Chapter 12: You are a good person

“Alright, since everything has been settled, I should get going to prepare.”

Sophia took the initiative to say her goodbyes, then gave Floria a knowing glance before leisurely adding:

“Senior, you spend the next couple of days packing your things with little Sylvie. Tomorrow afternoon, I’ll come pick you up with the Luxury Carriage~”

Floria responded by shooting her a sharp glare.

“Huhu~”

But Sophia was completely unfazed by this meek glaring attack.

Instead, she found this kind of superficial huffing, with no real resistance beneath, to be quite endearingly tsundere in Sister’s case.

“Well then, see you tomorrow~”

After waving farewell, Sophia left the room.

But she hadn’t gone two steps when Sylvie came running after her.

“Wait, um… Miss Sophia—”

“Little Sylvie, is there something else you need~?”

“I… I overheard some of your conversation with Miss Flo earlier…”

“Hm?”

Sophia’s previously casual gaze suddenly grew serious, and the smile on her face shifted subtly:

“…How much did you hear?”

Sylvie hesitated awkwardly:

“Well… not much—I just wanted to ask if Miss Sophia knows a lot about Miss Flo’s past?”

“I really want to know… what kind of person Miss Flo was before, and about my own… identity and origins, and how I’m connected to Miss Flo… I want to understand Miss Flo more! So, I was hoping you could answer some of my questions…”

Sylvie spoke rapidly with excitement.

Though she and Floria had lived under the same roof these past few years, Floria had never once shared anything about her past.

Sylvie was simply too curious.

Floria seemed covered by layers of hazy fog, stirring an irresistible urge to explore what secrets lay hidden beneath.

Ever since Sylvie overheard those few snippets from Sophia earlier, that curiosity had only taken root and grown stronger, reaching an almost unbearable level.

What exactly had Miss Flo done in her past life?

How old was she really?

Why was her appearance and aura so exceptionally beautiful?

Why did Sylvie look so similar to her?

Why did Sophia call her Sister, and even boldly claim she wanted to be Sylvie’s “Second Mother”…

Sylvie was bursting to uncover the truth behind all of it.

“Ah… I see—”

Faced with Sylvie’s insatiable thirst for knowledge, Sophia tilted her head in thought, recalling again those brief moments and the witch’s sweet, tempting lips that left a lingering impression.

Just now, upon hearing the door handle turn, Floria at the dining table had suddenly revealed an adorably flustered, weak side, desperately scrambling back into her wheelchair, unwilling to let little Sylvie see her in such an embarrassing state…

Sister, who worked so hard to maintain her image in front of the child, was just too interesting, too cute—teasing her would be endlessly fun—

Looking at the petite girl before her, who bore an eight-point resemblance to Floria, Sophia first smiled fondly, then a sly glint flashed in her eyes.

“Of course I can. Since you’re Senior’s newly accepted little disciple, I’ll naturally treat you like my own little sister.”

She reached out and gently patted Sylvie’s head.

“Whatever you want to know, I’ll tell you everything truthfully—”

“Really?!”

Sylvie’s face lit up with surprise, but only for a brief moment.

“Yep, really—though, well, now’s not quite the right time. You just have to promise to help Sister with some tasks first. In exchange, Sister will share Senior’s past with you~”

Sophia smiled enticingly, as if setting a trap.

…With such an excellent little bargaining chip coming right to her doorstep, it would be a waste not to make good use of it.

It would be deliciously entertaining to see Sister’s expression later when she realizes she was dragged into this by her “thoughtful little shawl”—

“Ugh…”

Hearing this, Sylvie’s face twisted with conflict.

She genuinely wanted to know about Floria’s past and her own mysterious origins.

But… this knight lady she’d only known for a short while not only said the outrageous thing about wanting to be her Second Mother, but also seemed to have ill intentions toward Miss Flo—her earlier words were blatantly trying to use her.

Sylvie might be inexperienced, but she wasn’t naive; such a transparent motive immediately set off alarms.

