"Are you uncomfortable with me?"
When Cedric asked a hint, Julia shook her head in surprise.
"Is it possible? I just think Cedric-sama is suffering because of me... "
"If it's just for that reason, I think we can stay together, isn't it?"
"However… ."
Julia looked at him with a slightly puzzled face. Because he couldn't figure out why he was doing this.
"Please let me watch Julia-sama until she adjusts to her new life."
"… … ."
"It may be presumptuous, but seeing Julia-sama reminds me of my old self."
The reason he has helped Julia so far is not just because of Matteus's request.
As she ran away from the past and tried to live somehow, she seemed to overlap with her past self.
Cedric was a slave from a small country.
A slave who was born with a rare and mysterious power and was exploited from a young age for his master.
It was Matthew, who is now his teacher, who saved him from the darkness where he could not see the future.
Although it cannot be said that her situation and mine are exactly the same, he felt a deep bond with Julia from the beginning.
Just as he was saved by Matthews and found the life of a priest, she also hoped that she would be happy with my little help.
Cedric smiled softly and looked at her.
"So, please don't feel uncomfortable when I help Julia-sama."
Cedric, who had been tapping his chin carefully, spoke up.
"You said you wanted to make friends. Will you make me my first friend?"
"… … ."
Julia looked at him with her eyes wide open, and then smiled softly.
"Yes, I like it."
From the beginning, Julia also felt an unknown intimacy with Cedric.
Maybe it was because he first met him in the form of a child.
He was as fresh as a plant. She had thought about it for a long time, but talking to her calmed her heart.
He looked at Julia and gently closed his eyes. Then she lifted her lips with ease.
* * *
Shinseongguk, which arrived at the end of a long time, was a country that evoked a sense of old-fashioned yet written work.
The history of the country that worshiped the gods was felt in the style of the buildings everywhere.
Yulia, who was staring blankly at the monotonous street, touched her chest as she felt her heart pound for an instant.
The truth is, I wasn't in very good shape throughout the trip.
After taking a long break in the monastery, it didn't seem to have improved much.
Slowly exhaling and concentrating on his heart, the carriage just passed the forest and entered the castle.
The place we arrived at was a village with a rustic feel.
Sheep ranches and shallow streams could be seen everywhere.
Above all, what caught Julia's attention at once was the endless meadow in the distance.
Forgetting the pain and staring blankly at the window, Yulia's eyes began to twinkle.
I have never seen such a peaceful and beautiful scenery in my life.
The carriage, which had been running for a long time along the grassy field, soon stopped in front of a large stone building.
The destination was Yendrika Monastery.
The first thing I noticed was the little children running around in the small front yard.
"Julia-sama, you can get off now."
Cedric opened the door and smiled a little at her. She pulled Julia down from her carriage, holding her trembling heart.
As soon as they got off the carriage, a middle-aged woman standing in the yard warmly welcomed them.
"Hey, did you have a lot of trouble coming here?"
"Long time no see, Gabriel. How have you been?"
Cedric took his wife's hand with a happy face. Gabriel was a long-time manager at the monastery.
Basically, a monastery is a space where priests gather and live together, but this place also served as an orphanage.
Gabriel was the one who brought homeless children, looked after them, and acted as guardians.
From what I heard, he told Cedric that he was like a parent.
"I… hello."
Julia, who had been hesitant, cautiously greeted her, and Gabriel belatedly said, 'Aigoo!' He made a sound and grabbed Julia's hand.
"Yulia, right? I have received the letter from Matthews."
"Yes, I have been indebted to you for a while."
"What is the situation? It's my home, you just have to think about it and be comfortable. Have you been through a lot?"
warm eyes. Such a warm voice. At Gabriel's friendly gaze, Julia lowered her head involuntarily. Somehow I felt like I was going to cry.
"Yeah, even if you don't say it, I know everything."
Gabriel gently patted the back of her little hand.
Most of the children in this monastery were abandoned or abused children.
Gabriel, who had been caring for such children for a long time, could clearly see someone's wounds.
Julia was too young and wounded in her eyes.
"Now there will be only good days. huh? Just think about making yourself happy."
