Seraphie gave up on the Council of Elders. Or rather, she gave up not going there. Once recommended, membership was mandatory, and since the emperor had recommended her, there was nothing she could do. So, she quickly decided not to dwell on it too much, though it was closer to resignation. After filling out the membership documents and sending the exorbitant annual fee, a reply came soon after.
Seraphie’s first attendance at the council was scheduled for two weeks later. Fortunately, Duke Felicia contacted her just in time, offering to accompany her to the meeting. Though Seraphie wasn’t too thrilled, she reluctantly replied that she would be glad to go with him.
At least it’s a relief he’s not an enemy but an ally. Annoying as the duke could be, having him by her side meant things were less likely to go wrong.
Having quickly given up on the Council of Elders issue, Seraphie turned back to her other affairs. First, she repurchased Lunie’s store, which had been acquired by the Felicia family. Lunie returned to managing the store as before, though its ownership was now under Seraphie’s name.
After that, Seraphie formalized her contract with Lunie and hired a few more people to handle some of the accounting work. This freed up Lunie’s time, allowing her to assist Seraphie in planning new ventures and managing the store.
“Sera, look at this!”
The store, which had closed down after the second arson, brought good news.
“The imperial family has placed an order with us!”
The imperial family had sent an official request to purchase a specific item from Lunie’s store.
“They want to buy a large quantity of the ceramic figures Sera decorated your mansion’s garden with!”
“Ceramic figures?”
“It seems Lord Eks put in a good word for us.”
Lunie was overjoyed, saying this would be incredible publicity. On the other hand, Seraphie couldn’t understand why the imperial family wanted to buy animal-shaped ceramic figures. Noticing this, Lunie explained the situation.
“The emperor loves animals.”
“Then why not just keep animals instead of… ?”
“Animals are prohibited in the Imperial Palace.”
Why was it again? Lunie recalled something she had once heard in passing.
“Her Majesty is said to be allergic to animal fur.”
For the emperor’s health, animals that shed fur were banned from entering the imperial palace. Even horses and other necessary animals were only kept in designated areas.
“Allergic to fur?”
Seraphie found it hard to believe that someone who exudes such an overwhelming aura, just from being seen from afar, could be sensitive to fur. Well, it’s something to be careful about. Allergies could be a serious issue if one lets their guard down. In any case, it was a good thing for them.
“To be honest, the figurines weren’t selling well, so we had a ton of them in stock.” Lunie was delighted that the imperial family would be taking them off their hands.
“…”
On the other hand, Seraphie recalled that she had bought those figurines from Lunie at full price. It left a bit of a bitter taste.
“For now…” Seraphie offered a small piece of advice to Lunie. “When you deliver the figurines, include some kind of backstory or setting with them.”
“Backstory?”
“The figurines in our garden each have a role to play. In short, the garden was like a canvas that told a story. For example, the squirrel is digging under the tree to stockpile food for the winter, and the rabbit is searching for a good spot to burrow. Rather than just placing them randomly, giving the figurines a story and arranging them accordingly made them more lively and visually appealing.”
“That’s a great idea!” Lunie agreed enthusiastically. “Then, as Sera suggested, I’ll include a few ways to arrange the figurines along with some stories.”
“What kind of stories would Her Majesty like?”
“Since she likes animals, I think a fairy-tale theme might be best. Something fun and happy…”
After reopening the store and completing the order from the imperial family, they immediately turned their attention to the villa repairs, which was the most pressing task. They had to quickly finish the repairs to send the Great Madam Vallidus to the villa. Workers were sent to renovate one of the chosen villas in the complex, and next, Seraphie helped the great madam select furniture for the villa.
“Mother, what kind of furniture would you like?”
“I recommend cherrywood furniture. It has an elegant color and beautiful design.”
“It’s really beautiful…”
“As expected! Great Madam, you have such excellent taste!”
The ordered furniture was quickly delivered and arranged in the villa. According to the gardeners who had gone to tend the garden, it was now ready for occupancy. And so, the day for Great Madam Vallidus to leave the mansion was fast approaching.
“Master.”
One evening, the head maid came to see Seraphie.
“May I accompany the great madam when she leaves?”
“You too?”
“I haven’t been able to serve her properly until now. So I’d like to make amends by accompanying her, even if it’s late.”
“Don’t say that.” Seraphie hurriedly grabbed the head maid’s hands. “You’ve been taking care of this mansion and my mother all this time, and thanks to you, we’ve been able to live so well. Don’t undervalue your sacrifice.”
In truth, Seraphie secretly hoped the head maid would leave with the great madam. The thought of sending her mother off alone was more than a little worrisome.
“I’d be grateful if you went with her.”
“I also have a few recommendations for my replacement.”
“Then we should check them quickly and make a decision.”
When Seraphie joked that she was curious if anyone could truly replace the head maid, the head maid smiled faintly.
