Chapter 10

After the archbishop left, I was carried to my room by my nanny.

As I was being carried, I thought about many things.

The archbishop annoyed me, but I learned a lot.

The Church of the One True God is still active. I need to be cautious.
It seems my previous life was known as the “Calamity Witch.”
I should make sure no one finds out I’m the reincarnation of Luria.

Also, it seems I have an older brother and sister. I’d like to meet them.

Father was addressed as “Your Highness.” That means he’s royalty.
Judging by their hair and eye color, the royal family still continues.

However, despite that, our clothes aren’t particularly fine, and the furnishings are lacking.
It seems Father leads a modest life for a member of the royal family.

“Humph~”
“Miss Luria, you’re making such a serious face. Let’s change your diaper now.”
“Hum~”

Since I had just soiled myself, I was grateful she was changing my diaper.

“You really don’t cry much, Miss.”

Humans cry when they encounter situations they can’t put into words.
Pain, suffering, sadness, joy—when emotions exceed one’s ability to express them, tears come out.
That’s what I think, though I’m not certain.

In my case, because I have memories of a previous life, even if I can’t speak, I can put things into words in my mind. That’s probably why I don’t cry.

Thinking that, I couldn’t articulate it, so I said,
“Ungah,”
as a way of thanking my nanny for changing my diaper.

When I glanced to the side, I saw a puppy staring at me worriedly through the gaps in the crib’s railing.

“Kyah kyah!”
“…”

The puppy wagged its tail silently.

It must be wary of barking, knowing it would be taken to another room by the nanny if it made noise.

After the diaper change and some time had passed, Father, who had escorted the archbishop out of the mansion, came in.

The puppy quickly hid under the crib.
If Father found it, the puppy would definitely be taken to another room.

“Oh, Luria is always adorable… no, she keeps getting more adorable!”
“Dah (Sorry).”

I apologized to Father in my heart.

Father indeed had the same hair and eye color as those royals who bullied me.
That’s why I had always been on guard and even growled at him.

“Dah~”

But he had protected me from the archbishop and the Church of the One True God.
Maybe I could trust him.

When I looked at Father again with that thought, he suddenly seemed like a very good-looking man.

“What’s wrong, Luria? You’re quieter than usual.”
“She must be tired from meeting so many strangers at the naming ceremony.”
“I see… Luria, there might be people who say unpleasant things to you, but I will protect you.”

Being held in Father’s large arms made me feel safe.

I had tried not to think about it, but my kind father from my past life was also royalty.
That means he had the same hair and eye color as Father.

Silver-haired, blue-eyed people can be good or bad.
It was such an obvious truth, yet I hadn’t wanted to think about it.

Even though I’d been bullied by silver-haired, blue-eyed people for ten years, I hadn’t been fair.

“Dah (Thank you, Father).”
“You’re so cute!”
“Ungah (Sorry, and thank you).”

Surrounded by Father’s scent, different from Mother’s, my heart felt at ease.
As I was gently rocked in his arms, I fell asleep in peace.

◇◇◇◇

While holding the sleeping Luria, her father, Graf, spoke to the butler.

“Bring Amalia here.”
“Understood.”

After a short while, Luria’s mother, Amalia, arrived.
Amalia immediately peeked under the crib.

“Leonard, come here.”
“……”
“Leonard?”
“That’s the puppy’s name.”

The puppy, wary of being taken to another room if caught by Amalia, didn’t respond to her call.

“More importantly, the child’s name has been decided as Luria.”

Amalia stopped peering under the crib and gently stroked Luria’s cheek.
Then, she looked at Graf.

“Did something happen? You look upset.”

Amalia said this as she softly caressed Graf’s cheek.

“The archbishop called Luria ominous,” Graf said.
“…Oh my. The ‘Calamity Witch Luria ?”
“That’s right. He said a red-haired, red-eyed girl born into the royal family is an ill omen and must be entrusted to the Church.”
“Unbelievable. You, of course—”
“Naturally, I refused. Those people can’t be trusted.”

Amalia gently stroked the sleeping Luria, nestled in Graf’s arms.

“Luria is so adorable.”

The story of the “Calamity Witch Luisa” is widely known among the people.
However, the widely known version is not accurate.

Before the Sacred Royal Family was overthrown, the Church of the One True God conspired with them to spread a false narrative.

The fabricated story goes like this:
Luisa was an evil being from birth, and the Church had been containing her.
However, as she grew and her power increased, she ran out of control.

The Church sacrificed its headquarters, the pope, and high-ranking clergy to finally defeat the Calamity Witch Luisa.
But even in death, Luria s curse grew stronger, bringing great disaster upon the kingdom.

“Only fools would believe a story that conveniently serves both the Church of the One True God and the Sacred Royal Family.”
“Exactly. I think the Church of the One True God committed atrocities against the spirits, incurring the wrath of both God and the spirits.”

What Amalia said is the true history of this country.
However, a strong faction—centered around the Church of the One True God—still pushes to revise that history.

Revisionists argue that “the official history is too convenient for the current royal family, the Farnese family.”
They claim the Farnese family fabricated these events to justify their coup against the Sacred Royal Family
and to weaken the Church of the One True God, which opposed them, by inventing false atrocities.

“If one reads historical records carefully, the truth becomes clear… Such ignorance.”

Documents written by those with no vested interest in the Farnese family, the Sacred Royal Family, or the Church.
Diaries of palace or provincial nobles written long before the coup.
Reading such sources reveals how the Sacred Royal Family and the Church of the One True God attempted to commit atrocities against the spirits.

“The common people haven’t received any education in history, so it’s not surprising.”
“Even among the educated nobility, there are those who believe the lies. It’s lamentable.”

After letting out a deep sigh, Graf lowered his voice and spoke to Amalia.

“…The Church may try something against Luria.”
“What do you mean by ‘something’? Kidnapping her?”
“No, even they wouldn’t go that far against royalty. But they might spread rumors.”

If it were only rumors, it would be manageable.
However, there’s a high likelihood of them applying political pressure.

“Amalia, we must be even more cautious in our words and actions in social circles.”
“I understand. It’s for Luria’s sake.”
“We must also make sure Gilberto and Lydia understand.”

Gilberto is Luria’s older brother, and Lydia is her older sister.

“Yes, both of them are reliable, but… they’re still children.”
“I’ll also remind the servants to be cautious.”
“That’s my job as the lady of the house.”
“But… you’re not fully recovered yet, are you?”
“I’m completely fine now.”
“Even so… take care of yourself. Don’t overdo it.”

As they talked, the parents discussed what measures they needed to take to protect Luria from the Church of the One True God.