Chapter 110

From then on, little by little, good news began to trickle in.

As if that beautiful scenery had been some kind of omen.

Thanks to my sister Juela’s actions in blocking the Marquis of Sandor, the number of people stirring up the nobility noticeably decreased.

Afterward, each of the temples also officially spoke out.

[We have confirmed the so-called “resurrection” being discussed in recent times and do not recognize it as an act of divinity.]

In other words, they had judged that no divine power was involved in the reappearance of Viscount Celeste.

Then how had he reappeared?

Under normal circumstances, one might have assumed the Second Prince had managed to spirit him away somehow.

But this time, the announcement had come from the temples—several of them—speaking with one voice.

So it was no surprise that people’s thoughts began to lean in this direction:

“Huh? Was some sinister magic involved? Are we all going to be burned at the stake along with him?”

Thus, even some nobles who had been wavering naturally stopped meeting with the Second Prince’s faction.

And then, one day—

The happiest news, or rather, the happiest people, came to me.

“Mom! Dad! Elga!”

At last, my parents and my older sister Elga had finished settling the northern disturbances and come to Roquate.

I tumbled forward in a run and threw my arms around both Mother and Father at once. Father’s hands, which were surprisingly large-jointed despite his slender appearance, patted my shoulders.

“I’ve heard all about what happened. You’ve been through a lot, my daughter.”

“You’ve grown up.”

Their warm words made my eyes sting for no reason, as if the knot of hardship built up during those difficult times was finally dissolving.

“Mom.”

“Mmm?”

“I’m sorry, because of me, Sir Nicholas…”

“Minuelle.”

Before I could even lift my head, still clinging to her to apologize, Mother pulled me back and spoke firmly.

“That’s not something you should apologize to me for.”

“But… he was your aide for such a long time.”

“He was a capable and good man. That’s why I’m also saddened, but I’m not the one who should receive your grief or guilt.”

“…Then who?”

“Nicholas Viache himself. And his family.”

I had meant to answer Of course, but strangely, my lips wouldn’t move.

Perhaps, since the memorial service, I had already let go of some of that guilt.

How foolish.

I dropped my head.

It was shameful—Nicholas was gone, but those who bore his name remained, and yet I had not gone to see them.

Then I realized that remembering him was the final form of responsibility I could hold on to.

“I’ll… visit the Viache family in person before the funeral.”

“Good.”

Only then did Mother stroke my head with a faint smile before striding off with Father toward the waiting head butler.

As I watched them, Elga approached me.

“Juela told me—you’re not a baby anymore.”

“Aw, but to my sisters I’ll always be the baby.”

“You little thing.”

A rare smile touched my sister’s usually stern face.

While we were smiling at each other, I noticed the knights moving busily behind her.

The ones Elga had brought were carrying large crates in groups; there were easily more than ten at a glance.

“What are those?”

“Mm. Best not to open them.”

“I’m not about to, but… what are they?”

“A gift for a traitor.”

The sound of her scoff was chilling enough to make me imagine the crates’ dry bottoms dripping red liquid.

“Come inside, Minuelle.”

“Uh… o-okay.”

My parents weren’t even going to rest—they planned to pay respects to the Emperor at the Plendena temple. Before that, they had carved out a brief moment for the family to gather.

Even as my sister led me inside, I couldn’t get those crates out of my mind.

Well, how else would Mom, Dad, and Elga have returned?

Of course they would have taken care of everything.

Then… are those heads?

I was still picturing the contents rolling and bumping inside when our parents and Juela entered as well.

Once everyone was seated, Elga began summarizing what had happened in the north in place of our parents.

“As expected—it was a charm-type magic, controlling the leader of a monster tribe.”

She explained that it had been a struggle because the number of guards they’d brought was smaller than expected and the charm on the monsters did not wear off quickly.

But once the magic’s effect broke, the monsters killed their leader and abandoned their village, disappearing deeper into the mountains.

“They’ll need to find a new home, so the monsters should be quiet for the next two or three years.”

Juela then reported on matters in the trading company and the recent attempts at recruitment among the lower nobility.

Although our family often spent time together, this gathering felt less like catching up and more like a formal debriefing.

But it was necessary—our parents believed that in a small family like ours, the one thing to avoid was letting misunderstandings grow through hearsay.

“…So, Viscount Celeste is currently in seclusion.”

“He hasn’t entered the capital?”

