episode_0418

“I had a feeling, and it seems you were really considering leaving.”

Negeesee’s decision to leave without any lingering attachments didn’t sit well with me.

It was daunting to see her willing to meet Franck without any hesitation, even to the extent of discarding everything I had given her.

“I feel ashamed in front of you, sir. I apologize. But I don’t want to live off someone else’s grace while raising a child.”

“You’ve never lived off anyone’s grace before.”

“I witnessed that grace when I became an employee here. If I hadn’t been suspected of being Franck’s mother, would you have hired me as an employee? You wouldn’t have, right?”

“…”

Seeing my inability to deny, Negeesee continued.

“You kept me here with the intention of having me meet Franck, didn’t you?”

“I can’t deny that. I believed the two would eventually meet.”

“I have no intention of meeting that child. Not showing up in front of her is the only thing this unworthy mother can do for her.”

I don’t understand why calling myself a mother hurts so much.

“So you’re leaving? Without even telling me?”

“From the beginning, things were wrong. It’s best to start over.”

Her willingness to abandon the safe life I had created for her if it meant avoiding a reunion with Franck was clear.

All the efforts I made to keep her close seemed to have been in vain.

The only silver lining was that there was still one way to cling to her.

“There are so many things at stake now. Is it responsible to just walk away from it all?”

“Sir, that…”

The things she had suggested and set in motion for the sake of the shop as its manager.

“No. At least make amends for what you’ve set in motion before you leave. If you disappear like this, I will hunt you down.”

“!!”

This could buy me some time.

“And I still don’t understand. How does the reunion of the two become a problem?”

“Because she’ll only cause trouble for that child.”

“Do you really think she’ll demand money once she meets Franck?”

“What?! That’s absurd…”

“Or perhaps you plan to seize power by becoming the leader of a cult?”

If said to fanatics, that might actually work.

“That’s ridiculous! She’s a noble, and I’m common. Just that alone would cause trouble.”

Ultimately, the difference in their social status would be a problem for Franck.

“If others find out, they’ll dislike Franck.”

“Who would dare dislike Franck? What does it matter if they do?”

“What?”

“It’s because you refuse to meet Franck that such misunderstandings arise.”

Who would dare speak ill of Franck’s birth mother?

When your life is in danger, the person you trust the most to protect you is Franck.

“Even if the worst were to happen, Franck wouldn’t suffer at all. It’s not for nothing that she’s called the Holy Maiden. If someone doesn’t like her and refuses treatment, it’s their loss, not Franck’s. Ah! I must admit, it might be a bit tiring. She’s so kind that she treats even patients she doesn’t like.”

“…”

If Negeesee were to claim to be the one who gave birth to Franck, it could pose a problem.

But isn’t Negeesee not that kind of person?

While I can’t be sure without hearing Franck’s thoughts directly, it didn’t seem like Negeesee appearing in front of Franck would have a negative impact.

“And the most important thing is that you didn’t ask how the parties involved feel. What if Franck wants to meet you? What will you do then?”

“There’s no way. Why would you want to meet an incompetent mother who hasn’t done anything for that child? No, they’ll probably find it dreadful if they meet you. I’m sure of it!”

It seemed like there was no way to clear up Negeesi’s misunderstanding through words.

In times like this, rough methods might be necessary after all…

“I need a shocking method to make them meet unexpectedly.”

Wouldn’t they doubt and reject even the words coming from their daughter’s mouth?

However, in order to do that, I felt regretful for sending the two men away too politely, as my planned natural encounter seemed to have gone awry.

I’ll have to scold those guys when I meet them later.

“Just coming here itself is a bit problematic behavior.”

If followers of the saint I envision feel like fans, those two seem more like impure elements likely to become obsessed fans.

Their gaze was incredibly discomforting.

I felt like they were silently judging me.

“Obsessed fans are not true fans.”

I couldn’t scold them sharply and had to send them away with a sting due to Negeesi, which left me feeling unsatisfied.

※ ※ ※

Meanwhile, the two who visited the general store to evaluate the saint’s lover were discussing what to do based on what they witnessed at the store.

“What should we do now? Surely he won’t take what that man said at face value, will he?”

