3.18.

Sequencee nodded.

"Shit!" Quora exclaimed– quickly covering her mouth.

"Oh. That explains a lot, to think that you're.. It's an honor to have you in our party," Dorry showed a rare expression of genuine surprise.

"There's no way that's true right? You're the late Anna's son? I thought everyone in the territory died?"

"No you silly. If everyone died at Estia Barony then Leticia wouldn't be here," Quora retorted.

'What?'

A fork in the conversation.

"Leticia is from Estia Barony?" Sequencee felt an unusual emotion spring up from his chest.

"Yeah? She is.. did you not know that?"

"No. I didn't.."

'Wait, hold on? She's a survivor? Then.. how come she ended up in Mane's Home for Disaster Children? How did she become a slave? What happened back then..'

"How could you not know that?! Did you stay with her for two years?" Quora slammed the table.

"I.. didn't know."

"Leticia Estia. The daughter of the late baron! You were in the presence of a noble this entire time!"

'Leticia.. Estia?'

The pieces and fragments of his knowledge fit together in an unusual manner.

Leticia Estia was someone he knew but wasn't particularly familiar with. She was the baron's sole daughter, the second child of the family. He remembered her as a shy girl with platinum hair and a pair of crimson red eyes.

He didn't often have the chance to meet Leticia Estia despite the good relationship between Anna and the baron himself. And even if they did meet up, they didn't mesh well due to the differences in interest, and the fact that neither seemed interested in knowing the other.

The last time he remembered seeing Leticia Estia was when she visited Anna in the hospital after being afflicted by The Majesty Dragon, Astroth's curse.

The Leticia he knew then and the one he met at the home were so vastly different that Sequencee didn't even suspect that they were the same person.

'But her hair and eyes.. what happened?'

"What? You really don't know her? She remembers you though?" Quora frowned.

"I remember that she had flaxen hair, not green.. and her eyes.."

What excuse did Sequencee have for not recognizing her? The more he thought about it, the more things made sense. How he and Leticia seemed to get along pretty well at the home, how they seem to be able to empathize with one another despite having not knowing anything about each other's past..

'Why did she hide it from me.. or.. was it because I didn't ask?'

Sequencee gobbled down the rest of the onigiri in front of him and stood up.

"You and Leticia should really talk about it. I'm not sure what happened between the two of you but I didn't expect you didn't know who she was," Daizo said.

"I know. Thanks for the information."

Sequencee left the table for Leticia's room. He knocked. Clearly, he could sense the presence of two people inside.

"It's unlocked," Nynim's voice rang.

"I'll help myself then," Sequencee pushed the door open.

Leticia sitting on the bed with a downcast expression and Nynim who stroked her back. Leticia raised her head a little and gazed at him.

"Leticia Estia."

"Nn," she merely nodded, a little confused.

Sequencee sighed.

He had many questions swirling in his mind at the moment. Like, what happened to her after the catastrophe of Estia Barony, or how she fell into slavery, or what caused the change in her outward appearance. But, before he could find an answer to these, he first needed to resolve her unstable state.

"Thank you."

"Huh? Why?" She asked.

"Why else? I told you earlier, didn't I?"

'She's probably self-sabotaging herself.'

"Yes.. but it only helped a little.."

"It did more than just a little Leticia."

Nynim looked at Sequencee. Showing a slight nod, her figure disappeared and reappeared near the door. She left the room and shut the door to allow them some privacy.

"But it.. you still almost died.."

"That's a normal part of being a mercenary. If you didn't reach out to me yesterday night, then people would've actually died."

"..."

'Yeah. It's pointless to keep up this loop. She needs to resolve her acute imposter syndrome herself. Giving her all the reassurance in the world is going to do nothing.'

Sequencee grabbed a chair and sat down.

"Are you hungry?"

"A little."

"Do you want me to get you something?"

"No. It's alright.."

"Do you want anything?"

".. No."

"..."

An old memory surfaced in his mind.

Heaving a deep sigh, Sequencee walked closer.

"Leticia, stand up."

".. Why?"

"Just stand up."

Reluctantly, she got up from the bed and stood in front of Sequencee.

Her verdant coloured hair was a mess, gold-red eyes casted dowdwards. Comparing the image of the young Leticia to the one now, her height and the maturity of her face had undergone a qualitative change. Even so, there was a large similarity between the person he knew then to the person here in front of him. How in the world did Sequence not recognize her?

