- Historia Pov -

Even though I had finished my task for the day by putting the milk cans that I had brought to the storage shed away, I still had more work to do for that day because I only lived with my mother and my grandparents, so I also have to help in taking care of the house.

After seeing how hard my grandparents worked to take care of the fields and farms, I couldn't bear to let them have to take care of the housework on their own. When I first tried to help take care of the house, my grandparents forbade me, reasoning that I was too young.

Considering that my mother also didn't seem interested in helping, this was a powerful reason for me to be even more determined to help make my grandparents' work easier.

While dusting the table, I looked out the window and saw Grandma walking home from the farm. However, she had a strange expression on her face, so I couldn't help but wonder.

"What's wrong with grandma's face? Why is she looking so terrified?" I murmured in surprise as grandma approached the door, and as soon as she saw me, she began to compose herself. She then gave me a warm smile and said, "You can rest now, Historia. Let me continue."

Grandma had already rushed over and taken the rag I was holding in my hands before I even had a chance to respond. She then began cleaning the dusty table in my place, but the fact that Grandma's face was still pale and sweat was dripping down her forehead caused me to be worried.

"Grandma, are you sick? Your face is so pale," Grandma turned around after hearing my worried voice, and she looked at me with a wry smile.

"No... no... I'm not sick... it's just, earlier, I saw your mother with the boy who came to see you a few days ago," grandma explained in a slightly trembling voice. Even her face became fearful again, but she hurriedly went to the kitchen.

I had just finished processing what grandma had said just now. My face lit up with excitement as I asked, "Did Kaiser come to see me again?"

However, after that, I found myself wondering, 'What does Kaiser have to do with my mother?' but when I remembered the thing back then when Kaiser seemed to be discussing something serious with my mother, all my confusion was cleared up.

I quickly made my way to the kitchen and asked my grandmother about my mother's and Kaiser's whereabouts. At first, Grandma seemed uncertain as she responded to my question. However, in the end, she just sighed and told me where they were now.

"Thank you, grandma."

After I got the answer I was looking for, I hurriedly ran out of the house with conflicting emotions: I was thrilled to finally meet Kaiser, but at the same time, I was concerned and anxious about my mother.

Grandma previously said that in addition to Kaiser and my mother, she had also found a woman who was a stranger to her. But I immediately knew who that woman's identity was.

"Who else, if not that scary nun."

After that, I didn't waste any time and headed straight for the ranch, which wasn't very far away. Since it was still early, the animals that were housed there had just been allowed to roam around and take in the fresh air in this expansive green field.

"But what exactly does Kaiser want to discuss with my mother that they must be at the ranch."

"That's strange, but if what they're talking about is something secret, then I can understand it."

"Yeah, if it's definitely a secret, I also always hide mine, so others don't know," After saying that, my face suddenly felt hot, and I then quickened my steps while maintaining a broad grin on my face.

When I got close to this rather large ranch, I was a little confused when I saw the entrance was securely closed, and as I got closer, I could hear something that sounded strange to my ears.

"Kaiser and my mother, are you both inside?" I murmured something under my breath, and for some reason, I began creeping stealthily up against the log walls of the ranch.

"Looks like they're talking about something inside."

I could only make out Kaiser's and my mother's voices very faintly, and they were accompanied by a strange sound that made my heart suddenly feel uneasy.

"What should I do if my mother does something bad to Kaiser?"

The aloof and quiet demeanor that my mother displayed wasn't just directed at me. she didn't give a damn about anyone else, either. This, of course, changed the moment she was with my father. Her character immediately changed drastically.

I said to myself, "Come on, Historia, you have to be brave this time. You can't let mother do anything bad to Kaiser," and after tapping my cheeks a few times, I started walking towards the ranch's tightly closed entrance. When I got there, I saw it was locked inside.

*knocks

*knocks

I could hear the sudden end of a conversation and the return to the silence inside. I made up my mind and asked, "Kaiser, are you inside? I heard from grandma that you came."

There was no response coming from within the ranch, and all I could hear was the sound of birds chirping and cows mooing not too far away from me. Occasionally, a gust of wind would come through and cause the bells hung above the ranch to ring loudly.

This situation was so tense that it made me more nervous and uneasy. Even my palms were already covered with cold sweat, but then I heard a familiar voice in my ear, and a big smile immediately spread across my face.

"Is that you, Historia? Wait a moment. I'll be right out."