Chapter 22. Becoming a Member of the Mosteros Family

“……”

“……”

No one could refute his statement.

It was an obvious fact.

When Michaela and Riello closed their mouths, Briel stepped forward and cast his vote of approval.

“I like it. It’s a very pretty name. And since it reflects El’s preferences, I don’t think it could be any better.”

Starting with him, Michaela and Riello, who had briefly fallen silent, also expressed their agreement.

“It’s a decent name.”

“I like it too. It’s a splendid name.”

“El, what do you think? Do you like it?”

At Michaela’s question, everyone’s attention turned to El.

Four pairs of eyes that were cold in color but contained warmth greater than anyone else in the world stared at El.

El felt as if she were plunging into a deep blue sky and nodded vigorously.

“I like it, I like it very much.”

El’s eyes stung with overwhelming emotion, and tears welled up.

Having been carelessly called whatever throughout her life until now, she never knew that a name could be created with such careful consideration for each detail.

Only now did she realize that everyone born into this world probably received their names through such a process.

And she felt deeply moved that now she too had her own name created with affection and attention, that she had received a name made with someone’s sincere heart.

El tried hard not to cry and smiled as brightly as possible.

“Then it’s decided. Rasiel. From now on, this is your name.”

“Yes!”

The sound was so wonderful that El finally let a single tear fall.

Since the four people seemed to understand why El was crying, they pretended not to notice the fallen tear.

El, or rather Rasiel, who noticed their consideration, quickly wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and smiled even more broadly, brightly, and beautifully.

“I’ll raise you to the highest place you can reach, just like your name. So that everyone will look up to you.”

Michaela spoke in a very powerful voice as she stroked Rasiel’s head.

Rasiel, who had been in the lowest mud in the world, felt as if she had floated up to the highest and deepest blue place in the world just because of a name.

As Michaela said, Rasiel began to believe she could truly become someone everyone would look up to.

“I’ll live my best life, worthy of this name.”

Rasiel declared to them with determination, clenching both fists.

It was the moment when a small girl who had lived her entire life without a name finally took a step into the world as a proper person, becoming a member of the Mosteros family.

⁕⁕⁕

Rasiel’s step into the world as a full member of the Mosteros family with her own name came about because of an unexpected incident.

It happened a week after receiving her name, on a day when a light drizzle was falling.

Today, Michaela had taken Briel and Riello out to check on the twins’ growth, and Rapellian was also away from home on matters related to protection facilities.

Rasiel had declined Michaela’s offer to come along and deliberately stayed at the mansion.

Wanting to overcome her fear of rainy days on her own, she sat in a chair placed on the porch and looked out at the rain-soaked garden.

‘Since there’s no thunder and lightning, I can bear it reasonably well.’

She hoped that by gradually getting used to it like this, someday she might be okay with thunder and lightning too.

“Aren’t you cold?”

“I’m fine.”

When Irina asked while wrapping a blanket around her shoulders, Rasiel shook her head with a faint smile.

Her cheeks, which showed traces of a smile, no longer had any bruises. This was thanks to a priest from the Western Empire who had visited recently.

“And you’re not bored?”

Watching the continuously falling rain did make her feel slightly bored.

However, since staying at the mansion alone had been her own choice, she simply shook her head without showing any sign of it.

“The Duke has contacted us about dining out.”

“Will I go too?”

“Of course.”

“It’s a bit early, but I need to send Jane to the central square for an errand. Would you like to go out now and look around the shopping district as well?”

Though she had said she wasn’t bored, Rasiel found Irina’s suggestion quite welcome and quickly nodded, getting down from the chair.

Irina seemed to have already figured out Rasiel’s true feelings, as she subtly swallowed a smile and hurried Jane, who was bringing out Rasiel’s snacks, to prepare for the outing.

Concerned about the falling rain, Jane carefully prepared Rasiel’s attire.

Though she herself wore only a thin coat, she dressed Rasiel as if it were the middle of winter, with not only a coat but also a scarf and gloves.

“Aren’t you cold, Jane?”

“I was born and raised farther north than Abelon, so this kind of weather is nothing to me.”

Rasiel was worried that Jane seemed too lightly dressed while she herself was bundled up so thoroughly.

However, Jane showed no sign of concern as she helped Rasiel put on boots that roughly fit her feet.

“Shall we go now?”

“Yes.”

Rasiel naturally took Jane’s hand as she stepped outside and got into the waiting car.

“Take care on your journey.”

Rasiel also bowed her head toward Irina, who was seeing them off with a slight bow.

Irina watched the departing car, thinking that Rasiel would need much education to be raised as a lady of a noble family.

Until then, or rather, until Rasiel and Jane safely arrived at the central square, no one could have predicted what would happen.

‘So this is… where we’re going.’

Rasiel looked up at the post office building while holding an umbrella.

It felt significant that she could now confidently enter a space she hadn’t even dared to approach before.

Rasiel unnecessarily tidied her clothes and tried to maintain the straightest posture possible as she entered the post office.

Even after entering, she sat with her back perfectly straight, trying hard not to slouch while Jane took care of the postal business.

‘I wish I could read and write too.’

Rasiel swallowed her regret as she scanned the posters and notices attached throughout the post office.

If the day ever came when she had to leave the ducal residence, she wished she would at least have the ability to write letters.

