Moved to tears, Lady Alice threw her arms around me in a hug.
She’s so smol and cute. Maybe she really is a cat.
As I held her in my arms, I thought about what she’d shared. There were many noble families that didn’t settle for being ordinary. Even in the Gustelanola family, my father was so ambitious that he easily discarded me when Prince Bernard terminated our engagement. When the false accusation had come to light, his only response had been, “It’s your fault for having no charm. You couldn’t win the prince’s heart.”
It occurred to me that I had also once desired love from an uncaring family. I’d simply forgotten about it after regaining Lilybell’s memories because everyone had loved me very much back then. In fact, my prophetic dream’s version of me was probably how I would have ended up had my desperation for love never been fulfilled.
If Lady Alice doesn’t know what it feels like to be loved, then I’ll show her my endless love for her. She doesn’t need to go looking for it when there’s so much right here! I know I’m good at being loved, but I’m also very good at loving others!
“But all that aside, I wonder why your family didn’t like your version of ‘special’?” I mused.
“Huh?”
I didn’t think there was anything strange about my comment, but for some reason, Lady Alice was looking at me blankly.
“What do you mean, big sister Lucille? What could be special about me?”
“Huh? You’re very special, aren’t you?”
Lady Alice seemed even more confused. To be honest, I was confused too. It was as if my words weren’t getting across to her at all.
Unable to sit by and watch any longer, Lord Felix urged me to explain further.
I don’t see what’s so complicated that it needs to be explained, but okay...
“Umm, well, a ‘normal’ person wouldn’t be able to talk calmly like this after nearly being attacked by a dragon at close range,” I said. “They would go into a state of shock and faint. Actually, they’d be lucky if they woke up after three days.”
Maouldoth had often taken advantage of this fact to torment humans. He wouldn’t kill them, but he’d play inexcusable pranks on them that weren’t funny at all.
Well, it had been a lot worse than that right before he was sealed. He’d been stronger then, perhaps because he’d been going through a growth spurt.
It was a disaster—he ruined three entire countries! The map of the continent changed a lot because of him. In the end, Efren had to seal him before he destroyed the whole world.
Maouldoth claimed that he had only intended to play around, but that excuse obviously hadn’t worked on the people who had suffered.
After his sealing, I spent a lot of time talking to him and getting him to understand the humans’ side, but apparently he still hasn’t reflected enough!
Well, that was the kind of dragon Maouldoth was. Even if the seal hadn’t fully broken, Lady Alice wouldn’t have been able to retain her sanity through that ordeal if she had been an ordinary person. That was how I knew that she was quite resilient in the face of abnormal situations.
Saint Clarissa had often told me that having this kind of special constitution meant that one was especially loved by God.
“Even God loves you, Lady Alice! So it’s your family who’s weird for not liking you!” I said with a big smile on my face, since it appeared I didn’t have to be reserved with my opinion.
For some reason, Lady Alice, Sir Kain, and Lord Felix were stunned speechless.