Chapter 127
“You like being called ‘oppa’ even with an insult attached to it?”1As you know oppa and big brother are the same thing, but I think writing oppa here fits better with the context.
I was so dumbfounded that my mouth fell open on its own. But despite that, I found Ascart incredibly endearing.
So, I quickly covered my eyes with both hands, leaving a slight gap between my fingers to peek at him, and dramatically declared,
“Ah! So dazzling! I can’t believe such a handsome and kind ‘oppa’ is my brother!”
“…!”
Ascart, who had been both laughing and crying just moments ago, suddenly widened his eyes in shock.
For a moment, he froze in place before suddenly leaping to his feet and sweeping me into his arms. Then, spinning around in circles, he began shouting excitedly.
“My sister! She’s really my sister!”
“Ahh!”
“Lia is Adriana! My sister!”
As he twirled me around, my vision spun wildly, but his bright, joyful smile was so radiant that I couldn’t bring myself to tell him to stop.
And before I knew it, my cheeks turned red, and tears welled up in my eyes.
‘I must be a crybaby little sister because I take after my crybaby oppa.’
Even as I grumbled internally, my chest felt so full that I pushed aside my embarrassment and shouted at the top of my lungs.
“I have an oppa! I have a mom and dad! I have a family!”
Hearing my exclamation, Ascart became even more excited and spun me around faster.
I had always envied the close sibling relationship of the Elard ducal family, but now, I felt like I had become the protagonist of such a scene. It was so overwhelming that I could hardly think straight.
Knock, knock.
Just then, a knock sounded at the door, followed by Bianca’s voice.
Startled, I tried to wriggle out of Ascart’s arms, but he held me firmly and, as if proudly showing me off, walked straight to the door and opened it himself.
“Sir Marieta! Perfect timing. Let me introduce you. This is my sister!”
“Haha… Thank you for the introduction, Your Highness. And congratulations to you, Your Highness, on reuniting with your family.”
It seemed Bianca had overheard my outburst from outside the door. Her eyes were slightly misty, but she smiled warmly as she spoke.
“It is truly a pleasure to finally meet you.”
Feeling both embarrassed and awkward, I shyly nodded and mumbled, “Me too.”
Her affectionate gaze, both now and when we first met, was something I still wasn’t used to. My ears burned with warmth.
“But Sir, what brings you here? I heard that His and Her Grace were heading to the imperial palace. Didn’t you go with them?”
“No. I was ordered to stay here and protect Your Highnesses, the Grand Prince and Grand Princess.”
Bianca’s gentle smile faded as she straightened her posture, her demeanor shifting to that of the commander of Belus’s Magic Swordsmen.
The unwavering determination in her eyes made my cheeks grow hot, my heart pounding.
“And, more importantly, I received word that the Duke and Duchess of Elard are coming to visit. If it’s alright with you, they said they could depart immediately by carriage.”
As if waiting for my decision, Bianca looked at me expectantly. Without hesitation, I replied,
“I was planning to visit them anyway. I’m sure they must be worried after everything that happened yesterday.”
“Then I will personally escort you to the ducal residence.”
Bianca nodded firmly, her expression resolute.
***
“Ahh, so lovely…!”
“This must be the fairy of Belus…!”
“She’s like an angel…!”
Soft squeals rippled through the group of maids.
Although they tried to whisper as quietly as possible, Lia, who had heightened her senses, could hear everything. A thin layer of sweat formed on her forehead.
She was in the middle of getting ready to visit the Elard duchy.
According to Bianca, all the maids serving the Grand Duchess were loyal to House Belus and could be trusted.
They had also been informed about Lia’s true identity, so there was no need to worry.
Even so, she had assumed that they wouldn’t immediately accept a stranger as the grand princess just because they had been told the truth.
‘I was prepared to brace myself for any rejection.’
But their reaction was so drastically different from what she expected that it was just as overwhelming.
In front of her, they were perfectly polite and treated her with the utmost care. But the moment they turned away, she could hear their excited whispers—”Oh my gosh, she’s so gentle and graceful!”—making it impossible for her to lift her head in embarrassment.
Her body stiffened as she fidgeted with her fingers.
And then hearing, “Kyaa! She’s so cute!”
