Miss Cecille, Daisy, and I are standing a little bit distance from Alstroe who motionlessly sat in front of her parent’s graves. Neither crying nor smiling, she was just there with a stilled gaze upon her late parents.

I know that Alstroe, even though she was chased away by her parents, still loves them. I myself know deep in my heart the gladness that I felt that they aren’t here anymore to talk to Alstroe, but also, the feeling of guilt is present.

What could have been the outcome if they were there, standing in front of Alstroe, alive?

The only person who can give us more detail is Miss Cecille. She herself personally knows Alstroe’s parents so that’s why she is aware of their demise. Else, she wouldn’t even bother setting this whole event.

That’s right, that’s what my guts told me, about Miss Cecille’s scheme.

“Isn’t this the best time to keep us out of the dark, Miss Cecille?”

“…I don’t plan on doing that for long. The topic about Alstroemeria is nothing special. It’s just a tragedy common everywhere. It just happened that Alstroemeria herself is special.”

“Tragedy? I don’t think Alstroe’s disowning by her parents is a tragedy…”

“There’s more story than her disowning. Its roots have deeper and plentiful sadness to tell, not just because of Alstroemeria, but also involving this whole town.”

In my opinion, it was wrong for Alstroe’s parents to disown her at such age. If there’s a meaning to that action, if their action is justified, then I’ll turn out to be a horrible person.

A moments ago, I was believing that they will welcome Alstroe, but now, I am currently contemplating of how fortunate that they have never met.

I know, to a certain degree, I am obsessed with Alstroe.

She was with me from the start and will always console me when I’m down. Alstroe’s smile always saves me from the brink of depression.

For me, she was the brightest star that stood as my emotional pillar.

It was this moment that I also realize that in her absence, I crave for someone similar, someone who also stood as my pillar.

I know that this feeble mind and body of mine craved for affection that I got indulged. In her absence, I shifted those feelings to Ichirou. I am still clueless about what kind of attraction I felt for him but, he served as someone I can lean on when Alstroe and I are away from each other.

These feelings are clear and at the same time, confusing.

If there’s one thing that’s clear to me, it is that I am terrible as a man in mind, as a girl with needs, and as a person as a whole. That said, I am completely fine with being terrible.

I leaned on Alstroe before as much as I wanted and right now, I am going to make her lean on me as much as she wants.

However the story goes, that’s what I set my mind to…

“I have investigated about Alstroemeria, about her parents, and about this town without her knowing. Through my connections in the guild, I was able to get off a lot of information. That is to say, I’ve also met her parents several times in the past.”

A deep but cold solemn voice comes out from Miss Cecille as she foretold those words. It was something like a bad food that she held for so long inside and now that she has the chance, she is puking it all out.

“Alstroemeria was indeed born here in this town. Her father’s name is Drui and her mother’s name is Elsee. Drui is a normal farmer and Elsee is a tailor, a perfectly normal married couple. I hear that they were young but a happy couple in this town. Until Elsee birthed to a child who is far beautiful than anyone else in this town, Alstroemeria.”

Until…?

“She was a girl known here to be fair as a flower, with her silver hair and a pair of golden irises different from her parents, she was first titled as a blessing from the goddess. However, at the early onset of her life, she displayed her monstrous strength that no one anticipated.”

Blessing from the Goddess puts a lot of questions in mind.

“Her strength that not even her parents can tame caused so much problem, it was a minimal problem and the only casualty is up to a degree of light bruises, however, that doesn’t do the same with the surrounding object. With no way to suppress her strength, whatever Alstroemeria does turn into a larger scale of destruction. She is a child and has no awareness of her strength and yet…”

It’s bad enough that I can already imagine how it will turn out. Seeing how Alstroe acts right now if I think about her childhood, this turned out not well…

“She, slowly but surely, was shunned by people. They acted like they didn’t revere her as a blessing from the goddess and turned her into a monster. They started loathing her. Her innocent mind was assaulted by words deeper and darker than what she can comprehend. What was she felt? Anger? Hatred? No…”

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

At this point, Miss Cecille’s countenance grew in utter anger as she clenches her teeth. I don’t know what kind of expression to make but, I can’t say I am not expecting this, in fact, I’ve already anticipated it, however, just confirming the fact really weighs down upon my heart.

