I nodded. She must’ve had a terrifying experience. She was captured by Mephisto and thrown into an alchemy pot while she was still alive. Her body melted away to form an awful monster. She must’ve been so scared, but she didn’t cry, scream, or blame anyone. Instead, she reflected on her actions, making her seem like a girl who was actually nice—so much so that Henri felt compelled to protect her.
“Anyone can talk the talk,” Mr. Julius said coldly before I could react.
I felt like he had just ruined a good moment; we were about to make up when the room suddenly turned icy. Ms. Eliza paled as Henri awkwardly looked at the floor.
“Mr. Julius, you’re rather strict toward young and adorable girls!” I scolded, whirling around as fast as I could.
Ms. Eliza was likely slightly younger than me, as Henri was. I felt like we should generously watch over them—she even apologized. But Mr. Julius stared at the two with a frosty gaze, his back against the wall and his arms crossed.
“This good-natured idiot may have forgotten what you’ve said and done, but I haven’t,” he continued. “How much damage have you caused with your selfish actions? If you think simply reflecting on them will clean this mess up, you’re gravely mistaken.”
“Now, now,” I chided. “Ms. Eliza’s still young, and when you think about it, it all started because she fell in love with you at first sight. It’s adorable, don’t you think?”
“Adorable? How? Why would I care what a child like her thinks of me?”
“If you think she’s a child, why don’t you be a bit nicer to her? I’m just glad that she doesn’t hate me anymore, and isn’t that good enough?”
“Cut it out, you idiot. You’re kind to a fault. Because of this foolish child, you almost died.”
Well, this is an issue. Mr. Julius is getting angry at me too. I was used to it, and I didn’t mind, but he was already intimidating enough. An angry Mr. Julius was surely a frightful sight.
“Now, now,” I said, raising my hands and hoping that his anger would be quelled.
We came here to visit Ms. Eliza and see how she was doing, not to accuse her for what she’d done. I hadn’t planned on doing anything like that in the first place.
“You’re not kind, Julius Craft,” Ms. Eliza said, tears forming in her eyes. “You’re not kind at all. Henri’s much nicer to me.”
I couldn’t help but internally agree. Yep. He’s not compassionate and won’t be kind unless he really needs to be. I’d thought that he was recently becoming much kinder, but he generally was only nice to Helios.
“It’s because you’re spoiled by everyone around you,” Mr. Julius spat. “You received support by crying only because you had your rich father backing you up. That’s all. So, what did you do? You let that go to your head and committed a heinous crime. You opened your eyes because you had a scary experience? Don’t make me laugh. Even a child will put more thought into their actions.”
He was harsher than usual as he continued to rub copious amounts of salt into Ms. Eliza’s wounds.
“Calm down, Mr. Julius,” I said. As I stretched out to put my hands over his mouth, I knew that I didn’t seem mature. As an older sister, I wanted to say something to finish this conversation on a high note, but as long as Mr. Julius remained angry, that was impossible. “Ms. Eliza, Mr. Julius acts like this towards everyone,” I said. “Please don’t mind him.”
“I’m fine, Chloe,” Ms. Eliza replied. “Thank you. You really are kind and good-natured. But Julius is right. I was spoiled by everyone, and I believed that the world would bend to my wishes.”
Henri wiped the tears from Ms. Eliza’s eyes and looked up at Mr. Julius. “Your anger is justified, Lord Julius,” the young boy said. “Before Lady Eliza met the two of you, she may have been a bit prideful, but she had a kind side. She saved me and placed me by her side.”
“Henri finds her to be so dear, so I’m sure she has her fair share of good points,” I added. “She just made a few mistakes. She was so enamored with your bewitching handsomeness that she strayed off the right path for a short while. That happens from time to time.”
I saw my sister, Aliza, in her. They were close in age, and I couldn’t help but compare the two. I was sure that Aliza had fallen into a similar trap. Because she met Mephisto, she’d strayed off the right path. If I had saved her, would I have been able to converse with her calmly like I did with Ms. Eliza? I hope so. I have to believe in that.
“Thank you, Henri,” Ms. Eliza said. “But it’s true that I’ve done something awful. I didn’t want to admit it and fled from the cell in Astria’s castle with my father. You arrived to save me, and then Mephisto appeared. He said that he’d lend me a hand, so I ended up accepting the offer.”
“Were you not afraid of Mephisto?” I asked.
“I thought that he was a very beautiful person. He saved me, and I believed him to be God, a being who could create a world according to my wishes.”
“I realized that the demon was up to no good, but I was unable to express my opinion to Ms. Eliza,” Henri said, gazing at the ground with regret.
