At night in my bedroom . Rica was looking up to the ceiling wearing just a single piece of silk clothing .

    Even within the darkness, her eyes looked clear and sparkling .

    Those eyes of hers made me interested a bit .

    「What’s the matter, are you thinking of something?」

    「I was remembering the past」

    「The past?」

    「Before I met Kakeru」

    Rica suddenly smiled .

    I remembered different eyes .

    Rica’s eyes when we just met, her eyes that looked lifeless when she was being controlled like a puppet by the eunuchs .

    「Why so suddenly?」

    「I can’t remember it」

    「Un?」

    「You know, right now . I have so many things to think of every day . I feel like it’s even too much . But I would suddenly think, what was I thinking back then」

    「Hmm」

    「And then, I realized I couldn’t remember anything . Although I can remember what happened back then, I can’t remember what I was thinking at all」

    「Would you want to remember it?」

    I got on top of Rica who was lying on her back, looking into her eyes .

    If, if Rica wants to remember, then……

    「……fufu」

    She stared straight back to my eyes and gently smiled .

    「What’s funny?」

    「Kakeru is always like that . If I answered yes here, you would probably do that for me . No matter how difficult it would be, no matter what obstacles are waiting for you」

    「Of course」

    Rica is a good woman, my woman .

    If Rica wishes so, then I’ll grant it whatever it is .

    「Fufu」

    「What’s up with you, really」

    「That was probably why, it turned out like this」

    「Un?」

    「Kakeru is only doing what he wants . You would find good women and make love with them . You would love them because they would become good women and continuously love good women as they improve」

    「Well yeah」

    「That Kakeru, makes the women around him captivated wilfully . It is not because Kakeru is cool, nor because he would do something for us . That way of living makes us captivated」

    「Is it such a big deal?」

    「Being captivated, it brings us joy」

    「Hmm」

    「It even makes us want to help you」

    「The noble title……no, about Melissa huh」

    Rica’s smile deepened .

    Rica’s an intelligent woman . She probably knows that the reason I’m helping Caroline in the first place is for Melissa .

    The Solon Church’s pope is about to die and there are movements to support the next pope . Naturally, as a queen, Rica would’ve known it .

    And she probably somewhat knows that Melissa is refusing to be the pope .

    It is easy for Rica to imagine that I would do something for Melissa, so she probably lent a hand somewhere .

    「I’ll tell Kakeru one thing」

    「What is it?」

    「There is a person in Calamba named Sybil Crass . At her own expense, she would open schools in small villages, and she herself is teaching lessons in there」

    「He?」

    「But that person is currently in a tight spot . As a result of using her own wealth to do that, she is living an impoverished life enough to make herself fall into malnutrition . On top of that, she being harassed by some people that think that education is only for nobles . After saying this much, you should know what to do」

    Rica smiled at me .

    「It’s the best person to show God’s mercy huh」

    I also grinned and raised the corner of my mouth, smiling back at her .

    「That sounds something like if she were someone from the church, after she dies from deprivation, she would be a saint in the stories」

    「Yes」

    「If I use Caroline to help her, then her reputation will rise」

    Rica silently smiled .

    That’s why it makes you want to help .

    Within the silence, I felt like I was told the same line from earlier .

    「Thank you」

    I kissed Rica then got out of the bed, started to wear my clothes .

    「You’re going already?」

    「Yeah, I heard something good, so I’ll be acting quickly」

    I wore my clothes, took Eleanor, and took out my Warp Feather .

    After giving Rica one last kiss, I warped to Ainon to make use of the information I got .

    ☆

    Rica, left in the room alone after Kakeru left .

    Enveloped by the remaining warmth and scent by her most beloved, she fell once again to the bed .

    Laying on her back, she looked up at the ceiling .

    Her eyes that shone even within the darkness was filled by loving kindness that did not show earlier .

    「It makes us want to help you」

    Rica repeated the same words .

    Sybil Crass .

    A person who thinks of the kingdom a hundred years later . A person who is burning with the ideal that the commoners must be given to commoners .

    And a person who, for that ideal, would be willing to sacrifice her own self .

    That kind of……woman . A woman that Kakeru would like .

    Rica Calamba .

    She is known as a queen who possesses a harem, and as such, called the Master of the Rose Garden .

    Within Rica’s consciousness, the Rose Garden does not only exist within her palace, but extends throughout the lands of the Calamba Kingdom .

    Rica who completely believes that being captivated by Kakeru is happiness schemed for Sybil and Kakeru’s encounter .

    「I should prepare some more」

    By adding intricate details, she was thinking of accelerating Caroline and Kakeru’s relationship .