Then her eyes fell on the stamps displayed in the showcase.

‘I can look for just a moment, right?’

Two people who had been looking at the stamps in front of the display case left.

Rasiel glanced toward Jane, who was handling the postal business, and quietly rose from her seat.

‘They’re pretty.’

Rasiel approached the display case and examined the square stamps in detail. Perhaps because winter was approaching, many of the stamps had warm colors, and some even sparkled with gold and silver foil.

“This price is……”

Though she couldn’t read letters, Rasiel roughly knew numbers and tried to count the price by raising her hand to fold her fingers.

At that moment, Rasiel’s body was suddenly spun around.

“Ah!”

Rasiel let out a cry that sounded like a scream from the strong grip.

“What do you think you’re doing!”

In front of Rasiel stood a post office employee who was extremely angry.

The rough handling she experienced after so long immediately made her shrink back.

Completely terrified, Rasiel couldn’t even respond and barely managed to breathe in.

“What did you steal? Huh?!”

The employee shouted again.

“N-no. I didn’t steal anything.”

Only then did Rasiel vigorously shake her head in denial, trying somehow to control her trembling body.

“The door here is open!! You’re a beggar who hangs out with pickpockets! Who are you trying to fool!”

“No. That’s not me.”

Rasiel felt miserable to be put in such a situation.

It pierced her heart that she was in a position where she could only receive such misunderstandings.

But being misunderstood was all too familiar, and because such a life was inevitable for her, Rasiel bit her lip firmly and desperately just shook her head.

“Absolutely, absolutely not. I didn’t do such a thing.”

She had never stolen before, but now more than ever, she had no reason to do so.

However, Rasiel became anxious that she might bring shame to the ducal family because of herself, so she tried her hardest to clear up the misunderstanding.

“I’d sooner believe a passing mongrel than believe you?!”

As loud shouts continued to erupt, people in the post office began to gather one by one.

As if suddenly surrounded by a large fence, Rasiel found herself under the gaze of numerous eyes.

“Hey, isn’t she that pickpocket?”

“Nah. She looks too neat? Maybe you’re mistaken.”

“No, are red hair and eyes like that common in the Empire? That’s her. Hey, what did you steal? A wallet? Money envelope?”

“I guess she bought clothes with stolen money? Isn’t she here to target something bigger?”

“But doesn’t she seem to have a guardian? I think I smell pheromones.”

“Hmph, old habits die hard even if she has a guardian.”

The gathered people recognized Rasiel and added their own comments.

This made Rasiel feel even more desperate.

“I really was just looking. I didn’t steal anything. Please believe me.”

Rasiel pleaded desperately and showed her coat pockets.

However, the post office employee, emboldened by people’s testimonies, scolded Rasiel even more unreasonably and stomped his feet on the floor.

“How can I believe what you show me? Come here! I need to check……”

“What are you doing?”

Just as the employee was about to grab Rasiel, Jane pushed through the crowd and blocked him.

She couldn’t completely hide her dismay, but she looked at the other person quite calmly and coldly.

“What am I doing? That’s what I should be asking this thief.”

“A thief! On what grounds do you say such a thing?”

“On what grounds? Does a pickpocket ever change their ways?”

“I really didn’t steal! I was really just looking!”

When the employee shouted loudly, Rasiel once more raised her desperate voice.

“That’s why I’m saying let’s check! Come here……”

The post office employee tried to pull Rasiel out, bypassing Jane.

Jane quickly moved her feet to block him.

“What rudeness is this toward our Miss?”

Jane sternly flashed her eyes and scanned the surroundings.

Since the northern part of the Aserion Empire had an unusually high proportion of beastman population, not only the post office employee but most of the people gathered here were beastmen.

Jane couldn’t understand how these people who had lived long lives could judge and treat others so arbitrarily with such a narrow perspective.

“Miss? What Miss?”

The employee looked Jane and Rasiel up and down and sneered.

“Apologize to our Miss right now. If not, the Mos……”

“Jane.”

As the name of the ducal family was about to leave Jane’s lips, Rasiel quickly pulled her sleeve and shook her head.

Though she felt sad and wronged, Rasiel’s previously dry eyes now turned red and revealed transparent moisture.

“Ridiculous. Do you think we won’t know if you dress up a bit and pretend to be a Miss? Come here! I need to search your body to check if you have stamps or not.”

The post office employee pushed Jane aside while emitting overtly threatening pheromones.

“Jane!”

Just as Rasiel was about to move her feet to catch the falling Jane, the employee reached out with a grim expression.

Seeing the clearly intentional gesture, Rasiel instinctively squeezed her eyes shut.

“Will you stop?!”

Jane, relieved that Rasiel was human and thus relatively unaffected by beastman pheromones, was about to release her own fox beastman pheromones to seriously block the employee.

At that moment, an overwhelming pressure of pheromones spread throughout the post office.

It instantly engulfed all spaces except where Rasiel and Jane stood.

“Ugh.”

Painful groans erupted from everywhere due to the tremendous force, and the wall of people collapsed at once.

And people immediately recognized whose pheromones had been faintly emanating from Rasiel.

‘We’re doomed.’

Everyone in the post office simultaneously had the same thought without exception.

As Rapellian, with ice-cold blue eyes containing boiling rage like lava, took a step forward, a path naturally opened.

“Who dares to say they will search my person’s body?”