Stigma Effect

Proofreader: kuroneko_chan

The Princess did not give up. Yuriel was worried that she would get the wrath of the Princess as she sent back the knights who came to her two or three times a day. The Princess was the one who forced her to go and join the banquet when Yuriel refused the invitation to the banquet.

She was afraid of what would happen if she continued to refuse.

Yuriel escaped them and hid in Baraha’s office.

The knights who came under the orders of the Princess returned again after exhausting their guest stay periof, and quickly went in search of Yuriel.

There was not enough time to be depressed as she pondered the article that wrote she controlled monsters.

When she woke up in the morning, she went to Shudmuel’s office to help him with his work, and was protected by Shudmuel for a while.

It would be nice to stay with Shudmuel, but he was a busy man. Yuriel had to find another place to hide from the Princess’ knights’ eyes.

Baraha’s office was a good place to hide. He didn’t go into the office, so few servants wandered around, and no one knew that Yuriel had entered Baraha’s office, as there was no eye to watch.

Yuriel sat down under the window, avoiding the eyes of the knights looking for her. Baraha’s room, seen from the office, caught her eye for a moment. She seemed to see a shadow from the window of the room, but it was too far away so she couldn’t see very well.

It had been a while since the owner, Baraha, had not visited the office, the room was unusually colder than elsewhere.

Yuriel crouched on the floor and hid because if she sat on the chair, she was sure to be caught by the knights roaming outside. It was cold even though she was wearing a thick coat. Cold came up from the floor.

Yuriel repeatedly hid under the window, checking if there was a knight sent by the Princess. If anyone had seen Yuriel headed towards the South Building, the knight would not think of leaving the South Building.

As the Princess’ Knights roamed the South Building, the knights of Albraka, who had been watching, decided to help them find Yuriel. The knights of Albraka decided to help so the Princess’ knights could quickly complete their mission and leave sooner rather than continuing to wander around the area.

“I’ll leave after staying a little longer….”

Yuriel, who was muttering and rubbing her frozen hand, saw the door suddenly open and took a deep breath.

The door opened without her having a chance to hide. Yuriel got up awkwardly, and then her eyes met the person who opened the door.

After seeing the man’s face, Yuriel was relieved and sat down on the floor again. It was Baraha, the owner of the office. His black hair that covered his eyebrows was messy. With his wavy hair ruffled, he looked like a sloppy man.

It looked like her tension was going away automatically.

Who would know that such a person is one of Albraka’s commanders.

Yuriel thought as she sat back.

Baraha looked disorganized as if he had run in a hurry, but his tone was slow as usual, as he made eye contact with Yuriel, sighed and asked, .

“Yuriel…. What are you doing here?”

“Why are you here, Baraha?”

“I’m here because this is my office… .”

“If you don’t have a job, you don’t come.”

“… sometimes I come. So, why are you doing this? What’s going on?”

Baraha asked as he approached Yuriel’s side.

After all, this is Baraha’s office. It is his heart whenever he wants to come.

Yuriel said, pulling up the cloak to escape the cold.

“The Princess keeps sending gifts. I didn’t want to accept them, but it was hard to refuse, so I was hiding.”

“Ah.”

“Can you see if the knights sent by the Princess are still roaming outside?”

Baraha immediately understood Yuriel’s question and nodded his head. The Princess’s tenacity was something he knew well.

Baraha approached the window where Yuriel was sitting beneath, looked outside, handed her his coat, and answered.

“There is.”

“Uhh…. It’s cold…. When are you going back?”

Yuriel put on the robe that Baraha had given her and let out a sigh.

As she continued to sit in the cold, her body shuddered. She wanted to ask Baraha to light a fire in the fireplace, but she had to endure it. Once he leaves the office, the servant will come and put out the fire in the fireplace in the empty office.

They would then see her hiding in the office, and then they would send the Princess’ knights, who came here, directly to Baraha’s office.

She worries about when the Princess’ patience will run out.

Yuriel shook and lowered her head, and Baraha went up to the fireplace and put firewood in it. Yuriel raised her head at the sound of the firewood catching fire, and said quickly.

“Baraha, aren’t you going back? If you light the fireplace… .”

“I have work to do, I won’t go back.”

“Really?”

“Hmm.”

Hearing the sound of dry firewood burning, Yuriel could already feel her body warming up. Baraha, who had been throwing the firewood, also tossed the paper in his hand into the fireplace.

