Chapter 26

Under the clear, sunny sky, Kelly watched the couple she served with a sense of tranquility.

Beneath the seedlings that had grown to a gargantuan size, Lord Nazelbert and Lady Agnes were frolicking together.

It was rare to see the Lord Nazelbert smile so lightheartedly at another person.

Though they were a couple joined together by the whims of a princess, their compatibility did not seem poor at all.

As she made this assessment, Kelly felt glad that the two of them had been able to marry.

Kelly was a perfectly ordinary commoner, the eldest daughter of a large family living on the outskirts of the royal capital. She had no older brothers or sisters; everyone below her was a younger brother.

Aside from her slightly unusual magical power, she was a normal girl who could be found anywhere.

Once she passed the age of ten, Kelly decided to head to the capital to work, becoming a source of income to support her younger brothers.

Some adults pitied her, and her parents tried to stop her.

However, Kelly was actually relieved to escape that hellish house, where she was so swamped with housework and childcare that she didn’t even have time for herself.

She knew her parents weren’t actually worried about her.

They could say whatever they wanted, but their true desire was simply to live an easy life.

Her mother didn’t want to let go of an eldest daughter who could handle the chores.

She had molded Kelly into a second mother, forcing her to look after her ill-mannered and violent younger brothers.

Even when Kelly’s place of employment was decided through somewhat forceful means, her mother was visibly disappointed and blamed her for it.

But that was entirely misplaced.

Her parents were the ones who had chosen to have many children, fully aware of how difficult the care would be.

If it was a result of their own decisions, they had no right to complain about the mountain of housework and child-rearing.

But Kelly was different. She just happened to be born as the eldest daughter of such a household. Merely because of her birth order and gender, she had been forcibly assigned the role of a mother from a young age.

What was wrong with running away from that?

She figured they could take this opportunity to teach the younger brothers—who were good for nothing but acting spoiled and throwing tantrums—how to do chores.

Even if the work involved looking after children, it was obviously better to have a job where the number of charges was smaller and she actually received a wage.

She understood that it was a drastic decision.

An ordinary child might not have left home under those circumstances.

However, bolstered in part by her own magical power, Kelly set out on her journey without a hint of hesitation.

Driven by a desire to never return home, Kelly worked desperately upon arriving in the capital.

She started her career in childcare to send money home, but as she produced results and her scope of work expanded, she was able to climb even higher.

Perhaps because she had been surrounded by nothing but brothers at home, Kelly grew to love girls.

After coming to the royal capital, Kelly found genuine joy in fashion and trends. She discovered a sense of fulfillment in dressing up the young girls at her workplaces and seeing them happy.

She felt it so strongly that she began to wonder if this was her true calling.

Eventually, at the request of a certain individual, she entered the Royal Palace and rose to become part of the Princess’s wardrobe staff.

A series of incidents followed, leading to Lord Nazelbert saving her. Now, she was entrusted with the care of his wife, Lady Agnes.

Lady Agnes was unlike any noble lady Kelly had ever served before.

Yet, in Kelly’s eyes, she was deeply likable.

—It has been a long time since I’ve felt such pure goodwill, not since I met Lord Nazelbert.

Kelly’s magic allowed her to catch a broad glimpse into a person’s feelings toward her; specifically, she could faintly discern goodwill, malice, lies, and truth.

At some point, Kelly had adopted a detached, stoic demeanor in her daily life.

It was the result of her efforts to remain calm whenever she encountered malice or deceit.

Her parents’ words had been riddled with lies, and the attitudes of the Princess and her former colleagues were often thick with contempt for commoners.

However, from Lord Nazelbert and Lady Agnes, she felt nothing but pure goodwill.

Besides, above all else, Lady Agnes was worth dressing up. She had been buried under the reputation of a “Potato Lady,” but she was a diamond in the rough who sparkled more the more she was polished.

That was why Kelly had decided to go to the frontier with them, even if it meant pushing herself. To her, they were the most important people in the world.

Life in the frontier wasn’t as bad as she had expected, either.

Before the gargantuan seedling, Lady Agnes was struggling with all her might to climb its thick trunk.

Being a lady, she likely had no experience climbing trees, and she seemed to be having a hard time figuring out how to manage it.

As Kelly watched Lady Agnes give up and slide back down, only to be caught in Lord Nazelbert’s arms, her lips curved into a faint smile without her even realizing it.

“…Lord Nazelbert is wearing such a broad smile. It is wonderful to see them so happy together.”

Kelly had decided that she would protect their smiles.