“…Um… well, maybe not then…”

Sylvie hesitated, shook her head, and took a cautious step back.

“Though I really want to know about Miss Flo’s past… I won’t rashly agree to help someone I don’t know well—”

“Oh?”

Sophia’s eyes flickered with surprise.

…She’d originally thought of this “mini-Floria” before her as a kid she could easily brush off.

But unexpectedly, this girl wasn’t so easily fooled and was even more wary of her than the real Floria.

…Most importantly, where was this faint hostility in her eyes coming from? She didn’t remember seeing it before she arrived…

If she didn’t handle this little Sylvie carefully… chances were high she’d become an obstacle to winning over Sister later—

Sophia thought it over and then showed a comforting, approachable sweet smile.

“That’s alright, I understand. Seems like Sylvie is a very cautious child. I actually don’t dislike that kind of personality~”

Though praised, Sylvie didn’t respond, only showing a faint blush on her face.

“Well then, once we get to know each other better and become friends, and when you’re ready to trust me, then I’ll tell you about Sister’s past.”

Sophia said kindly, reaching out again to gently stroke Sylvie’s head.

“……”

Sylvie’s expression was complicated, but she didn’t resist.

She squeezed out a thanks through clenched teeth:

“…Thank you, Sister Sophia, then we’ll talk more later…”

“Sylvie, what are you still chatting about with Sophia?”

Floria’s stern voice came timely from behind.

“Eh?”

Sylvie nervously whipped her head around and saw Floria dragging her wheelchair into the doorway, frowning as she looked their way.

“Uh… Miss Flo, I… well…”

“Sigh, you’re getting more and more disobedient… First, you quietly brought someone home, and now you run off to chat privately with strangers. How did I ever teach you? Do you still consider me your teacher at all?”

Floria sighed and complained in dissatisfaction.

“Ah… sorry, Miss Flo…!”

Seeing Floria look so plaintive toward her for the first time, Sylvie panicked.

In her memories, Floria’s attitude toward her had almost always been one of doting affection.

To Sylvie, Miss Flo was like the most reliable and closest elder.

No matter what troubles or grievances she encountered outside, Miss Flo always gently comforted and helped her solve problems, never uttering harsh words or complaints.

Even when Sylvie made mistakes, Miss Flo never scolded her harshly, but taught her patiently and firmly how to correct them and avoid repeating them—

Beautiful, gentle, kind, knowledgeable, and doting—the perfect “Angel Mother” in Sylvie’s ideal.

…So why was Miss Flo acting so strange ever since that knight lady arrived?

Could it be that an old lover showing up was not a happy thing for Miss Flo?

Sylvie simply couldn’t understand.

“Miss Flo… please don’t be mad at me… I… I’m not… that…”

At this moment, facing Floria’s reproachful gaze, Sylvie anxiously waved her hands and awkwardly tried to explain.

But her mind went blank, and she couldn’t form a coherent sentence.

“Hahaha… It’s okay. Little Sylvie was just worried I’d get lost going back to the city, so she came to see me off, right, Sylvie?”

Sophia caught the opportunity quickly, smiling as she put a hand on Sylvie’s shoulder, smoothly covering for her.

“Uh… yes! I was worried Sister Sophia wasn’t familiar with the nearby country paths and might get lost, so I came to see her off—”

Sylvie hurriedly followed Sophia’s words, grateful as she looked at this helpful knight lady.

“…Don’t get too close to that sly one, Sophia. She can find her way just fine and doesn’t need seeing off. You should come back now.”

Floria narrowed her eyes slightly but said no more, signaling Sylvie to return.

“O-okay, Miss Flo…”

Sylvie breathed a sigh of relief and began to head back, while Floria turned and went into the room.

Just before entering, Sylvie glanced back toward Sophia waiting on the road and quietly muttered with gratitude:

“Thank you… Miss Sophia… You’re really a good person…”

Sophia stood still, her exquisite and elegant face smiling silently.