Chapter 35 : Half Articles (1)

This is the story of when I was not the current Luna Grace, but Luna, the orphan of Luden.

After Saya was expelled in my place, I was given one more chance.

Standing among the children lined up in a row, I smiled brightly, unlike any other time.

This was probably the first time I had ever acted to please the nobles.

To me, at the age of seven, Saya was my whole world—my only friend. Without her, I had no choice but to stand alone, even if I didn’t want to.

“You, what’s your name?”

A man from a noble family showed interest in me.

He was thin and tall, with blonde hair like mine.

It was hard to tell his age, but I could tell he had a look that would easily appeal to women.

“…I’m…”

Everyone’s attention, including the orphanage director, was focused on me.

Every time I was chosen, I would act out and create a scene, so everyone’s eyes were on me this time too.

“…Luna.”

Everyone was surprised by my reaction, which they had never seen before.

My gaze was directed straight at the man’s eyes, and my posture was as modest as possible.

“I like your gaze. I’ll take this child.”

The director looked at me with wide eyes.

As if welcoming his choice, I grabbed the hem of my skirt and bowed politely.

“You have an excellent eye! However, Luna is one of the most beautiful children in the orphanage…”

“I will pay any amount of money. I like this child.”

“I understand, Baron Zeppelin. Before you take her, would you give Luna a moment?”

“Of course.”

The orphanage director took me to the hallway and looked at me with her piercing eyes.

“I don’t know what you’re thinking, Luna. Have you changed your mind in a month?”

“…I think so.”

“My goodness. I was sick and tired of you, but it looks like you’ve finally decided to leave.”

With that, she added, “…That child, she cherished you terribly.”

“…What?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

The conversation with the director ended there, and I immediately prepared to be adopted.

Since it was rare for a noble family to take in a child, the orphanage welcomed my adoption, which would bring them a lot of money.

“Thank you for everything, Helena!”

After getting dressed, I said goodbye to Helena before leaving the orphanage.

I had already gotten used to speaking informally to her, so it was hard to break the habit.

“You’ve become so mature in such a short time. If Saya were here, she would have been very happy.”

“…I wonder if Saya is doing well too?”

“…Of course.”

Her answer was slightly hesitant, but I chose to believe that Saya was doing well.

No, I had to.

Because I had promised to become a Spirit Master and meet Saya again.

“Are you ready, child?”

“Yes. I’m perfect.”

I took Baron Zeppelin’s hand and got into the carriage he had prepared.

The scenery outside the orphanage—something I was seeing for the first time in my life.

I stared blankly, following the wide forest road with my eyes.

“Are you uncomfortable, child?”

“No. The carriage is amazing, and it’s my first time outside!”

“…Yes. I’m glad.”

I thought we would talk more, but he didn’t say anything until the carriage arrived at its destination.

“We’re here. This is where you’ll be staying from now on.”

“Wow…”

It was a huge mansion at first glance.

The servants tending to the garden came over and greeted us.

“Thank you for your hard work coming all this way, Baron.”

“No. I’m more grateful to you for your hard work in this heat.”

Seeing that he used honorifics even with the servants, he didn’t seem like the authoritarian type of nobleman.

In fact, the servants who greeted him all had bright expressions.

“…Excuse me, but that child?”

One of them pointed at me and asked.

“From today, she will be the eldest daughter of the Grace family—Miss Luna Grace.”

“Ah… Hello?”

“…”

I thought they would greet me warmly, but they looked at me with subtle expressions before turning back to Zeppelin and leaving.

“They’ll need time to adjust since it’s their first time meeting you. They’ll soon accept you as one of them. Don’t worry.”

“…Yes.”

I followed him into the mansion.

Inside, there was a large room filled with antique furniture and a bed decorated extravagantly.

“This is where you’ll be staying from now on, Luna.”

A room spacious enough for many people, just for me?

“Can… can I use such a large room?”

“Of course. You are the eldest daughter of the Grace family. Be proud, Luna.”

While I was distracted by looking around the room, he called someone over.

“Say hello. This is Alice, who will be assisting you in your daily life from now on.”

“…Hello, Miss.”

The girl, about my age, named Alice, slightly lifted the hem of her maid’s uniform and greeted me.

When I smiled brightly at her, she smiled back slightly.

“Now, listen to Alice about the basics. I have some work to do. Alice, I’m counting on you.”

“Yes, Baron.”

He left us like that, and I was left awkwardly in the room with Alice.

“…Uh, Alice? Can I call you that?”

“You don’t have to use honorifics. You can call me comfortably.”

“Really? Nice to meet you, Alice!”

I grabbed her hand and shook it vigorously.

She seemed surprised by my cheerfulness but soon smiled and said, “…Nice to meet you too, Miss.”

She was a cute-looking girl with brown hair tied in two small braids.

I felt relieved that I had made my first friend in this huge mansion.

“I’ll introduce you to the basic schedule, Luna. First of all…”

“Schedule? Can’t you tell me later? I want to explore here first!”

“Huh? But…”

“Please, Alice. Huh?”

When I looked at her with pleading eyes, she hesitated but eventually nodded.

“…Alright. It would be okay to start with an introduction to the mansion.”

“Thank you!”

With her guidance, I looked around the mansion.

From a huge bathroom to extravagant sculptures that made me wonder why they were there, to a long hallway that seemed to have no end no matter how much I ran—everything felt unreal.

“The rooms are all so big! Do nobles really live in places like this, Alice?”

