C115
"That was a few days before the Cassius family adopted Liena."
Angela moistened her dry lips with her tongue and began to speak.
"The director suddenly said that he would introduce Liena, not you, to the Cassius family."
"Wait a moment, why did you want to introduce me to the Cassius family?"
"Oh, right, you don't have any memories."
"Please, explain it from there."
"Cassius informed me before his visit that they would like to adopt a girl. If possible, the girl closest to Duchess Cassius."
"Were the duchess and I close?"
"Yes, you two got along quite well."
"But how could a high-ranking duchess and an orphan...?"
"She often came to our orphanage to do volunteer work. She also played with the children."
Cheryl Cassius's good deeds went beyond simple support for an orphanage.
"Duke Cassius heard a little about you, but it seemed he didn't know your name."
"So, did he send Liena instead?"
"Yes, the director disliked you. He seemed to think that if Cassius adopted you, you might cause harm."
Angela smiled faintly and added.
"Compared to Liena, who was obedient, you confronted the director when he mistreated the children. You always expressed clear opinions, so even the director would step back."
Did Ethel have that kind of personality? It was a bit surprising.
From what I felt reading her diary, Ethel was a shy and intimidated person.
Perhaps that was a personality formed after falling down a slope, losing her old memories, and being chased by the Wallace family for many years.
"Additionally, Liena looks like Duchess Cassius. The director claimed that Liena would have a better chance of being adopted if shown to the duke."
Angela lowered her eyes.
"Well, in reality, the two of them never met."
"Why? Liena was also in the orphanage."
"When Liena came to our orphanage, it was after the duchess's health deteriorated, and she couldn't do volunteer work anymore."
It's said that a few months later, the condition worsened, and the duchess finally passed away.
"The director was worried that this would be a problem, so he even falsified documents. To prove that Liena came to our orphanage before."
"Why go to such lengths?"
"It seemed safe. If Cassius adopted Liena, good things would happen to him."
Angela swallowed saliva and opened her mouth.
"Yes, actually... I saw it. One night, Liena entered the director's office. I thought it was a bit strange."
"Why?"
"Liena's attitude when entering the director's office was very calm. She used to be a child who was afraid of the director and would pale every time she saw him."
"...What happened after that?"
"After?"
"Did Liena look different than before?"
"Hmm, now that I think about it, I guess she did... I couldn't see Liena for a long time because she was adopted a few days later."
Perhaps it was after Liena's regression.
Liena, who had returned, went to see the director, and the director tried to adopt her with Cassius.
"Did Liena suggest it to the director first?"
If she introduces her to the duke instead of me, she will help him in the future.
"Oh!"
At that moment, Angela clapped as if remembering something.
"It was definitely strange. She didn't seem too sad when you went to another orphanage."
"Do you mean back then?"
"Yes. The director hastily sent you to another orphanage. With a lame excuse."
"I guess they were planning to get rid of me quickly before Duke Cassius's visit."
"I also believe that."
"...And shortly after, the director met his end."
The duke, who heard in detail from Liena the child abuses committed by the director, punished him.
"H-he was definitely trying to silence the director!"
Angela shouted, her complexion suddenly turning pale.
"Because the Director knows that Liena is not the girl close to the Duchess..."
"Calm down."
I rubbed Angela's trembling back, but the tremors didn't stop easily.
"Ethel! Help me! Maybe my turn is next!"
Angela pleaded, squeezing my arm tightly.
"At that time, I was released because the children spoke kindly of me, but I also know Liena's secret!"
"Everything will be fine. It's been more than ten years."
"It's not like that! In fact, I felt like I was being watched for a long time! It has worsened recently."
The woman with a deep darkness under her eyes surrounded my shoulders with her arms.
"I no longer have the energy to run away. The only person I can trust is you..."
Seeing that, I understood why Angela came to see me only now.
"Because I built my own power with the mine."
There was no way Angela, who was very afraid of Liena and Cassius, could visit me as the young
It was for my own safety that Ángela traced my movements to another orphanage and then verified that I was secretly adopted by Wallace.
Most likely, she was planning to take me with Cassius, expose the whole truth, and escape from Liena's clutches.
However, contrary to expectations, when she saw that the duchy loved Liena so much, she decided it would be futile and chose to live a life on the run.