“Alstroemeria didn’t plant any of those negative emotions, in fact, she never had. Alstroemeria only felt confusion. Confused about why people started shunning, confused about what happened to their kindness and confused about why even her parents grew colder to her.”

Here it is…that day that I saw in Alstroe’s memories…

“And then, at eight years of age, her parents decided to kick her out, to abandon her without any knowledge of the outside world.”

“That’s something I know now…but afterward?”

“You can really guess it. Alstroemeria survives in the wilderness until Tzari found her. Tzari taught her a lot of things, including survival, common sense that she was never taught, and the power of Ki. Well, what happened to Tzari’s temple isn’t something you can really blame him. He kicked out Alstroemeria equipped with knowledge and…?”

“And…?”

“That guy…actually set me up so I can meet with her. Yeah…now that I gave it a deep thought, I found Alstroemeria in that icy mountain…Tzari kicked out Alstroemeria with a plan of having me adopt her…”

“Ah…”

Miss Cecille sprouted a countenance of utter annoyance as she just realizes that Tzari really did something for Alstroe and her to meet. You really don’t know what’s going on with Tzari’s mind but in the end, Tzari had something else planned for Alstroe.

“I found Alstroe at age of twelve. It was also a year after the stupid war for supremacy inside this continent has ended and King Ashfon Astlan Lionheart ascended. Alstroemeria’s adoption went easily and I manage to give her all she needs.”

“Thank you for doing all of this for Alstroe, Miss Cecille.”

“No…don’t thank me.”

Huh…?

Miss Cecille’s countenance grew cold.

“Despite how kind I look to you, despite how cunning Tzari is for doing a good deed, in the end, we fabricated a disaster in the pretext of a curse.”

Her lips curve upward faintly like she is snickering at someone.

Don’t tell me…

“I guess you can really tell that Tzari and I doted too much on Alstroemeria. This town, this place that gave her grief, this place with short and narrowminded people, we made sure they will equally swallow the suffering they put Alstroemeria put into.”

“Miss Cecille…what you are trying to imply is…”

“Alstroe’s parents racked up a huge debt so they worked to the bone, and help from the capital comes here, however, I told you earlier right? That I have prior knowledge of this town and its circumstances. That also, we, Tzari and I, are having communication through letters.”

I don’t want to feel better with this kind of bizarre hate…however…

“Tzari and I…conspired to cut off a lot of supply from this town. We redirected merchants and traders to another town and made sure that they will have less to eat.”

“That’s…horrible….”

“Yeah, with Tzari’s title as a Sage and my connection inside the Adventurer’s Guild and Trading Guild, we brought this town to the brink of suffering and collapse.”

“Don’t you feel bad for them…?”

“I thought about that too but, I guess not. Even Tzari himself, most likely not. In fact, I think he’ll just laugh this one off as one of his disastrous whims.”

“Why…? Even if it is for Alstroe, do you really think she wanted this herself?”

“Of course not. She may be strong physically, however, I’ll tell you this. I’ve collected a lot of data and found out that, even though Alstroemeria hurt a lot of people, none fell dead. She will be remorseful for any bad actions that she will do. That’s why Alstroe is an innocent child to the bone.”

I want to tell something to Miss Cecille, about some righteous and right alighted virtue, however, I am not someone to talk of it.

“Before we achieved peace and order, the land was distraught by small-scale war, you know. Even my small town felt the stinging effect of the shortage of food. Until one day, I met the woman named Milin, the one considered the strongest before. She told me the ugliness of this world and taught me how to use the spear. The state of this town doesn’t even measure how messed up our town that fell victim to the previous King’s greed.”

“Comparing the previous disaster and this disaster that you caused won’t justify anything. Aren’t you only doing this to satisfy your own hate?”

