Chapter 67 - Rahel Han

Miltiades had to stand down when he saw her tearful gaze and heard her hiccups, but this did not stop her. “You’re so mean!” she cried. 

“Yeah, I’m mean…”

“No, you’re not!” She quickly backtracked her words, “You’re mean but you’re not!” And with this astounding logic, she started crying again. Miltiades gazed down at her. Her beautiful eyes were brimming with tears, and her eyes and nose were both red. ‘I’ve only seen her cry like this once.’ 

It happened on the way to Rahel from the Vios Empire: she threw a tantrum because she didn’t want to be in the carriage alone. Miltiades remembered how to calm her down, “I’ll do anything you want, so stop crying.”

As if on cue, Amelia immediately stopped crying and looked at him expectantly, “Really?” Miltiades nodded, and she beamed. ‘What an arrogant brat.’ He knew he was being toyed with, but he wasn’t angry at her. All he could see was the smile on her face. 

“So what do you want, my daughter?” 

“I think I need to make my own noble family.” 

‘She wants to make a noble family?’ Gazing into her sparkling red eyes, Miltiades was at a loss for words. 

“What’s a good one?” 

“…” He thought she was speaking gibberish, but she seemed serious. Her lovely eyes were sparkling with excitement. 

“Since I adopted you, you need to change your name, okay? Let’s use a name for just the two of us!” 

“Are you rejecting the Rahel name?” he asked. Amelia stroke her chin at the unexpected question. Miltiades almost laughed when he saw the pensive look on her face. 

“Hm…nope! If I need it to show the world that you’re mine, I’ll just let you use it,” she finally replied. Miltiades burst out laughing. Not many people would treat the Rahel name so casually. Amelia stared at him, confused as to why he was laughing.

“A last name…” muttered Miltiades under his breath. A crooked smile soon spread across his face, “Fine, if that’s what you want.” 

Amelia stared at him for a while. “How about Han?” she blurted out. 

“Han?” 

That was the surname she had before she reincarnated into this world. She gazed at Miltiades sheepishly. 

“Rahel Han,” Miltiades had a faraway look in his eyes. Amelia found a blank piece of paper on the desk and handed it to him. She gestured for him to write down the name as she passed him a pen. 

Amelia Priscilla Lux Vios Rahel Han. 

Miltiades Rekshai Rochelle Rahel Han.

Amelia’s eyes lit up at the sight of the names written in his elegant handwriting. ‘How cute.’ He didn’t know how interesting and fun it was to watch a child he loved. 

“Read them!” she ordered. He didn’t know why she wanted him to do that when she already knew what the names were, but he obliged. There was a meaning behind giving someone a name: it made them unique.

He felt tied down by something that he couldn’t shrug off. He was being controlled by a little kid who barely reached his waist. He knew he could walk away from her easily, but he liked seeing her smile. 

Amelia was jumping up and down in delight. She pointed to Miltiades, “Rahel Han!” and then pointed to herself, “Rahel Han!” Then she beamed, “We’re both Rahel Han!” 

Miltiades wrapped his arms around her, and she nuzzled against his cheek, “Only the two of us can use this last name. Aren’t you happy?”

“…Sure,” he replied. But the truth was that he didn’t really care. The only reason these minor things felt special was because of… ‘That little kid.’ He smiled at the child beaming at him and gently pinched her cheek. It wasn’t a bad feeling. 

* * *

The atmosphere among the survivors was different after the interview. They used to be terrified wondering if they would be killed off. 

“So we can just ask for anything we need?” they muttered amongst themselves. They thought they were going to be hauled off to be worked like dogs. 

“You can only ask once a day,” came the reply. While they couldn’t make money, they could live a life without want while staying in the area. Everyone was shocked at this act of benevolence. 

“Is it because she’s the saintess…?”

“She’s thinking of us.” 

“Oh, Lord Almighty.”

After what happened last time, less than half of the paladins remained, and they didn’t feel as pressured as they did before. At first, the people wanted food to eat, a comfortable place for their kids to sleep in, and clothes that fit well. They wanted to reserve their precious wish for things that they actually needed. 

And then someone broke the mold: one man decided to ask for alcohol when there was cause to celebrate. Then he asked for it again the next day. Everyone wondered if that was allowed, but the saintess didn’t try to discourage him. In fact, more people started getting drunk.