Episode 134

“The late Duchess of Drenihan… was our Isabella…”

Facing Catherine’s tear-filled eyes, I couldn’t hide my bewildered expression.

All I had wanted was to restore my mother’s true name and put an end to the Count and Countess’s long, painful search.

But more than that — Catherine looked as if a single touch would send her into tears.

‘Was she… shocked to hear Mother had already passed away?’

Maybe it would’ve been kinder to let them keep believing she was still alive somewhere.

At that moment, there was another person just as stunned.

Naturally, everyone’s attention shifted to Serkan Drenihan.

A crack had formed in his usually ice-cold expression.

With heavy steps, Father walked toward where I, the Count and Countess, and Lisburn stood.

“The test… is accurate, Tower Master?”

“Of course. I stake my honor on it.”

“……”

Sionna had grown up in an orphanage and was later adopted into a humble barony.

To hear now that her true origins lay with the Chetwind family… it was understandable that it was hard to believe.

Then, I caught whispers among the gathering nobles.

“The portrait of the missing Chetwind daughter was famous nationwide. How did no one ever suspect Lady Sionna’s identity?”

“Well, Lady Sionna almost never appeared in society. Most people only ever heard rumors about her beauty. Still… lots of nobles attended her wedding. Strange no one noticed anything then.”

I couldn’t argue with that.

‘At least one person should’ve recognized her.’

That’s when I heard Askan’s voice in my head.

[A contract with a spirit can subtly influence the contractor’s appearance. Sionna formed a contract with me when she was fifteen… it’s only natural her looks changed from her childhood days.]

‘Wait, what? It changes appearance?’

I’d never heard of such a thing.

‘Does that mean… me too?’

[Of course. You don’t notice because you see yourself every day, but you’re becoming more striking by the day.]

That’s definitely something he should’ve told me before the contract!

‘No wonder no one could find her, even after searching the whole Empire…’

Askan gave a guilty little cough.

[Still, the contract between Sionna and me was inevitable. When I first met her, she was being chased by bandits and had suffered a severe head injury. Without the contract, she would have died on the spot.]

‘…Is that when she lost her memories of being a Chetwind?’

[Most likely.]

It was a terribly twisted fate.

At that moment, Catherine, her eyes reddened, asked Father in a trembling voice,

“Our… our Isabella… did she live happily?”

And Father, rather than using a hundred words, answered with a single firm nod.

A tear fell down Catherine’s cheek, but she smiled radiantly.

“Then I’m truly glad.”

Far from the despair I feared, her face showed pure relief.

Perhaps because she had heard how my mother had been loved like a treasure at Drenihan, Catherine bowed her head and said,

“Thank you… for making our Isabella happy, in place of us, who failed her.”

“…It was nothin’.”

Father answered in a low voice.

“And Sierra.”

Then Catherine pulled me into her arms and cried.

“There was a reason I felt so drawn to you from the very start. Why I kept wanting to look after you, to be closer to you… I thought it was just because you resembled Isabella. But you can’t fool blood.”

“Lady Catherine…”

She gently caressed my cheek, then turned to Harry and said,

“Now that Kirios has chosen a new master… what happens to the Chetwind heir, Harry?”

Before he could answer, I quickly spoke up.

“I’m already the heir of Drenihan. Taking on Chetwind too would be… far too much.”

It wasn’t impossible to inherit multiple titles, but Drenihan alone already felt overwhelming.

Harry reassured me,

“The tradition of Kirios choosing the heir is from the old days. You can inherit the title if you want, but if not, there’s no burden. Don’t worry about it.”

“Um, then… what should I do with this sword?”

I asked, awkwardly holding up Kirios, which I’d been clutching this whole time.

“Baron Daniel will succeed the title as planned. As for you, you’ll simply be recognized as Kirios’s chosen master.”

Harry laughed heartily.

“That fickle sword has finally found a new master it likes after so long.”

‘Me, the master of Kirios…?’

I had never properly wielded a sword in my life, and yet here I was, chosen by a legendary weapon. It felt unreal.

At that moment, the Emperor stood up from his throne and approached Harry.

“At last, your long wait has ended, Harry.”

The Chetwind daughter’s disappearance had once shaken the entire Empire.

Even the Imperial Family had led a massive search, but it had ended in failure.

Now, the mystery was finally solved.

“This truly is a joyous day. Strike up the music! Tonight’s banquet shall be a celebration in their honor!”

At his command, cheers and congratulatory voices burst from all around us.

* * *

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it a frenzied banquet.

Endless waves of delicious food, an orchestra that seemed like it would never stop playing.

And in the end, what should have been a short two-hour celebration of the Founding Festival didn’t end until the evening sunset had dyed the sky red.

Now that it had been revealed that my maternal side was none other than the Chetwind family, the flood of attention toward me didn’t cease.

Even as I left the banquet hall, I was sweating bullets trying to shake off people clinging to me.

Especially the unsettling feeling that the Emperor was now paying very close attention to me — that, I just couldn’t shake.

It must, absolutely must, be my imagination that he was considering me for the Crown Prince’s consort, despite the fact that I was known to be a Lisbeth patient.

“Lady Sierra.”

Just then, a voice called out to me from behind as I was heading toward the carriage.

When I checked who it was, I quickly told the Count and Countess and Father to go ahead and board the carriage first before turning around.

“Lord Lisburn, I was planning to visit you after escorting the Count and Countess.”

But it seemed he wasn’t willing to wait.

His face — desperate, unlike usual — was craving the truth I held.

“Please tell me now. What you know, Lady Sierra.”

I walked toward the stone-still Lisburn and said,

“Long ago, my grandfather took in a young boy wandering the streets. He had lost all his memories, didn’t even know his own name, so Grandfather named him ‘Desar.’”

“……”

“The boy learned swordsmanship to stay by his benefactor’s side, but he actually had an extraordinary talent for magic. His looks, his aura — he resembles you quite a lot, Lord Lisburn. If you meet him yourself, you’ll understand.”

“Where can I find him?”

“He’s probably in Selbuk territory, where my grandfather resides.”

“……Did he ever… miss his parents?”

“Well… it seems he lost all his early memories, so…”

“……Even if he does remember, he wouldn’t have many happy ones. I was always busy, and I wasn’t a good father to him.”

Lisburn gave a bitter smile but spoke with understanding.

“Still, he always carried half of a pendant around his neck.”

In my memory, Desar never once took off that necklace.

“If nothing else, it means there’s still someone he’s been waiting for deep inside. But…”

I looked Lisburn straight in the eyes and said,

“After all these years, Desar has lived longer as a knight of Drenihan than he ever did as the son of the Tower Master. Please… don’t try to force him back to his old place. Accept him as he is now.”

In the original story, Desar deeply resented everyone forcing him back into a life he didn’t remember.

Jenna had meant well, but it only widened the distance between father and son.

After a moment of silence, Lisburn finally spoke.

“I will keep that in mind.”

He turned around and said,

“Thank you, Lady Sierra. For helping me.”

Leaving only those words behind, Lisburn vanished as swiftly as if he’d never been there.

This was all I could do.

Even if a late reunion couldn’t erase the years of loss, I just hoped it wouldn’t leave another scar between them.

* * *

At the same time, deep within the Imperial Palace — in a secret room where no footsteps ever reached — sharp voices leaked out.

“Sierra wasn’t supposed to get the Holy Sword! What about all the plans we made, Herz?!”

Jenna turned her furious, bloodshot eyes toward the man lost in thought.