Yes, Lady Funina!

"Thank you," Peruvieri said again.

“It’s just a photo.” Richard shook his head. No need to thank me twice. I’m a little unaccustomed to your politeness, Peruvian.

“No, that’s not it.” Peruvieri didn’t want to thank Richard for that; she wanted to thank him for his good intentions.

“If she doesn’t study hard, even if she’s Mother’s biological daughter, Clementine will be eliminated, right?” Peruvieri said.

Richard narrowed his eyes and after a long pause, said, "Yes."

Peruvéli, seemingly oblivious to Richard's expression, continued, "In the Hearth House's ways, being eliminated means being abandoned. For the children of the Hearth House, being abandoned is tantamount to death."

“A very astute judgment.” Richard did not use words to embellish the Fireplace House.

After all, these are facts, and he's not from the House of Hearths.

“So you’re telling Clementine to study hard, it’s actually for her own good, right? At least you don’t want her to be abandoned by her mother,” Peruvieri said earnestly.

“I don’t want any of the children here to die because of something dirty, but the truth is, things don’t always turn out the way you want them to,” Richard said.

No matter how strong he is, he can't prevent things like the House of Hearth from happening again. After all, no matter how strong he is, can he be stronger than the laws of nature? Right now, he can't even defeat the Winter Queen.

Moreover, he couldn't possibly fight against the Fools for the sake of these children, as that would contradict his goals.

Richard is not a saint; he has a kind heart, but that doesn't mean he would sacrifice his own interests for others.

“Cravlie will die in the end, won’t she?” Peruvéli asked.

"If nothing unexpected happens, that's how it will be." Richard's voice sounded calm and even.

Despite having already suspected it, Peruvieri remained silent when Richard admitted it.

A blinding black light appeared at her fingertips, but Peruvieri seemed oblivious.

Richard frowned and said in a deep voice, "Let me see your hand."

Peruvieri bowed her head, clenched her fists, and then placed her hands behind her back. "There's nothing to see."

As the power within her blood surged, Peruvieri frowned.

Clearly, such power comes at a price; the curse brings both power and pain as it infects the body.

Peruvieri has experienced this several times since birth, and she's used to it.

"Let me see." This time, Richard wasn't speaking in a consultative tone, but rather with a hint of force.

Peruvier pursed her lips, but in the end she obediently placed her hand in Richard's palm.

Peruvieri's hands were small and soft to the touch, completely unlike her cold and hard appearance.

“A curse buried in the bloodline…” Richard murmured.

"Is it done?" Peruvieri asked, her nervousness evident.

But it wasn't because she was nervous about interacting with the opposite sex. After all, at her age, even if she were precocious, she wouldn't be that precocious.

Rather, she didn't want Richard to see her bad side; the almost cursed power in her bloodline, in Peruvier's eyes, was that her bad side.

The dark power had already covered Peruvieri's fingertips and was continuing to spread downwards.

Moreover, due to Peruvieri's nervousness, the spread seemed to be accelerating, to the point that her voice trembled as she spoke.

The tremor wasn't from nervousness, but from pain.

Although the girl had become accustomed to the spread of the curse's power, she was still not used to the pain.

Just as Peruvian was about to pull her hand back after seeing that Richard didn't answer, Richard moved.

A faint light appeared from Richard's palm, and then the dark power retreated as if it had encountered something it did not want to touch.

The spread was not only contained, but was even receding, while Peruvieri felt warm and cozy, as if she were basking in the sun.

If Richard hadn't been there, she would have even wanted to squint her eyes and show a happy expression.

"How are you feeling?" Richard asked.

"It's very comfortable...so-so!" Peruvier subconsciously wanted to answer that it was very comfortable, but quickly changed her mind after realizing what she meant.

Normally, even if the King of Heaven himself came today, she would still say "normal".

Her little mouth is really stubborn.

Richard nodded helplessly at Peruvieri's head, causing Peruvieri to frown, but in the end she did not slap Richard's hand away.

“Alright, you can go back now. Don’t tell anyone about your unusual physical condition,” Richard said.

"Won't Mother say anything either?"

"Did not say."

Even if Peruvieri hadn't said anything, Kujavina, the servant, would have known, but she only had a general idea and didn't understand this power very well.

In fact, before coming into contact with this force, no one dares to guarantee that they understand it.

Back in the large classroom of the Hearth House, Peruvieri would often look at her hands, and when she did, she would wiggle her fingers.

Her fingertips were still pink and her nails were not stained with black. Her hands looked no different from other children's.

It was as if she were no different from any other child.

"Pepe, where have you been? I've been looking for you for ages." Clementine was sitting in the classroom when she saw Peruvier return, so she carried a small stool to her side.

“I went to Richard’s house to look at the photos,” Peruvieri reported her itinerary to Clementine very honestly.

Krevi: Σ(っ°Д°;)っ

Seeing Clementine's astonished expression, Peruvieri thought that doing this would probably make her study harder.

As long as Clementine can properly practice her martial arts, it doesn't matter if she blames herself for running away.

However, to Peruvier's surprise, Clementine only showed a surprised expression, and then became extremely excited.

"How was it? How was it? Was the aurora beautiful?" Clementine, like an excited little roe deer, kept circling around Peruvieri, frantically asking her how she felt after seeing the photos.

“It’s beautiful, but…” Peruvieri hesitated.

"But what?" Clementine asked curiously.