“…Miss, you are also of noble status now. Luna.”

“I can’t believe it. That I came to a place like this.”

As I was walking excitedly down the hallway, I arrived in front of a room with a large door at the end.

“Alice, what is this place for?”

“Miss, that’s…!”

She quickly grabbed my wrist as I reached for the door.

“…That’s the Baron’s office. He doesn’t let anyone enter casually. Not even you, Miss.”

“…I see. I’ll keep that in mind, Alice.”

“Aren’t you getting hungry? Let’s go back to your room and have dinner.”

“Okay!”

It was finally dinner time, and I enjoyed the meal Alice brought.

Although I still ate separately in my room, the food was of such high quality that it felt wrong to compare it to what I ate at the orphanage.

“Eat slowly. You’ll get indigestion.”

“Sorry, it’s just so delicious!”

Alice watched me eat with a satisfied expression.

“Now, I’ll explain the schedule I mentioned earlier. It won’t be too difficult.”

“Schedule?”

“When you wake up in the morning, you’ll get dressed and receive etiquette lessons. After spending the morning like that, in the afternoon, you’ll learn horseback riding, archery, swordsmanship…”

“Wait, wait, that much…?”

“Of course. Miss, you’re behind in education compared to other children, so we’ve adjusted the schedule to help you catch up.”

The life of a noble wasn’t just about playing.

As much as they had more freedom than others, they had to cultivate culture and nurture martial arts to stay competitive.

“And, there’s one more thing that’s most important…”

Alice’s expression, which had been bright until now, darkened for the first time.

She hesitated, unable to speak easily.

“What’s wrong, Alice?”

“…Once a week, you’ll go to see the Baron. The place is… the office you saw earlier.”

She hesitated, but it was just a matter of meeting him.

“I thought it was something else. There’s nothing difficult about that.”

“…Is that so?”

He was unusually quiet, so I also wanted to talk to him a little more.

“Then, shall we go to sleep now?”

“Okay. Thank you, Alice.”

I expressed my sincere gratitude for her kind care.

“…This is my job. Then, good night.”

The lights in the room went out, and I fell asleep with a throbbing heart.

If every day was like today, it would be great.

The day dawned, and after eating the breakfast Alice prepared, I got dressed.

She gave me a haircut, but she wasn’t familiar with my curly hair, so she was sweating and struggling.

I suddenly realized how much I had relied on Saya’s haircuts.

After getting dressed, I received etiquette lessons for the morning.

Posture, speech, greetings, and even how to sit—there were so many things to pay attention to that it gave me a headache.

Seeing me struggle to correct myself, the teacher sighed deeply.

However, the things I learned in the afternoon seemed to suit me well.

No, they were even enjoyable.

Riding a horse, shooting an arrow, and swinging a sword were all fun.

I could quickly feel my skills improving.

So, I spent my days enduring the hellish mornings and waiting only for the afternoons.

Then, one day, after finishing the afternoon schedule, Alice said to me,

“Miss, you haven’t forgotten that today is the day to meet the Baron, have you?”

“Oh, that’s right? I almost forgot. Thank you, Alice.”

“…”

Alice didn’t say anything and left.

That’s strange. Why is she acting like that today?

As Alice had told me, I knocked on Zeppelin’s office door and announced myself.

“…It’s Luna.”

“Ah, come in.”

As if he had been waiting, he opened the door and greeted me with a smile.

“Sit there. I want to have a quiet conversation.”

“Yes, Baron.”

I sat down on the chair he pointed to and looked at him.

“How was it? Was the schedule here a little difficult?”

“It’s hard. But every day is fun!”

“…Yes, that’s good to hear.”

Zeppelin got up from his seat, came behind me, and placed his hand on my shoulder.

“You must have been very tired. Your shoulders are so tense.”

“…”

“When you use muscles you’re not used to, they become tense.”

“…Baron?”

His hand climbed up my neck and stopped near my nape.

“Until now, many children have been broken in just a few sessions. It must have been because I couldn’t control my magic well.”

“…What are you talking about…?”

“But this time it’s different. I experimented dozens of times and adjusted the output so that it wouldn’t break easily. For you…”

A feeling of anxiety swept over me, and I was about to shake him off and get up from my seat.

“What kind of expression will you show, Luna?”

“……!”

From his hand touching my neck, a tingling sensation spread throughout my body.

A terrible sensation, as if the blood vessels in my whole body were burning.

It lasted only about two seconds, but it was enough time for a seven-year-old girl to feel pain.

“Kyaaak…! Ugh!”

His other hand firmly covered my mouth to muffle my cry.

“If you make such a loud noise, it’ll seem like I’m abusing you, won’t it?”

Tears streamed down my face as I met his gaze.

“Until you become a good child who doesn’t make a sound, I’ll have to do it again.”

“Ugh…! Ugh…!”

Once again, a violent current surged through my body.

“Ugh…!”

“Good, I like that look, Luna. I liked you from the beginning.”

His actions were repeated until I no longer made a sound.

Until I fainted and couldn’t make a sound.

“…You’re a stronger child than I thought, Luna.”

Seeing me collapsed, Zeppelin called someone outside.

“Alice! Take Luna!”

The door opened, and Alice, with a tearful expression, came in and carried me.

“Treat her carefully so that no scars remain. A precious body shouldn’t be marred.”

“…Yes, Baron.”

The office door closed, and he smiled satisfactorily for the first time in months.

That was the true nature of Zeppelin Grace, unknown to the public.