* * *
The day Great Madam Vallidus was set to leave for the villa complex arrived. The carriage was already prepared, and all the luggage had been loaded onto it. Another carriage was packed full of food supplies for the stay there. Now, all that was left was for the great madam to come out of her room. But that was proving to be a challenge.
“…”
She had managed to muster the courage to open the door and stand at the threshold without hesitation, but she couldn’t bring herself to take that final step forward.
“Mother, you don’t have to force yourself.”
“No.”
Despite Seraphie’s attempts to dissuade her, the great madam uncharacteristically stood her ground.
“I want to walk out on my own two feet.”
“Great Madam… “Lunie clasped her hands tightly as if in prayer, cheering her on. “You can do it, Great Madam!”
Despite the encouragement, the great madam stood frozen for a long time. She had been standing so still for so long that her legs began to tremble.
“…”
Unable to watch any longer, Seraphie stepped in front of the great madam. “Mother.” Then, without hesitation, she turned around and lowered her body. “Get on my back.”
“…What?”
While the flustered great madam stammered, Seraphie had already grabbed her arms and draped them over her neck. She then reached back to support her knees.
“Ack!”
Of course, with a sharp cry, they both toppled over onto the hallway floor.
“Sera! Great Madam!”
“Are you both alright?”
Lunie and the head maid, who had been watching from the side, hurriedly rushed to help them up.
“Se-Sera! Are you okay…!”
“Mother.”
With the help of the two, Seraphie barely managed to stand up, flashing a small smile. Seraphie’s slender arm was still tightly gripping the great madam’s leg.
“We made it out of the room.”
The great madam’s eyes widened in surprise. She had been so preoccupied with worrying whether Seraphie had stumbled and hurt herself because of her that she hadn’t even realized she had stepped out of the room. At that moment, Seraphie took a difficult step forward.
“See? It’s not so scary.”
“…”
The great madam couldn’t respond. It wasn’t scary at all, and that surprised her so much that she didn’t know what to say.
The mansion was far cleaner and more spacious than she remembered. Everywhere she looked, there were beautiful flowers in vases and elegant paintings on the walls. This wasn’t the Vallidus mansion she remembered. It had been a hellish place, full of chaos, where everyone lived in fear of her husband’s temper.
“I can even carry Mother around now, so I must have gotten a lot stronger, right?”
“Watching you makes me nervous.”
“Miss Secretary is right. What if Master gets hurt like this…”
“But shouldn’t Mother be the one building up more stamina instead of me?”
But for now, all that existed was the peace that allowed them to say whatever they wanted freely.
“…Let me down.”
Before she knew it, she had reached the entrance hall.
“You want to leave on your own two feet, don’t you?”
“…”
“Can you hold my hand instead?”
“Of course, I should be the one to hold it for you.”
It was her daughter, after all.
After helping the great madam down to the floor, Seraphie extended her hand.
“Haa…”
As the great madam placed both feet on the ground, her face turned pale in an instant. Once again, the nightmare tried to tear apart her courage. But she seemed determined not to allow even a moment for that.
“Teacher!”
The front door burst open, and a young boy ran up to them, grabbing the great madam’s free hand.
The front door opened, and a young boy came running over. Then, he tightly grabbed the Countess Dowager’s other empty hand. It was the same child who had been by her side when the Countess Dowager collapsed at the door before.
“Teacher, you can do it!” The boy cheered her on, waving his tiny hand enthusiastically.
“…”
Slowly, the great madam moved her legs. Her steps were small, but no one rushed her. Everyone around her matched her slow pace. It was so different from the stifling atmosphere of the past.
“Teacher, when will you come back?”
Bia’s younger sibling asked the great madam. Just the thought of her going far away made the child feel like crying.
“…I’m not sure.”
Though her walking effort was already overwhelming, the great madam spoke kindly to her first student.
“Will you miss me?”
“Yes.”
“Then could you write me a letter with the words I taught you?”
“Will you send me a letter too, Teacher?”
Before anyone realized it, the great madam had reached the front door. Since the boy had come in through the door earlier, only one of the double doors was closed.
The great madam smiled softly. “Of course I will.” Then she pushed the other door open with all her strength.
Though the door was quite heavy, it swung open easily. It was thanks to Orkis and Carl, who had been waiting outside and opened it for her. The great madam couldn’t hide her surprise when she saw Orkis and Carl.
“Great Madam, it’s perfect weather for traveling.” Carl greeted her with a warm smile.
“My family’s knights will accompany you on your journey.”
By the carriage, four knights from the Felicia family stood ready to escort her, along with Orkis.
“The Felicia family values its friendship with Vallidus.”
Of course, that wasn’t the only reason. Orkis sought permission with a glance from Seraphie. Seraphie willingly moved closer and leaned her body against Orkis’s arm.
“How could I just let the mother of my beloved embark on such a long journey without doing anything?”
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