"Aren't you angry?"

"Why are you angry?"

"I didn't look at the photos with you."

After all, everyone had agreed to see the aurora together, but Clementine couldn't fulfill that request for the time being, so she chose to look at the photos first.

"Oh, so that's why. If that's the case, then Pepe should be the one who's angry." Clementine showed a knowing expression.

"I?"

“Yes, I’ve seen pictures of the aurora a long time ago.” Clementine looked matter-of-fact. If she hadn’t seen them, why would she have told Peruvieri that she wanted to go to Winter to see the colorful aurora with her own eyes?

"The photo is a bit blurry, and the aurora isn't very clear, but even so, I can still feel the beauty of the aurora," Clementine said excitedly.

"Pepe, are the photos you see sometimes exceptionally clear?"

Peruvier nodded, very clearly, as if Richard had captured the aurora in a photograph.

"Very clear, and... very beautiful."

"That's great..." Clementine looked envious, then, as if she had made a major decision, said, "I've decided! I will now diligently practice martial arts and show Brother Richard how powerful I am!"

Peruvée breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the spirited Clementine; at least... her initial goal had been achieved.

"Pepe, boohoo, practicing martial arts is so hard. Maybe I shouldn't look at the photos. Can you draw one for me instead?" Clementine sat on the ground, covered in dust, looking up at Peruvier with a pitiful expression.

"No, pick up the sword." This time, Peruvieri didn't indulge Clementine at all, and was as stern as a father.

Clementine saw the stern Pepe and wanted to say something, but in the end, under Pelvelli's gaze, she picked up the sword.

Sweat dripped onto the garden floor, and Richard, who had been watching the commotion from afar, showed a satisfied expression. Then, a staff member from the Hearth House jogged over to Richard, bent down, and whispered a few words to him.

"I understand," Richard replied casually, and the staff member withdrew.

The identity that the House of Hearths had prepared for him was ready. Although there were some twists and turns along the way, it was finally completed within the one-month deadline thanks to Kujavina's intervention.

Now it's Richard's turn to fulfill his promise...

------

The weather was somewhat gloomy, with gray clouds obscuring the sun, which was exactly the kind of weather Peruvéli liked best.

As usual, after dealing with Clementine, she squatted alone under the big tree in the garden to feed Bambi.

Hearing the noise behind her, Peruvieri didn't turn around, but casually said, "They're here?"

"I'm leaving." This time, Richard didn't squat down to keep Peruvier company while she looked at the spiders as usual, but instead succinctly explained his purpose.

He came to say goodbye.

Peruvéli paused, her hand gripping the insect's segmented leg, then asked, "Where to?"

“Fontaineville is not far from here,” Richard replied.

Peruvieri pursed her lips. Fontaine was indeed not far from the House of Hearths, but for the children of the House of Hearths, it was a place that could never be reached.

"If you encounter any trouble in the future, you can come to Fontaine to find me."

She can't go there herself, so how can she go find him?

Adults who love to talk big!

"Don't you have anything to say?"

No, you should leave now!

Those adults are particularly annoying!

"...Alright, take care of yourself, study hard, and...this is the photo of you and Clementine that I promised to give you. The girl doesn't want to see me right now, so I asked you to pass it on to her."

Give it to her yourself!

What an irresponsible adult!

Seeing that Peruvieri did not answer or react, Richard placed the photos of Peruvieri and Clementine that he had promised to give her on the culture box used to house the spiders.

He then turned and left, never looking back.

Even though he sensed that the cursed aura around Peruvieri had changed again, he only paused for a moment before continuing to walk towards Fontaine.

As one raindrop falls, millions more follow.

Peruvéli remained crouched under the large tree, letting the rain soak her clothes.

When Clementine rushed to the garden with an umbrella and a flustered expression, she saw Peruvieri, who was already soaked by the rain, and quickly gave her half of her umbrella to Peruvieri.

"Pepe, your hand..."

Peruvieri didn't reply, but stared blankly at the box placed in front of her.

"Bambi...is dead."

Clementine then noticed that the little spiders that Peruvian had been raising had fallen silent and were lying quietly on the damp soil.

"The rain is getting heavier, let's go back first, okay?" Clementine tried to pull Peruvier up from the ground.

But she clearly overestimated her strength; if Peruvieri was unwilling, Clementine's strength alone would not be enough to move her.

"Come on!" Clementine urged, seeing that she couldn't pull Peruvier away.

As she kept being urged, she herself couldn't hold back any longer, and her vision began to blur.

"If you keep doing this... I'm going to cry too." Clementine sniffed her reddened nose.

After all, Clementine is still just a child.

By the time Peruvier came to her senses, the rain had stopped, and her soaked clothes clung tightly to her small body.

Peruvieri felt pressure on her right shoulder and turned her head to see that Clementine had fallen asleep leaning on her shoulder at some point.

She looked up at the sky. After the rain, the dark clouds dispersed, and countless stars dotted the dark night sky.

"Wake up... Don't sleep here, you'll catch a cold." Peruvieri reached out and nudged Clementine. As she did so, Peruvieri noticed that her hands had been stained black at some point.

An ominous blackness replaced the fair skin, spreading all the way to the wrist before gradually returning to normal.

Peruvée knew what it was and showed no panic. She pursed her lips and woke Clementine up.

"Hmm... Good morning, Peipei. Is it light yet?" Clementine asked, rubbing her eyes.