Chapter 5: The Plan for Cleaning
“Cleaning?”
At Noahâs puzzled expression, Claudia nodded.
As he looked at her, clearly demanding an explanation, she closed her eyes, wondering where to begin.
“âClaudia,â you see, was driven out of the castle by the queen immediately after she was born.”
Claudia sat down beside Noah on the bed he was sitting on.
“My mother was a songstress. She didnât have much magic and had no family. My father brought her to the royal castle, had her give birth to me, and intended to make her a concubine.”
“âŚThatâs not uncommon.”
“That my mother died right after giving birth to me is also a very common story.”
Letting out a small yawn, Claudia rubbed her eyes with her tiny hand and continued.
“The queen didnât oppose my father taking a noblewoman as a concubine. But she couldnât tolerate my mother, who was raised as an orphan. So when they conducted my magic appraisal as a baby, she swapped the jewel with a fake.”
She rolled over onto the bed and looked up at Noah.
Back then, she must have been looking up at the queenâs heavily painted red lips from a cradle that wasnât particularly soft, just like this.
[“âThis child is defective. She lacks both the bloodline and the magic befitting royalty!! Look, the appraisal jewel doesnât even react!!”]
The queen had loudly cursed the newborn Claudia.
“My father liked my mother, but he had absolutely no interest in the child she bore. Without even properly investigating, he exiled me to a remote tower.”
“⌔
“The five maids assigned to me were all under the queenâs influence. If I cried, they would hit me, refuse to feed me, or lock me up when they found it troublesome to deal with me⌔
There were many other things done to her as well.
Thinking about it made her irritated, so she chose not to dwell on it now.
Noah frowned as he looked down at Claudia lying on her back.
“You donât seem like the type to silently accept that kind of treatment.”
“I didnât have the memories of âAdelheid.â But I was always there, deep inside, watching âClaudiaâ the whole time.”
Though, it might have been better that she hadnât awakened sooner.
In the body of an infant, she wouldnât have been able to use magic properly, and there would have been nothing she could do.
It would have been a living hellâconscious, yet unable to fight back.
“âŚYour eyes.”
“!”
Noahâs hand touched Claudiaâs cheek.
Then, without hesitation, he peered into her eyes.
“Depending on the light and angle, they look like completely different colors⌠Are these the eyes Adelheid was said to have?”
It was said that the nature of oneâs magic appeared in the color of their eyes.
Those with fierce magic had red eyes.
Those with calm and refined magic had light blue eyes.
Noahâs black eyes likely reflected a deep, dark magic.
And Claudiaâs eyes were proof that she possessed all forms of magic.
“Of course, itâs not some trick done with magic.”
At that, Noah gave a sarcastic smile.
“âŚThis royal family of yours really is blind.”
“Fufu.”
After all, Claudia had been exiled before her eyes had even opened, and she had been confined to the tower where she was born.
Even her wet nurse had never looked into her eyes, and the maids had never once peered closely at her face.
Her overgrown bangs had also hidden her eyes from the uncle who occasionally came to see her.
“âŚThe man acting as my guardian claims to be my motherâs brother.”
“I see.”
“Before I met you, that man pushed me out of the tower window. He thought that if I died, he could raise his daughterâwho has the same hair colorâas Princess Claudia.”
“⌔
Noahâs black eyes narrowed coldly.
“That guyâs an idiot.”
“Right? âŚBut it might actually work. If he dismisses all the maids, no one will know the real Claudia. My father and the queen havenât seen me even once since they sent me away⌠fuaa⌔
Overcome by drowsiness, she pulled the blanket closer with sluggish movements.
“Tomorrow, for the first time, someone from the castle is coming to inspect⌠My uncle plans to present his daughter then⌔
“So by âcleaning,â you mean getting rid of your uncle and the others before the inspection arrives.”
“âŚâŚâŚâŚ”
“Hey?”
“Fufu.”
She simply laughed, but Noahâs expression turned slightly uneasy.
“Iâm really glad youâll be helping me.”
“âŚWhat do you mean by that?”
“Because if you help with the cleaning, I wonât go overboard. Right now, Iâm not very good at holding back.”
Looking up at Noah, she gave him a soft, almost melting smile.
“âIt wouldnât do to kill them, after all.”
“âŚâŚâŚâŚ”
Noah frowned for a moment, then let out a short breath.
“I agree⌠Revenge means nothing if they escape through death.”
“Mmm⌔
She wanted to respond, but the drowsiness was too strong.
Clutching the blanket tightly, Claudia rested her head on the pillow.
“Then, tomorrow⌠mnn⌔
“âŚWait. Donât tell me youâre going to sleep here!?”
“You can use⌠that side⌔
“That bed is covered with the clothes and accessories you created with magic⌠hey!”
Pretending not to hear anything, Claudia snuggled up against Noah.
“âŚOrder. Let me sleep here⌔
“âŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚ”
After all, tomorrow would be very busy.
She needed to sleep well now and restore her energy.