“You don’t understand it well yet, Princess. There is the deeper cause of why Alstroemeria’s emotions are strained. Strained to the point that she thinks that if someone hates her, she needs to smile to appease them if someone is there, she needs to smile to appear friendly, and when things are bad, she needs to smile to cheer everyone. Even as she herself is dealing with emotional stress, she smiles as it is the only thing she learned.”

She, Miss Cecille, is horrible in a lot of ways. She is powerful in a lot of strange things, even more so having a lot of connections and her strength in combat is no joke.

I cannot meet her in the eyes, we cannot land into a mutual understanding, however, what I understand the most is that Miss Cecille is doing this for Alstroe, however…

She has gone overboard…

She and Tzari…

They both harbor that same sentiment for Alstroe and did everything to this extent. Do they even plan Alstroe’s parent's death so they don’t have anything to worry about when they want Alstroe back?

“Alstroe’s parents…honestly detested her.”

“Eh…?”

“There’s nothing into it. They detested her because they also fell victim of being narrowminded. They honestly regretted raising Alstroemeria. It’s a good thing they are dead.”

“Then why do need to bring Alstroe here?!”

“At first, I don’t want Alstroemeria to even see a fragment of their shadows. Even if they die, I don’t want Alstroe to remember them, however, what Tzari said is also true. I also think that Alstroemeria is stuck in that form because she cannot remove the scar from the past.”

“I’m also scared of losing Alstroe but…even so…why now?”

“I also fear of one day losing Alstroemeria. I love her as for how I will love a family. But isn’t that how people grow? I want her to grow as a person who has a strong empathy for others.”

“That doesn’t mean you need to act as evil behind the curtains.”

“It’s too late for a preaching.”

It is as she said, it’s too late for that.

More like, what rights do I have to preach?

I can’t stop Miss Cecille from plunging herself into the deed.

“It’s like, you are the one killed them…”

“No, I am the one who did.”

“Do you plan on telling her?”

“…Alstroemeria would probably swallow it like a bitter pill. That’s why I won’t.”

That implies that Miss Cecille wants Alstroe to be mad and angry, however, the way she read her, Alstroe won’t.

This is something crucial so we can attain balance and stability within Alstroe’s emotions.

That’s why…

“Haa…this is idiotic. That’s why you humans are so fragile.”

Daisy then voices out her opinion amidst the seriousness of the situation. Her haughty voice immediately attracted my and Miss Cecille’s attention.

“What’s the big deal? Conspiracy? Hate? I don’t think I can make sense of any of that.”

“What do you mean by that? Daisy…this conversation we are having is about Alstroe’s wellbeing.”

“Ha? And I just said to her that she is strong. You guys are disappointing, you know that?”

“D-Daisy…that’s…”

“In the Beast Kingdom, I heard that my brother Begol tried to usurp my father many years ago but of course, my brilliant father, King Folga, thwarted his plans. By the end of the day, he laughs at my brother’s effort and had a drink with him that night.”

“I…I can’t see any connection with what you are saying to the problem at hand.”

“What I just want to say is that strong people have their own way of dealing with their emotions. They can forgive people too because they either feel like they are still superior despite everything or that they simply love them.”

“Yeah…”

“What I’m saying is, isn’t it fine to be completely honest with Miss Alstroemeria? Tell her everything too about what you guys did. White lies? I don’t think that leads to anything good. That’s not how the strong think!”

Daisy blew us away with her petty ideals…

Yeah…

That seems and sounds so petty and yet…it made me think. The same goes for Miss Cecille as she stares at Daisy with widened eyes.

“Haha…I wish it is that simple…”

“It is simple. We beast kin never think of anything complicated, well, I guess in my family, that goes true. We can think of complicated stuff but in the end, we are simple minded! We are not idiots, no, that’s not what I’m saying, okay?”

“Well, we are not beast kin. We, humans, have a really complicated hearts. That’s what my experience taught me.”

“You can’t compare Miss Alstroemeria with a normal human now, can you?”

Wow…

She got…a point…

She got a point but this is extremely unsettling coming from her examples…