“No. We don’t know why, but he’s shut himself away with his sons.”

“We’ll just have to keep watch for now.”

As Juela and Father finished speaking, I began organizing what I wanted to say.

Knock, knock.

The sudden knocking made everyone assume something urgent had happened, their expressions tightening.

Even the servants had been dismissed from this meeting, knowing full well it was not to be interrupted.

When the butler entered with an apologetic face, Elga was already on her feet.

“What is it?”

“His Highness, the Third Prince has arrived.”

In that instant, all eyes turned to me.

“Gasp. I didn’t call him.”

Esadien had been staying in our guest manor since the memorial service.

Sometimes he came to see me, sometimes I went to him. Was he here to see me as usual, or…

Did he hear my parents were here?

Maybe he was simply coming out of courtesy to greet them.

Either way, it didn’t seem like a big deal.

…Or so I thought.

The moment Esadien walked in with graceful composure and knelt on one knee before my parents, my composure shattered to pieces.

“Esa…!”

“Quiet, Minuelle.”

Startled, I started to rise, but Juela, seated beside me, held me down.

Esadien didn’t so much as glance my way—he kept his eyes fixed on my parents as if they were the only ones in the room.

“I have disturbed your precious daughter’s heart. I sincerely apologize.”

Even his tone was different.

A royal speaking respectfully to nobles?

I’d grown used to him speaking politely to me, but hearing him address my parents that way made me feel oddly unsettled.

Is… is this okay?

Apparently, I was the only one feeling restless.

Everyone else stared at him like statues, their expressions unreadable. If looks could burn, Esadien would have been reduced to ash.

Yet he continued, unfazed.

“Such a thing will never happen again. I will honor Minuelle for the rest of my life. Please grant me another chance.”

When his words ended, silence filled the room.

It was broken only by the slow, steady tapping of Mother’s fingers against the armrest.

Tap, tap, tap.

The sound was so even it could rival a metronome, and with every tap my chest felt tighter.

Against that backdrop, Father finally turned to me.

“So, Minuelle? What do you think?”

“Well… when we broke up, it was because of a misunderstanding…”

Suddenly, all eyes—including Esadien’s—were on me.

Ahh! Everyone’s staring at me!

Trying to take back my words after the fuss I’d made felt mortifying enough to kill me.

At the same time, I realized that there was no need to say anything more here—only the conclusion mattered.

Clenching my hands, I skipped over all the reasons and went straight to the point.

“…Yes. I want to try again.”

But maybe I was wrong to think so.

The moment the words left my mouth, my parents and Elga each spoke in turn, their tone somewhere between confirmation and warning.

“Be cautious.”

“If you withdraw your request for dissolution this time, there will never be another chance, Minuelle.”

“Don’t be swayed by sweet words.”

It felt like I was the one being put through an interview, and with each statement, Esadien’s head dipped lower and lower.

Seeing that made anger flare inside me.

Is this why you insisted on staying here?

I shot to my feet. This time, Juela didn’t stop me.

“Isn’t it too much to make someone kneel and then speak to him like that to his face?”

The atmosphere, already tense, instantly froze over. But I ignored it, striding over to seize Esadien’s arm.

“Stand up.”

“…Minuelle.”

“Now!”

I tugged again, and only then did he slowly rise to his feet.

Looking around at my family, I said,

“I understand your worries. It hasn’t been long since I swore I never wanted to see him again.”

I tightened my hold on Esadien’s arm so my family could see, and his shoulder visibly flinched.

If I peeked under his collar now, I bet his skin would be bright red.

I pushed the thought aside and continued.

“I cherish our family—Mom, Dad, my sisters, and Ramande—just as much as I love this person. And I’ve realized my feelings for him aren’t any smaller than that.”

“Are you certain?”

“Yes. So I won’t make you worry anymore, and I won’t turn away because of one misunderstanding. He’s changed.”

As I spoke, I could feel the warmth in Esadien’s arm growing stronger.

Seriously, you’re embarrassed even at this?

It was making me embarrassed too, so I cleared my throat for the ending.

“A-anyway… the feelings I have for my family and for Esadien are a little different, but… you get what I mean.”

At that moment, Juela—who had only stopped me earlier and hadn’t said a word since—finally spoke.

“I support Minuelle’s decision.”

I blinked at her, surprised by the unexpected support. Juela had been openly cold toward Esadien.

When I turned to him, he, too, looked at me in surprise.