When she was very young…
That person was always by her side.
Always crying and laughing with her, always watching over her.
Seeing the person who had been with her since birth, she thought she would live with him forever, and this belief remained unchanged as she grew older and began to make her own judgments.
However… one day, towards her…
That person tightly held her hand and said goodbye.
He said he would leave to become a Paladin.
He promised he would never return again.
At that moment, she couldn’t fully understand the meaning of his words.
But at least she realized that the person before her would disappear, and she wept and pleaded to prevent him from leaving.
And…
In response to her persistent behavior, that person finally made a promise.
Though it would take a long time.
He would surely come back.
When he returned, he would protect her just as he had until now.
Thus, the girl had no choice but to send him off with tears in her eyes.
After that day, she continued to wait.
For the moment when their promise would be fulfilled.
The moment when he would return and give her the same bright smile as before.
And that day…
On a day that seemed no different from any other.
Finally, that person appeared before her.
Just as promised.
In the very shape she had hoped for…
No… to put it more precisely, in an even cooler and more magnificent form than she had imagined…
As she confirmed this with her eyes, she was engulfed in a surge of excitement and joy, yet she couldn’t express it outwardly.
Excessive happiness was often hard to express, and more importantly, ever since entering her teenage years, she had found it increasingly difficult to show her emotions compared to the past.
Thus, regrettably, she could not greet the person she had longed to see properly.
In her heart, she desperately wanted to embrace him excitedly like before, but ultimately, she couldn’t.
So she lamented her clumsy emotional expression inwardly and began to look for opportunities from that moment on.
To get closer to that person who returned…
To her one and only older brother, just like before… or even closer…
To achieve that, she came up with a plan.
That is…
*
Walking through the corridor was Cazerose.
With Santana being revealed as the lord’s child, Cazerose, his companion and ally, was being treated as a guest in this place.
Though she couldn’t roam the lord’s castle, which was in the heart of the Heretic’s Domain, in her Paladin attire, other than that, her life wasn’t particularly uncomfortable.
Meals were provided regularly and with a plentiful feeling, and the clothing they provided was impeccably neat.
Moreover, she received a clean two-person room that she could share with Polena.
However… despite the comfort of her body, Cazerose’s heart was anything but at ease at that moment.
It was not due to external factors but rather an internal one…
It stemmed from the concerns within Cazerose herself.
Even though she had been living here for a few days, one thought kept lingering in her mind.
“Is it really alright?… For a Paladin like me to continue being here like this.”
After all, Cazerose was still maintaining her status as a Paladin.
Though she was highly likely to be excommunicated, that had not been officially confirmed yet.
And most importantly, even if she were indeed excommunicated, Cazerose was still faithfully following her life as a believer of the Church, which had become second nature to her.
For her, living as a guest in this area, which was dominated by Heretic forces, felt quite bizarre in many ways.
While she constantly thought that one shouldn’t discriminate against Heretics… becoming the very Heretic in question was a different story.
In fact, it was undoubtedly difficult as it required her to abandon her personal faith, leading to habitual discomfort and unease in her heart.
But despite this, Cazerose was doing her best to adapt to the challenging situation for the sake of that person…
For the one who had brought her this far… and at the same time, to avoid causing harm to the one who had shown her what the true path was.
“It’s tough, but I must endure… for Mr. Santana, I have to…”
Thinking this, Cazerose strode down the corridor, ignoring the subtle gazes from those around her.
At that moment…
“..Ah…”
“Welcome, I’ve been waiting.”
She encountered that person in front of her door.
The instant she saw Santana, a calm smile combined with curiosity began to appear on Cazerose’s face.
“Mr. Santana, what brings you here…?”
“I just came to see how you’re doing these days. I’d also like to have a light chat. Is that alright?”
“Yes, I’m fine with that.”
Cazerose responded, her face slightly flushed at Santana’s words.
She then started walking through the garden inside the lord’s castle with Santana, engaging in conversation.
“How’s living here treating you?”
“It’s… good. The servants are quite kind, and in terms of food and clothing, they’re taking care of me more than enough.”
“Then that’s a relief. Honestly, I was a bit worried. Given that it’s a region heavily influenced by Heretic forces, I thought Cazerose might feel uncomfortable.”
“…”
Cazerose couldn’t respond to Santana’s surprisingly accurate remark.
In response, Santana gently stroked Cazerose’s head as if he understood everything, a light smile gracing his lips.
“You don’t need to feel too pressured. You have plenty of time to adapt. Just take it one step at a time and let it flow naturally.”
“..Yes… I understand.”
Feeling the ever-present kindness and affection, Cazerose began to feel a little less burdened and started to blush slightly.
However…
At that moment, neither she nor Santana noticed.
Someone watching those two, basking in such a warm atmosphere.
*
After her conversation with Santana, Cazerose felt a lightness in her heart.
It was when she returned to her room after parting ways with him.
“…?”
The next moment, a figure of another woman began to catch her eye.
She seemed to be of a similar age group, and given her hair and eye color closely resembled Santana’s, Cazerose guessed that she might be his sister.
Realizing this, Cazerose lowered her head slightly to greet her first.
“Hello, excuse me, may I ask who you are?”
Cazerose asked politely.
However… the woman responded in a blunt tone.
“..I’m called Dust. Are you the Cazerose that people are talking about?”
“Yes, that’s me. It’s nice to meet you, Miss Dust.”
Cazerose spoke with her characteristic kindness.
Though it was their first encounter, it was natural for her to feel fondness for someone who clearly resembled Santana.
But…
“…You’re noisy. You don’t even know your place.”
“..E-Excuse me?”
In the next moment, Dust spoke in a voice tinged with coldness.
Cazerose’s face suddenly clouded with confusion at her unexpected reaction…
And seeing her, Dust spoke with a voice that felt dangerously chill.
“I’m warning you, don’t think about clinging to my older brother like before. Someone like you doesn’t deserve to be around him.”
“….”
Her words left Cazerose momentarily speechless.
With her round blue eyes wide open, she gazed at Dust, who then left without a second thought as if she had said everything she needed to.
‘How dare a filthy girl like this… my older brother belongs to me alone… I won’t let anyone take him away.’
