She walked to the man's side, returned the flask, and complained.
"Making someone else help you win over her childhood self, Lord Russell, you really know how to make things difficult."
"Besides, aren't you quite good at getting along with little girls?"
Those words made Russell fall into thought.
Was he really that good at dealing with children?
"Huh? What makes you say that?"
He looked up at Rita.
Hearing that, the elegant beauty pointed toward the first floor, a teasing curve appearing on her lips.
"Bronya likes you very much."
"Did you know that?"
"The moment you left, that girl was ready to grab a gun, climb over the wall, and follow you."
"To her, you might not be all that different from the sun."
Ah, this...
Hearing that, Russell's expression became troubled as well.
Humans were one kind of animal.
The call of the wild often made people like to describe those they knew with animals.
If Kiana was a cat, Durandal a goose, and Rita a fox, then Bronya was a purebred loyal-dog kind of girl.
She regarded the person who had saved her and her loved ones as her entire world, guarding them with tooth and claw. Even if her methods were muddy and ugly, even if they violated morality.
Naturally, one would dislike someone like that if they were not on the same side.
But if one was already part of that puppy's world, it would be far too easy to appreciate how adorable the girl was.
Being trusted by a girl like that actually felt quite nice.
If so, whether the original story could continue was a question in itself.
Russell tapped the railing with his fingers, looking conflicted.
Should he just send that little duckling back?
If he had not happened to land