“Surely you don’t mean to inform her? Regardless, he is the saint’s lover. Shouldn’t he listen since she asked him to do so?”

“What! That’s too much!”

“Pardon?”

Just going to the general store run by the saint’s lover was already a big risk.

We had no qualifications, and we weren’t sure if it was appropriate for us to be there.

But instead of just confirming the lover’s qualifications, we ended up witnessing something far greater at the store.

“The saint’s birth mother!”

Just knowing that she gave birth to the saint demanded respect.

She wasn’t just someone working as a mere general store employee.

But isn’t it true that the saint doesn’t know who she really is right now?

As much as I wanted to report to the sect and honor her, it seemed necessary to proceed cautiously as the saint’s lover suggested.

But was I the only one thinking this way? A strong reaction emerged.

“We must inform the sect immediately!”

“Immediately?!”

“Hiding such an issue is not right, is it? It’s suspicious. It’s something the saint would appreciate, yet deliberately preventing the two from meeting seems very suspicious. There might be some ulterior motive.”

“Ulterior motive? That’s not the impression I got.”

“That’s exactly it! Why are you so naive?”

Bang!

Slamming the table while agitated was concerning.

He was behaving very emotionally right now.

“…Considering how important this is, he said to proceed cautiously and take time. I agree with that.”

“I heard that too! But I didn’t fully believe those words. There’s no reason to believe everything so naively, right?”

“Is that a lie?”

“Of course!”

Watching him get overly angry, my mood became strange.

“Why would he lie?”

“Well! So… we need to find out the reason now.”

I had doubted it before, but now I was 100% certain.

He was just picking unnecessary fights because he disliked that person.

“Before coming here, I clearly stated that if someone is a nuisance to the saint, I’ll find a way to separate them, but if they lack something, but have decent character, then let it pass.”

“People are so complex, are you judging based solely on character? It’s unreasonable to assess character based on the short time we saw today.”

From the start, he had not been pleased with the fact that the saint had a lover.

“Frankly, the background suits the saint even better. You must not forget that the man is the top of the top favored by the princess. It was disrespectful of me to focus only on his character when it comes to his lover.”

“Are you taking his side now? It’s not just me who has reservations about him, right?”

“Of course, I don’t favor him either. But I know that simply opposing him isn’t in the best interest of the saint. It may be inappropriate, but be cautious.”

From the moment he first entered the sect, he knew well why she had joined the organization through the speeches of the sect members.

Clearly, from the speeches, he learned that the saint had endured persecution while living in an orphanage and had escaped to wander the streets until she received the grace of the head of the sect.

“Come to think of it, haven’t we been thinking too positively?”

“Yes?”

“Growing up in an orphanage implies that the saint is a nobleman’s illegitimate child of unknown lineage, right?”

“…That’s correct.”

“She’s so beautiful, isn’t she? Nobles wouldn’t have a commoner working at a general store, would they?”

“Because she’s a commoner.”

“Yes. And honestly, would a commoner mother be of any help to the saint?”

Impossible!

The closer she gets to her commoner birth mother, the nobility of the saint’s bloodline would be compromised.

“….”

Having not considered that aspect, the man’s complexion turns pale.

“And perhaps the saint might resent her birth mother. You’re aware of the unfavorable reputation of women who bear noble bastards, aren’t you?”

As the saint’s birth mother was a commoner, she had no choice but to spend her early years in an orphanage and a cult sect despite possessing such remarkable abilities.

No matter how kind she may be, resentment towards her commoner mother is inevitable.

Furthermore, what good could come from a noble associating with a commoner?

It would only invite ridicule and mockery from other nobles.

“Perhaps he was aware of all this and was being cautious?”

“….”

It’s frustrating, but the saint may have chosen her lover wisely.

Being older was a non-issue in noble society.

Apart from that, he was a perfect man with a background, character, and consideration for the saint’s situation.

“Darn it!”

The more one learns about him, the more admirable qualities are revealed, making it impossible to hate him without reason.

It’s not right to unjustly criticize someone who gives no cause for reproach.

However, despite knowing this, he didn’t feel like condemning the actions of the man who stood firm.