"My baby, hold mommy's hand.... my baby, my sweet baby..."
A murmur came from the bushes.
Viscount Roteschu was about to enter the Western Palace when he suddenly heard the voice.
"Rashta?"
It sounded like Rashta's voice.
Viscount Roteschu turned around and headed for the source of the sound.
There was a small circular space cleared between the bushes with short grass. Rashta was sitting there in a large nest chair, holding a doll in her arms and murmuring.
"My baby..."
Seeing Rashta murmur while stroking the doll (as she stroked the doll), Viscount Roteschu clicked his tongue in astonishment.
"Has she really gone crazy?"
Suddenly, Rashta stopped and looked up.
When she saw Viscount Roteschu, her dull eyes came alive again. Then, she pushed the doll away with a frown.
"I was practicing how to hold a baby."
Viscount Roteschu felt calmer as he heard her sharp voice full of resentment.
"I couldn't hold my baby. I couldn't hold her well, so I have to practice. I can't drop her again. Otherwise, I won't be able to see her face anymore."
"What nonsense are you saying?"
As he was listening to her talk, Viscount Roteschu quickly approached her. Looking around him, he said in a low voice,
"Wake up. I have information about the daughter of the Isqua Family you asked me to find."
"Don't look for her, there's no need. Do you think I'm interested in finding someone else's daughter?"
Rashta, who spoke decisively, stared at Viscount Roteschu and let out a laugh,
"In fact, you're looking for someone else's daughter even though your own daughter is also missing."
Viscount Roteschu's eyes reddened for a moment at the mockery.
Rashta reached up, slapped him twice on the cheek, and smiled.
"You're being punished. I lost my child because of you, so you lost your child too."
"Have you really gone mad?"
"I don't care what you think. Rashta is busy, so speak at once and then leave."
Viscount Roteschu snorted with a frown.
'What on earth had happened to make her change so much while I was away?'
Although he hated Rashta, he considered her as sly as a fox, even though she was at times naive and clumsy. However, in the current Rashta he did not see that at all.
Still, Viscount Roteschu did not care about Rashta's suffering.
Instead of asking Rashta about what was going on, he hastened to tell what he had discovered,
"She is most likely the real daughter of the Isqua Family."
"She? Navier?"
"Evely! The mage who stays in the Southern Palace!"
"Evely? The mage?"
Anger seeped into Rashta's eyes, who seemed to have lost her spirit.
"It's her?"
"Yes!"
Rashta dropped the doll and grabbed Viscount Rostechu by the throat.
"Are you sure? You're not doing this to make fun of Rashta?"
