Chapter 31: Reunion

Rosie, “……”

How to put it, she wasn’t some kind of naturally sensitive saint, soft to the touch and easily brought down. There was a slight discomfort, but not much.

Rosie grabbed Miko by the scruff of its neck, holding it mid-air, leaving only two small paws flailing frantically, having lost their soft ‘pillow.’

“Meow~ Meow?”

‘Meow what meow? One more scratch and I’ll snip your balls off!’ Rosie glared fiercely at the cat.

Because she had been caught in the rain, she would break the umbrella.

‘Oh, it’s a female. How do you spay a female cat?’

Miss Rosie, whose knowledge was limited to the Sunflower Manual, fell into deep thought.

Patter, footsteps sounded from the doorway, followed closely by a maid’s cautious reminders.

“Second Young Miss, please slow down, be careful not to fall.”

“Miko…, huh?”

“Sister-sama!”

Following the kitten’s charge, another soft little bundle crashed into Rosie’s arms.

‘What, what “sama”?’

Rosie was a bit overwhelmed, simultaneously lifting the little cat she was holding higher with one hand and looking down at what was beneath her.

‘Ugh, a perspective issue, couldn’t see much, only a few wisps of light golden hair sticking up.’

‘What Rosie, she should just change her name to Luo Yourong.’

Someone was rubbing their head against her lower abdomen again, and through the soft fabric, she could even feel warm breaths on her skin.

Hiss!

‘Well, she took back what she said earlier; it wasn’t that Miss ‘Rosie Moulton’ wasn’t sensitive, it was that she hadn’t found the right weakness.’

The feeling was very strange, like the slightly weaker sensation of an electric shock from playing with the igniter of a lighter when she was a child, and at the same time, it was a little itchy and awkwardly uncomfortable.

Even more embarrassingly, she instinctively pressed her legs together, her two small feet, encased in brown leather boots, turning inward, looking like a flustered maiden.

‘D*mn it, was this also part of your ‘reactions,’ ‘Rosie Moulton’!’

‘Anyway, it has nothing to do with me, Lin Yu.’

Rosie casually tossed Miko aside, letting it execute a cool backflip in mid-air.

Then, Rosie held the clingy little one who was hugging her waist tightly, and by pressing on the child’s shoulders, she pushed her away a bit.

‘Hmm, a standard tear-stained face, tears and snot all mixed together.’

The little girl pouted, and with a tearful, aggrieved voice, she whimpered, “Sis-s-ter.”

This time, the memories swirling in her mind were exceptionally clear, with numerous fragmented moments of their time together flashing before her eyes.

For ‘Rosie Moulton,’ this was a very close person.

Memory truly was a wondrous thing; even though they were complete strangers before, Rosie felt an inexplicable sense of closeness to the young girl before her, and even her voice softened a few shades.

“Lia.”

Rosie murmured the girl’s name while reaching out to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes.

A seven-year-old girl, raised in a honey jar, couldn’t possibly understand so many complexities.

Lia only knew that her most, most, most beloved Sister-sama hadn’t told her a bedtime story for two days. When she asked the servants, they always stammered and gave evasive answers. When she asked her father and mother, they said Sister-sama had gone traveling. When she asked again when Sister-sama would return, her mother would just stroke her head and gaze out the window.

Her brother would even secretly tell her not to bother their parents anymore about her sister.

Vaguely, Lia also realized that Sister-sama might never come back.

Fortunately, neither she nor Miko had given up; every night before bed, they would devoutly pray to the God of Fate, praying for Sister-sama’s safe return.

Now her wish had come true!

So happy!

“Sister-sama, you’re home! I missed you so much!”

Lia sniffled, grinned, and revealed a brilliant smile.

How cruel.

Facing that smile directly, Rosie felt a momentary suffocation.

She parted her lips, gently biting her lower lip, her curled eyelashes trembling slightly, obscuring the complex emotions contained within her misty-blue eyes.

She crouched down, level with Lia, then reached out and stroked the little girl’s head, but the words “I’m back” simply wouldn’t come out.

‘Turns out, sometimes acting, lying to yourself is harder than lying to others.’

“Second Young Miss, …Young Miss?!”

The maid who had rushed out from inside the house instantly raised a hand to lightly cover her mouth upon seeing Rosie, then turned her head and shouted towards the drawing-room:

“Madam, the Young Miss is back!”

“Rosie?”

Then there was another rustling sound.

Soon after, a woman emerged from the doorway.

The woman appeared to be in her thirties, with brown hair styled in a bun at the back of her head, light blue eyes concealing subtle sorrow, and a delicate face tinged with exhaustion.

The person who arrived was none other than the mistress of the Moulton household, Rosie Moulton’s mother, Norma Moulton.

Madam Moulton looked at her daughter, who had been missing for two days, crouching there.

She opened her mouth, as if trying to force a smile, but as her lips curved upward, she turned her head away, blinking continuously.

Then, she slightly tilted her chin up, and after two or three seconds, when she looked at Rosie again, a smile had already reappeared.

“It’s good you’re back, it’s good you’re back, Rosie.”

“Mother.”

Meeting those eyes full of expectation, Rosie slowly said, “I’m back.”

‘I’ve really been led astray by that Hermann f*cker,’ Rosie scoffed inwardly.

The joy of their reunion diluted Madam Moulton’s weariness, making her entire demeanor seem more vibrant.

She looked at the woman who was half a step behind Rosie, letting Miko play with the hem of her coat yet remaining silent, and asked aloud:

“Rosie, this is…”

“Hello, Madam Moulton.”

Yvette nodded, introducing herself first.

“My name is Yvette Lambe, affiliated with the Church of Truth. I am currently responsible for ensuring Miss Rosie Moulton’s safety.”

“I might have to trouble you for a night today.”

‘Indeed, the police identity was just for convenience of action; the Church was the direct department.’

‘However, for her to so openly reveal her affiliation, was she planning to have Madam Moulton sign some kind of confidentiality agreement?’

The next second, Rosie’s question was answered.

“Hello, Miss Lambe.”

“Coincidentally, His Grace Bishop Lance of the Church of Truth is currently in the drawing-room.”

‘Right, why was I daydreaming? I forgot White mentioned that the big shot, the Bishop of the Church of Truth, was still here.’

‘These individuals affiliated with the Church’s Guard are all Covenanters who control extraordinary powers; their leader should be even more formidable, right?’

‘I wonder if abilities like mind-reading exist.’

As she felt uneasy, a gentle voice reached her ear.

“Rosie.”

She looked up and saw Madam Moulton beckoning to her.

Rosie took Lia’s hand and walked over, feeling a bit awkward as she uttered.

“Mother.”

Madam Moulton stroked her younger daughter’s head while smiling at her elder daughter:

“Although I don’t yet know what you’ve been through, I imagine it was with the Church’s help that you were able to escape.”

“Since His Grace Lance is also here at home, you should thank him in person.”

“And even more so, you should thank the God of Fate for his favor.”

At this, Norma paused, then continued, “Of course, if you have any grievances, you should speak of them all at once.”

Her light blue eyes showed no trace of her previous softness; beneath her gentle voice, there was a hint of formidable resolve.

“No one is allowed to bully a daughter of my Moulton family.”