Diary of Guarding Monster Girls

"Power..."

Teresa stared blankly at Lord Herbert, who was within arm’s reach, but for the moment, she had no mind to pay attention to his beautiful visage.

In her heart, Herbert’s words echoed repeatedly.

"Do you desire power?"

Power?

What do I need power for?

Lord Herbert’s question was indeed a strange one.

I’m just an ordinary village girl, even if I have power, what could I do with it?

Really, don’t joke with me like that...

She instinctively wanted to evade, to say such words of refusal.

But, the moment those words were about to spill out, she saw those beautiful eyes resembling crystals right in front of her.

Those light gray eyes held no ridicule or jest, but were instead filled with comforting gentleness and certainty.

He seemed to know what kind of answer she would give.

In Lord Herbert’s heart, it seemed she had already given an answer.

And that answer—it certainly wasn’t this denial.

In his view, am I yearning for power?

But, why is that?

Why would he think of me this way?

I’m just a...

Just before the girl was about to answer, Herbert gently asked again:

"Teresa, have you really thought it through?"

The gentle words didn’t pierce, but once they entered her ears, it was as if a giant stone had plunged into water, stirring up layers of waves, like a tempest, causing towering waves in her once calm heart.

"I..."

The girl’s expression was bewildered, but her eyes trembled slightly, as if remembering something, her body quivered, her hands slowly clenched.

Herbert raised his right hand, lightly brushing the back of his hand against the girl’s cheek, his eyes downcast, lovingly asking:

"What kind of person do you want to become?"

!!!

Teresa’s expression wavered even more, but after the turmoil, she still couldn’t come up with a real answer, once again lowering her head to evade.

"I, I want to... I don’t know."

She didn’t know.

Really didn’t know how to answer.

The question came too suddenly, without any preparation, but there was no time to think, no way to understand the answer in her own heart.

After all, she was just a poor, uneducated, ignorant little village girl.

Even with power beyond the ordinary, enjoying this gift from her bloodline, she didn’t know how to use it, let alone talk about any so-called ambition and ideas.

Teresa just wanted to escape right now.

Just like many times before, to cover her head, as long as she hid under the quilt, she could forget the pain and difficulties she faced.

As long as she closed her eyes, she could roam in the world of dreams, briefly escaping that pitiful reality.

But this time, Herbert didn’t intend to let her keep evading.

Temporary avoidance could indeed provide some false stability, but there was no way to evade forever.

Since there will come a day when she’ll need to face it, why not choose this moment right now?

The best time to plant a tree was ten years ago, the second-best time is now.

Herbert’s gaze toward the girl became even more gentle, his tone even softer, speaking lightly:

"I see, I understand, then perhaps we can ask in a different way... Teresa, what is your wish?"

If you say you don’t like power, and feel that power holds no meaning to you, then surely you’ve had dreams, right?

What is your wish?

"Wish? My wish..."

Perhaps because the person before her spoke with enough gentleness, Teresa’s spirit and body gradually relaxed, following his words to begin thinking.

A wish?

I suppose I’ve had a wish, yes, I definitely had a wish.

But I’m just a greedy child, whose wishes keep changing.

People’s wishes change with time.

At the very beginning, the wish Teresa held was really just a small, very ordinary and simple wish.

Back then, Teresa wished her mother had never died, and her father wouldn’t be away from home all year round.

She only wished for a family like everyone else’s, even if not wealthy, but happy and fulfilling.

She just wanted to have a family.

But this small wish, ultimately, also didn’t come true.

Her mother didn’t return because of her sincere prayers like in the stories, not even appearing in her dreams.

Mother, was a heartless person.

And father was always out, busy with unknown matters, only seen a few times a year.

Though each time he tried to mend the relationship, to a child, a tall stranger was still too hard to approach.

Father, was a stranger.

At that time, she hoped a Knight would appear to bring her father back to her side, so father and daughter could resist their longing for her mother together.

Although eventually, with age, she gradually understood her father’s concerns, the missing childhood and the wounds left wouldn’t easily vanish through understanding.

Later, her father finally halted his wanderings.

He seemed to finally give up ceaselessly journeying, leaving a letter telling her to go to their true family.

By then, Teresa had matured, understanding the meaning of family and noble lineage.

She was a village girl, yet seemed not to be a simple country girl, but an aristocratic progeny with special secrets.

Although she held little sense of identity or reality with her status, life seemingly was indeed improving.