A vivid memory of the past when she cried after falling. Though Sequencee healed the wound, she didn't stop. Out of panic and out of ideas, he ended up hugging her. The result was immediate– so much so that he thought it was for this reason which caused her to avoid him out of shyness.

And another memory of an incident at Mane's Home where Leticia cried because of an accident. Then too, Sequencee ended up hugging her.

And so he would repeat the same thing now.

'I'll assume Schwii gave me permission.'

He brought his arms over her and pulled her towards his chest.

He felt her body tense up in surprise. He stroked her back.

"S-Sequencee.. what are you doing.."

"What else?"

Leticia tried to push him away, but he didn't allow her to go.

'W-What is this.. why so suddenly..'

Leticia's mind spun. Her melancholy blasted away by confusion, expectation and worry.

"Y-You already have Schwii why.."

"Oh, so that's the problem? You're comparing yourself to her?"

Leticia felt her throat clog up at his words. A warm sensation swelled in her eyes.

"Compared to her, I'm a wimp myself. I can't do anything alone, I can't see things straight without her guidance, and I would've died if she didn't act.. sound familiar?"

"She's.. simply much more deserving of you.."

"It sucks to have to depend on someone else, you know?"

'What do you even mean? Isn't it nice to have someone to depend on..'

"You're not the only one who thinks you're worthless or useless."

Leticia's body trembled at his words.

'If he calls himself useless then what would that make me..'

"The only thing we can do about it is to try not to be useless. The feeling won't go away, even after you've reached a high point. That's just how it is."

'.. he's right.. I suppose.'

"I'm sure Schwii feels like this every now and then herself. Everyone does."

"So.. Am I wrong for this?"

"Wrong for?"

'Wrong for.. being the only one affected by this? The only one who can't keep the feeling from showing?'

Leticia buried her head into his shoulders.

"No. There's nothing wrong about feeling sad, or wanting to cry. There's absolutely nothing wrong with it."

'I see.. so that's what he's after..'

"I'm sorry for worrying you."

Shedding a tear, Leticia remained in his embrace as she allowed herself to relish in his warmth. A distraction to put off the worries in her mind– the nourishment to fulfill the needs of the seedling inside her.. slowly, taking root deeper and deeper.

A moment that felt like an eternity passed.

"Thank you.."

"Feeling better?"

"A bit.."

"It's funny how I never realized you were the same person."

"Hm? What do.. you mean?"

"Leticia Estia."

'Ah?!'

"What happened to your hair and eyes? If Quora didn't tell me, I don't think I would've recognized you and.. why didn't you tell me about it."

'So he didn't remember..'

"My gift. The, [Unique Trait: Nature's Blessing]. When I got it up to the second tier, my eyes and hair changed."

"Second tier already? I see.. no wonder. Hey, Leticia, could you tell me about your past? What exactly happened after the calamity?"

"That.."

'He's a victim too. I wonder what happened to him after that too..'

Leticia contemplated over how to translate the hurt of her past into words when she decided to just..

"Forget it."

Sequencee looked at her in surprise, "You ended up in slavery didn't you? And.. wasn't there supposed to be some welfare in place for victims? So how did it.."

A flash of the vile treatment received from the count's family, the pain of being raped inside a caravan.. Leticia quickly shook away the thoughts and tightened her arms around him.

"It doesn't matter. I.. don't need to bring it up, it's over. I just.. need you to be with me. That's all."

"..."

"U-Uh.."

'W-What did I just say?!'

"I understand."

'W-What do you understand..?!'

He stroked her hair, sending a pleasurable shiver down her spine.

"I don't know how to deal with this but.. we'll just have to see how things go. If it doesn't work out, I can only apologize."

"W-What do you mean?"

"It's my side of the equation that needs work. You're amazing just as you are, just do your best to grow and learn. Don't think so much about it and just focus on yourself."

"..."

"So, are you feeling better now?"

"You too."

"Me too?"

"You're amazing. So amazing that I don't know what to do if you left my side," she relaxed her body to allow his support to carry her weight. Pressing her face against his neck, she took in his scent.

'This is my heartfelt wish..'

– The seedling rises into the sun, yellow leaves refreshed in green.

'I just.. don't know if it would become the wish that drags me into the pits of hell.'

– Spreading out its new leaves.

'Will I ever get to hear the genuine words of 'I love you'..?

– A hard young bud of a flower dangling from the stem.