— This all sounds crazy. Do you want me to bring her a drink?
"Calm down, Mamoru, your pupil is a special kind, he'll even help with the fermentation. Trust your master."
— Giving this to a child, even with that smell, it doesn't seem right.
— Do you want to know more than me? I wouldn't give something that would harm my goddaughter.
The skin returned to normal, and the fungus that had taken hold gradually disappeared. The holes left by the sun's touch were closed. Margaret held her mother tightly, her clothes slightly torn. When she woke up, she would be angry with Eunuch. He had left his boots in the middle of the battlefield, and her beautiful dress was in tatters and very dirty.
The child's face was serene, having fallen asleep long ago, unlike before, when it seemed to burn, turned cold, and returned to its normal temperature. To warm her, her mother held Margarida closer to her chest, lowered her head, and let her strands of hair become a curtain against the bright light coming through the window. Amélia lived next to her daughter, in the bed where Shizuko had fallen asleep.
"Amelia, Mary told me to give this to your daughter." Mamoru placed his body in front of the window, which reflected a lot of light toward the bed. He stretched out his arm.
"Thank you, Mamoru." She gently caressed her daughter's face. "Darling, take this." A little dizzy at the scent, Daisy opened her mouth and swallowed the liquid. "So, how is Shizuko doing? Still in shock from everything? She must be shaken."
"I don't even know. She said she was going to take a break, and then she went to see the mares. What I'm about to say may seem cruel, but it's good she asked who Hana was; even I, her brother, have forgotten her. I saved her from death, but I feel like I buried her."
"I don't know, I can give you some advice. My daughter has become a new person, no, she's entered a phase, let's say adolescence. It makes sense, her voice has changed, but you can still tell she's still my little one, and this new person is her brother who is protecting her. Just like you and Tiresias are protecting Hana and Shizuko."
Her brow furrowed, a cough was heard, and her eyes opened. Daisy quickly got out of her mother's lap, with her excellent warrior's awareness, did a somersault, pushed Mamoru away from the window, opened it, and vomited.
"Wow, we're not even married yet, and she already tried to poison me. Now that's a good wife." Eunuch flashed his trademark sarcastic smile from ear to ear.
"Now I understand." Mamoru went to the window and saw what the child had removed from his stomach: small mushrooms. "It was a vomiting medicine. Why did he vomit mushrooms?"
— I implanted fungi into my cells to increase my metabolism, the mushrooms are the result. By the way, I became very beautiful for a brief moment. I'm too beautiful, aren't I, Mom! — It wasn't even Daisy who regained consciousness, it was actually the eunuch who spoke.
"You're Mommy's well-fermented little bread. Mamoru, I'm going to go make you something to eat. Wait there. Daughter, stay with cousin Mamoru."
They both nodded. Neither of them engaged in conversation. Mamoru tried to scan the mares' positions, hoping to spot Shizuko, trying to gauge her feelings from her expression. Eunuch wanted to get back at Mamoru for vomiting and help him at the same time. He not so gently slapped Mamoru, caught his attention, and then pointed to Amelia, who was heading toward the mares.
"Here, dear, Mary asked me to give it to you." With his alcoholic skills, he quickly opened the bottle, handed the glass to Shizuko, and filled it in the blink of an eye.
"I appreciate it, thank you." Shizuko took a sip and coughed dryly. "What's that Mary gave you?"
— Cognac. It's good for both waking up and clearing the mind. It's a good one; I drank a lot of it when I worked at Apolo.
"From what I know, it makes sense to get drunk working at Apolo. I saw so many things there. Could you add some more?" The glass filled, then ran dry.
— How old are you again? You just came out of a short coma, I don't want to put a minor in an alcoholic coma.
— 17, I'm still going to lie this year. I don't want to be intrusive, but in fact, I might already be getting drunk. I was the one who helped the giants escape, and that directly influenced you. Are you mad at me?
— Of course not. I'm actually grateful; now my daughter has a brother who's taking care of her until she recovers from her fragile health. I don't understand why you say that.
—How can I put it? After seeing that memory, I wonder why there's so much hatred in my heart toward the scientist, Mary's sister. Where did all this hatred come from?
— Amélia quickly downed her brandy without even making an expression. — I also hold a lot of resentment towards Elizabeth, not because she stole my husband, maybe a little, but because I feel she was a better mother to Margarida than I was.
—I understand— Amélia took the brandy, twisting her lips and blinking her eyes, she drank it, but spat some on the floor. —Cough... Cough... Cough... I think I understand myself a little more, let me breathe a little?
— Her arm crossed Shizuko's back, stroked her hair, and smiled. — the dear explains to me. — Before Shizuko could even breathe, Amélia already had another brandy sealed with her.
"Wow, you're good. I don't even know what I understood. We both hate the same woman; in fact, there's someone else who hates her: Mary. What did Elizabeth do to make even her sister hate her?"
— Maybe that giant ass, if it weren't for that mare's ass I'd still be working at Apolo and living my fairy tale with my prince. Those huge breasts, that 6'4" cow, I hate them.
"Aunt Amélia, I think the brandy has altered you a bit. I don't think talking about that is helpful to me." Shizuko filled the glass and drained it quickly. "That's true, maybe that's it!"
"What, darling, can I call you daughter? Another sister for Margarida! I wish I had more children, but I can't keep up with this romance nonsense; I always end up ending it before I get to the good part."
— Shizuko kicked the bottle from Amélia's, and a mare quickly caught it. — What are you talking about? I'm getting off topic, just like Hana, I already know what to do!
The angry child watched the scene from afar without understanding anything, while the young man was kicked, punched and pushed, and he passed out.
"Get up, Mamoru!" Shizuko punched Mamoru in the stomach. "I want to talk to her, I want to apologize to Hana."