“I’m sorry, Henri. You were so worried about me, and yet I refused to listen to your words,” she said sadly.
“No, I was powerless as well. I swore to protect you, but I couldn’t do a single thing.”
“I don’t mind. I’m fine with you just staying by my side.”
They stared at each other, reminding me of Jahala’s words from a while back. “Are you two done?” he’d said. “I can wait here all day, so you may spend as much time as you’d like declaring your love for him.” I wondered if this was how Jahala had felt. It was sweet and made me feel a tad impatient, but it was so wholesome that I didn’t mind watching over them forever.
I removed my hands from Mr. Julius’s mouth as we locked eyes. He gave me a deathly glare and I was terrified about what he’d say to me later.
“I think we’ll take our leave,” I announced, wanting to give the two lovebirds time alone.
Henri and Ms. Eliza hastily stepped away from each other.
“Please wait,” Henri called. “I’m sorry. I knew that it’d be difficult for you to accept our one-sided apology. Lady Eliza said that she wanted to thank you when she fully recovered, Lady Chloe.”
“Well, I’ve already received a word of apology, so I’m good,” I replied, tilting my head to one side.
Wait… The Coldmans are wealthy. Will I get money? Or jewels? If they want to give me something, it’d be rude to refuse. I used up a ton of my alchemy bombs, and since Lumine’s joining our family, I’d never say no to more money.
“I’m planning on atoning for my actions, of course,” Ms. Eliza explained. “When I return to Astria, I’ll head straight to the guards. But I’d like to pay you back somehow, Chloe. I’ll do anything you tell me to do or give you anything you want. My father might not be as energetic as he once was, but I’d like to thank you in his stead as well.”
“Ms. Eliza,” I said after a bit of thought.
I was happy to receive the offer, and I was tempted by money and jewels for a split second, but this didn’t seem right. This wasn’t her money—it belonged to Coldman’s Merchandise. If I took all their money, the numerous employees would be left to wander the streets.
“I’ll discuss your punishment with Cyril when we return to Astria,” I said. “I don’t really have a particular thing that I want, but I do have a request.”
Ever since I transferred my shop, I wanted someone to sell my wares at the store on the main street of the royal capital. It’d allow me to focus more on creating items. Any special requests would probably be brought directly to me, but I was looking for someone who’d sell alchemy lamps, hot spring stones, and other items in my stead.
Ms. Natalia stated that she’d be coming home. Should that happen, I’d be so worried about the current state of my store that I could hardly relax at my new home. If Ms. Eliza and Henri came to work at my store, I was sure that their adorableness would attract customers, and I could have them take care of Ms. Natalia in my stead. I’d be killing two birds with one stone.
Taking care of my master was the most difficult task of all. The mere memory of the atrocious filthiness of her house when she picked me up from the alleys still sent shivers down my spine.
“A request?” Ms. Eliza asked.
I couldn’t tell her the details just yet. Nothing was set in stone, so it was best to keep quiet for now. She might need to serve time for her crime in accordance with Astria’s laws, after all.
“Once I return and consult Cyril, I’ll tell you all about it,” I said. “I think he’ll accept and even ask King Zeke for his assistance as well. I think Cyril will do that.”
“Are you going to rely on Cyril Astria?” Mr. Julius asked, sounding angrier than before.
“You gotta use what you can,” I reasoned with a carefree smile. “And if that’s the former king, so be it. It’s the basics of trade, Mr. Julius.”
“U-Um!” Henri called as we tried to leave the room. “I’ll also do whatever you tell me to! So, I’d like for you to make me your apprentice, Lord Julius!”
An apprentice. Wait…an apprentice?! Henri seemed as serious as ever. I tried to imagine Mr. Julius with an apprentice, but it didn’t suit him at all. I bit my lip to suppress my laughter. Henri was dead serious, and it wasn’t right to laugh in this situation.
“No,” Mr. Julius declined.
Yeah, I expected as much. He gave his answer and left the room.
“I’m sorry,” I apologized. “I don’t think he’s angry or anything.”
As I tried to chase after him, Ms. Eliza feebly raised her finger and beckoned me to approach her. I obediently did so.
“I was fooled by his appearance,” she whispered. “Julius is very scary. I think you might have less luck with men than me.”
“I know he’s scary, but he has his kind side,” I said.
“Only towards you, Chloe.” She smiled at me.
I gently squeezed her hand. “Rest well. I’ll talk to you later.”
With that, we parted ways. I thought up an employee uniform that might suit Ms. Eliza if she ever agreed to work in my store. Yeah, she’ll be super cute in it.