I consoled Ángela, who was trembling with anxiety.
"It's okay. I will protect you as much as I can."
".... Really?"
"Thanks to you, I learned the past I had forgotten."
"Thank you, Ethel. And I'm sorry. I just watched as the director swapped your place for Liena."
"How can a person live morally in every moment?"
Judging by the positive testimony given by the children at that time, it seems that Ángela was not a villain.
Furthermore, the novel states that, in addition to the director, Duke Cassius punished all those involved in the orphanage who abused children.
Just as I was thinking of preparing a place for Ángela to stay when we returned.
"Right! How about we go together to the orphanage?"
Ángela, who had thanked me repeatedly, made an unexpected suggestion.
"To the orphanage?"
"After the director and other teachers did that, the orphanage went bankrupt, but the building still remains. If you go there, your memory might come back."
"Yes."
I really am not Ethel, so I don't know what I'll feel if I go to the place where I used to live.
"...However, right after fighting the divine beast, I saw Ethel's past life like a dream."
I asked the divine beast before if I could have such a dream again and got an ambiguous answer that it might be possible or not.
There was nothing wrong with trying. But there was one thing that bothered me.
I looked out the carriage window, and before I knew it, the street dyed red by the setting sun came into view.
Dinner time will be soon. I promised to meet Terence.
I hesitated for a moment and then asked Ángela.
"Where is the orphanage?"
"It's not far from here."
Looking at the detailed location, it was a distance that could be reached in an hour by train.
"Do you want to go now? It's not a problem."
Even if it were later, the orphanage building wouldn't disappear. However...
"My heart has been beating strongly for a while."
It was after I learned a series of shocking truths.
No wonder my mind couldn't calm down.
To be honest, in this condition, it was completely impossible to return to the imperial palace, have dinner with Terence, and calmly tell him the whole truth.
First, I wanted to see the orphanage with my own eyes. The orphanage where Ethel and Liena spent their childhood together.
I don't know if it was because of my mood, but for some reason, I felt like something would come to my mind when I went there, just as Ángela said.
Didn't Terence say he would be free tomorrow? Then let's postpone the meal until tomorrow.
At the latest, I could return to the imperial palace tomorrow at dawn.
"Please head to the central train station."
Opening the carriage door, I spoke to the driver and then to one of the imperial knights.
"I'm sorry, Sir, but could you go to the imperial palace and convey my words to His Highness the Second Prince?"
"Please, just tell me your order."
After responding energetically, the knight mounted his horse and rode alone to the imperial palace.
I headed to the capital's central train station with the rest of the people.
Some time later, I found myself in front of the entrance of a dilapidated building that was collapsing.
"This is our orphanage. Did something come to your mind?"
"......"
"Ethel?"
Without answering Ángela's question, I entered through the main door as if fascinated.
I don't know why, but a familiar building, a familiar mountain behind me, a familiar courtyard, and a small dog kennel.
My heart was pounding. My heart was beating faster than before.
"Teacher, what's happening? The divine power inside your body is fluctuating right now!"
The divine beast, which had been sitting quietly in my bag until now, urgently spoke in my head.
"Oh."
Then, a sacred voice, different from the divine beast's voice and possessing a weight that couldn't be compared to the divine beast's, was faintly heard.
"The memory seal is being released. As expected, the last time I put the beast's power in your body was the cause of the problem..."
My consciousness flew to a distant place, unable to fully hear the goddess's words.
The place was the same, but in a completely different time and life.
-------------------------
A girl was crouched in front of the kennel.
The girl with dull silver hair muttered helplessly.
"A rabbit would be nice."
I asked.
"Why?"
"It's so cute. Both the children and the teachers like this rabbit. I wish I were as cute as a rabbit. Then everyone would like me."
"Liena is quite cute too."
"Only Ethel says that, and everyone else calls me a gloomy girl. If I were really cute, I would have been adopted somewhere... Huh? What are you doing?"
"Wait a moment, stay still."
"... Why are you suddenly picking up my hair?"
"Now look. Do they look like rabbit ears because they're tied in two braids? Liena has pretty silver hair, and her eyes are red like a rabbit's, so she looks more like a rabbit."
The girl playing with her hair murmured softly as if embarrassed.