“It’s the newspaper. Why don’t you read it?”

“I have read it all.”

Yuriel, who was watching Baraha’s actions, tilted her head and asked. Come to think of it, he had been holding it in his hand since he came in. It was in a wrinkled state, but the newspaper could be seen from a distance.

Newspapers engulfed in flames were curled up from the edges and burned. Baraha, who was watching the newspaper engulfed in flames and scorched to ashes, turned his back.

“It was filled with ridiculous stories.”

Baraha said in a blunt tone. Yuriel hugged her knees and smiled a little. It seems that Baraha also read the article that criticized her.

“Right.”

Even though he acted insensitively as if he had no interest in life or death, when something like this happened, he seemed to come out to comfort Yuriel.

He didn’t seem like a comforter, so it was difficult to pinpoint his intentions, but Yuriel burst into laughter at Baraha’s blunt appearance.

“I’m going to tell no one to enter the office, so take a break. If it’s cold, tell me.”

“Thank you, Baraha.”

Baraha said as he sat down at a desk without a single sheet of paper. Seeing Baraha, who sat idly, rummaging through the drawers and drooping over the desk, Yuriel leaned her forehead on her lap and curled her lips.

To say he has work to be done was a lie. It was clear that Baraha had stayed with Yuriel in the office so she would not get sick because she was shivering in the cold.

＊＊＊

Yuriel, who had fallen asleep while sitting on the floor, woke up to the sound of rattling.

Baraha was talking to someone in a low voice.

“Is Miss Yuriel okay?”

“I do not know.”

“She looks uncomfortable. Baraha, put a sofa in the office. She’s like this because there’s nothing. I don’t know why you or Commander Raphlet don’t put anything in your offices.”

It was Helio’s voice. It was a conversation that sounded like Baraha was being scolded by Helio.

Helio, who lightly nagged Baraha, was followed by the sound of walking through the office. Helio, who was walking around as if looking for something, continued.

“There is no place to lay down comfortably. I think the Princess will send a knight for a few more days, but it would be inconvenient for Miss Yuriel to keep hiding like that. Shall we order the sofa today? If you buy one with a high back, she won’t be able to be seen from the outside.”

“… Yes.”

“Good. I’m going to order it right away and have it in my office by tonight.”

Behind Helio’s succession of suggestions, Baraha’s answers followed slowly.

Yuriel turned her stiff neck to face Helio.

“Long time no see, Sir Helio.”

“You woke up. I’m sorry if I woke you up because of my conversation with Commander Baraha.”

Helio apologized in a calm voice.

“It’s okay. Rather than that, did you not come here to arrest me after reading the newspaper? I had nothing to do with the terrorism.”

Yuriel hardened her expression and said in a serious tone. When she just heard the conversation, it was unlikely that Helio had come to detain her , but he already had a history.

Helio shook his head in embarrassment as he saw Yuriel looking at him with suspicious eyes.

“No, I know it isn’t. There is no way that Miss Yuriel would join in the terrorism over Lord Raphlet.”

“… Really? Then, when I was suddenly dragged to the torture room and you tried to torture me… .”

“It wasn’t a torture room. I didn’t really mean to do that, so don’t look at me like that.”

“Hmm… .”

“I swear I don’t want to do that. Miss Yuriel.”

Helio spoke with a nervous expression on his face, then saw Yuriel’s expression and shrugged his shoulders in frustration.

“… You are joking.”

“About half.”

Yuriel raised the corners of her lips loosely as she looked at Helio, who was struggling. Seeing the playful expression on her face as she rested one hand on her chin and looked at him, Helio asked in a hoarse voice.

“I can’t be angry because I know it was my fault. Please stop teasing me. If you need anything other than clothes, just let me know.”

Yuriel smiled and replied.

“I will.”

“Thank you.”

“By the way, why did Sir Helio come here? You’ve never been to Baraha’s office.”

“I thought Miss Yuriel would be here, so I stopped by for a while. I was worried after reading the newspaper article, but I even heard that the Princess was sending someone to Miss Yuriel….”

Yuriel, who looked at Baraha, who was standing still behind Helio, and Helio, who spoke for a long time alternately, she widened her eyes and smiled.

Not as much as Raphlet, but she had two people who cared about her.

She doesn’t hang out with as many people as she did at the Mogris Estate. But still, life here was much better than there.