. Lily was back to her original self. Her cheeks, hair, and dress were all as they used to be, just as Yuno had seen in her mind.

"Let's go see Marie."

Yuno smiled. She was sure they would see Marie. She didn't know why, but she had a feeling.

At the doorway, Reuben looked amazed at the miracle he had just witnessed. Next to him, Dirck gazed at Yuno, who looked unusually confident and beautiful, with a look of admiration.

Yuno, Dirck, and Reuben set off for the Kafudo Duke's house in a carriage, with Lily in tow.

Yuno was nervous because Dirck was sitting across from her. Even in a large carriage, the space was limited, and every time the carriage jolted, their knees almost touched.

Dirck had his legs crossed and kept his face turned away, looking out the small window. He occasionally spoke to Reuben but never looked at Yuno.

Yuno knew Dirck wasn't interested in her. So, she was the only one getting worked up over this. If it were the beautiful girl who had taken Dirck's arm in the entrance hall, his reaction would be different, wouldn't it?

Who was that girl? They seemed to fit well together and were very familiar. Yuno couldn't even get a glance or a word from him—

(Ah, no, I can't…)

The more she thought about it, the more her chest felt constricted with pain.

"The power you used to restore Lily was amazing!"

Reuben was unusually excited.

"Clearly, you can use purification magic. Just like the stories I've heard about the great-grand priest—"

"Shut up."

Sitting next to her, Dirck frowned.

"But it really was amazing, wasn't it? Even His Highness was captivated, right?"

(What? Really?)

Really? It was hard to believe. There's no way. But a part of her hoped it was true.

But—

"There's no way. I wasn't captivated. You must be mistaken."

Dirck's voice was cold. His expression and tone were overly sharp.

(As expected… I knew it…)

She knew it all along. So, there was no reason to be disappointed, yet her heart sank. She felt a genuine sadness.

Dirck stubbornly turned his face away from the downcast Yuno. Seeing Reuben, who was leaning forward in excitement, he frowned and pulled him back forcefully.

***

In the front courtyard of the Kafudo Duke's house, a large Aller tree grew, its leaves a vibrant red. The scene was exactly as Yuno had imagined. She was certain Marie would be there.

But—

"Marie…? I'm sorry, but we don't have a woman by that name here. We never have."

In the duke's living room, the duke, with his impressive mustache, said apologetically.

"I apologize for troubling you, Your Highness, but I don't recognize this doll either."

(Liar. She's not here?)

Yuno gasped. No. Looking at Lily on her lap, who was pretending to be a normal doll but seemed anxious, she felt a sense of denial.

(She's never been here…)

She was anxious, but a part of her mind was denying it. It was a strange feeling. Yuno shook her head, hesitantly but firmly.

"But I'm sure she's here. I can feel it."

An elderly butler, who had been standing behind them, spoke up.

"Excuse me, but this doll might have belonged to Lady Rose."

"Lady Rose?"

Not at all like 'Marie.'

"I don't know anyone named Marie, but I remember Lady Rose treasuring this doll. It was many decades ago, though."

"Where is Lady Rose now?"

"She is the duke's aunt and is bedridden due to her advanced age."

"This way," the duke led them to a sunny, spacious bedroom. An elderly woman was sleeping in a large bed. She was the sister of the former duke, who had once married and left the house but returned after her husband's death.

Yuno whispered to Lily, who she was holding.

"Is this Marie?"

There was no response. Lily seemed confused. It was understandable. Even if this woman was really Marie, Lily only knew her as a little girl.

"Aunt, Lady Rose."

The duke called out at the bedside, but Rose didn't open her eyes.

"She sleeps a lot these days…"

Yuno held Lily to her chest and called out.

"Marie, can you wake up?"

As everyone held their breath, Rose slowly opened her eyes.