Julia raised her red eyes and nodded her head. Gabriel's words spread through his mind like magic.
There will be only good days now. you can be happy For the first time, he seemed to have confidence in his unstable mind.
"… Who is it?"
At that moment, a child pulled Gabriel's collar and asked. Though full of curiosity, a wary gaze turned to Julia.
"It's the older sister who will be staying with our Theo from now on. Now, I have to say hi to my sister."
"… … ."
A child named Theo hesitated and hid behind Gabriel.
"It's because the kids here are still having a hard time with strangers."
Gabriel whispered in a low voice. Julia looked at Theo with her one eye open and bent her knee.
"Hello, Theo? I am Julia."
"… … ."
"Good luck in the future."
As Julia smiled reassuringly, Theo, who had his big eyes twitched, licked his small lips, and then completely hid behind Gabriel.
Julia slowly got up. He seemed to need time to get used to both himself and the children.
After moving, Julia heard from Gabriel the details of her monastic life.
The monastery was divided into a building with a chapel and a building for accommodation and lodging.
Yulia, who was guided to an empty room, unpacked her luggage and sat on the bed for a while.
Cozy and tidy room. It was small, but large enough to write on its own.
The window showed a small backyard at the back of the mansion. On the flower bed in the corner, spring flowers were in full bloom.
Julia approached the window and looked at the flower bed with a slightly excited expression.
In the center of the flower bed, her favorite white lily of the valley was in full bloom.
The flowers swayed and swayed in the wind, as if welcoming her to a new beginning.
Monastic life went smoothly.
The village where Julia was staying was among the most remote and quiet domains in the Holy Kingdom.
A small estate surrounded by mountains to the north and a vast grassland to the south.
There was very little interaction with other regions, so it was a place with a peaceful and relaxed atmosphere.
An unfamiliar peace that I had never felt while living in the Empire came every day.
It didn't take long for Julia to fall in love with this town.
While staying here, she decided to help Gabriel care for the children of the monastery.
Even the children who were unfamiliar with her at first began to open their hearts to her friendly attitude.
"Wow!"
Yulia smiled slightly as she looked at the children running through the rustling grass.
At the end of spring, it was a perfect blue and calm day.
"Yulia!"
At that time, a child with a cute ponytail ran to Julia. It was a girl named Rosemary.
Rosemary was an active child who was not particularly shy about Julia from the moment they first met.
"I'll give you this, Julia!"
Rosemary grabbed Julia's hand and pulled her closer.
Seeing what she was going to do, the child put a fern-like hand woven flower ring on her finger.
The ring was a mess, made with a small hand, but Yulia stroked Rosemary's hair with a happy face.
"Thank you, Rose. really pretty."
"Hi-Hi!"
Rosemary's eyes twinkled toward Julia, who was looking at the cute flower ring happily.
"You know, Rose will marry the prince later? I want to have a pretty dress as well as an entrance in a big palace and a sparkling jewel ring!"
"Okay, then Rose can be a princess."
Rubbing the disheveled child's head, Yulia struck back. Rosemary looked at Julia like that and asked.
"Who will Julia marry?"
Yulia, who opened her eyes wide at the sudden question, was unable to utter an answer for a moment.
As she sighed, she quickly replied casually.
"Well… Well, who would you like to play with?"
"Yulia is also marrying the prince! Let's be a princess with Rose!"
Seeing Rosemary smiling brightly, Yulia just smiled a little.
Rosemary stayed with them chattering for a while, then ran to the other children.
Julia watched the scene quietly and lowered her gaze with a subtle expression.
I didn't know how to feel when a moment came to mind when I sometimes think of the past like this.
It's only been one season, but somehow it felt like a very old memory.
Is it because I am satisfied with my life here?
Or is it because of a desperate desire to forget the past?
However, when I had no choice but to recall the memories of that time, it opened up and brought out other memories as well.
The first thing that came to mind, of course, was Fernando.
'I'll probably keep thinking about it for a while.'
I will never forget him for a long time because I truly loved him.
Yulia, who had been silent for a moment, turned her gaze and gazed over the meadow. Now this was her home, her life.
I hoped that someday, it would be okay to think of the past like this.