‘Please, just stop…!’
Lia was so flustered that she wanted to bury her face in her hands.
At that moment, like a savior, Bianca appeared.
“I’ll handle the finishing touches. The rest of you, leave the room.”
The maids hesitated for a moment, blinking in surprise and asking,
“Captain, you will?”
But soon, they had no choice but to shuffle out of the room.
Although Lia pretended not to care for the sake of the maids, she was incredibly relieved to face Bianca instead.
Compared to the maids, who were completely enchanted by her, Bianca’s calm and composed presence felt much more reassuring.
“Your Highness, allow me to check your attire.”
As Bianca straightened Lia’s loose yet comfortable dress, her expression grew complex.
If it were up to her, she would have had all the capital’s boutiques tailor the perfect outfit. But for now, they had to be mindful of rumors spreading before Lia was officially introduced.
Reluctantly, she settled on a dress that she had worn at the Elard residence. Even so, seeing how little Lia had grown over the years filled her with quiet concern.
Still, she didn’t forget to subtly check Lia’s hands and neck.
“There’s not a single scar left!”
Noticing Bianca’s gaze, Lia reassured her with a bright voice.
Bianca let out an awkward laugh, but inside, she was overwhelmed.
Lia, the girl she had been so concerned about, turned out to be the grand princess she had been searching for.
The memory of their first meeting at Tessar Orphanage still lingered painfully in her mind.
“…I had a strange feeling from the moment I first met you. I kept being drawn to you.”
At Bianca’s sudden confession, Lia blinked in surprise before shyly replying,
“I knew it too.”
“You even asked me to come to the principality with you.”
Hearing that, Bianca clenched her fists.
She wondered… what if she had insisted back then and taken Lia to the principality?
But Lia, sensing Bianca’s regret, simply gave a small, awkward smile.
It had taken a long time to reunite with her family, but she didn’t regret her past choices.
The time she spent at the Duke of Elard’s estate and the capital’s ducal residence had been difficult and sometimes painful, but looking back, they had become precious memories.
She had learned to open the heart she had once closed off out of fear of being hurt again. And most importantly, she had been able to save the duchess.
At that moment, Bianca carefully pulled something from the folds of her clothing.
“I have a feeling I’ll get in a lot of trouble if anyone finds out I gave you the first gift, but…”
“…?”
“Oh well. It’s not like I planned it this way. I actually bought this a while ago.”
Bianca took out a long hairpin adorned with a light green glass bead and gently placed it in Lia’s hair.
“It’s nothing special. I just saw it while passing by and thought of you.”
She had actually carried it with her, hoping to give it to Lia when they met again before arriving in the empire.
But now that the moment had come, she felt embarrassed—was this really an appropriate first gift for a grand princess?
“Did you really buy this just for me?”
Lia’s voice trembled with emotion as she asked.
Despite everything that had happened, Bianca was still someone Lia admired deeply.
The thought that someone she looked up to would protect her from now on was already overwhelming. And now, she had even received a gift?
For a moment, Bianca forgot how to breathe as she stared at Lia’s sparkling eyes. Then, she barely managed a nod.
“Yes. I thought it would look pretty with your forehead exposed… and as expected, it suits you well—ah.”
It looked fine with Lia’s brown hair, but what about her pink hair?
Hearing Bianca’s sudden hesitation, Lia quickly turned to the mirror on the vanity.
Then, she smiled brightly.
“It’s really, really beautiful. Thank you.”
***
Lia arrived at the Elard ducal residence, holding Ascart’s hand and escorted by Bianca.
Perhaps the staff had been given prior instructions, as the estate was quiet, and the duchess stood alone at the entrance to greet them.
Seeing Lia hesitate, unsure of what to say, the duchess stepped forward and pulled her into a warm embrace.
She didn’t ask what had happened or say anything about how hard it must have been.
But even without words, Lia could feel the duchess’s heart.
Following her inside, they entered the drawing room where Diana and Allen were waiting.
“Sister!”
Diana, who had spent the entire night anxiously searching for Lia, ran straight into her arms.
Overwhelmed with emotion, Lia held the little girl tightly, swaying gently as she hugged her.
“My lady…”
The words slipped out unconsciously, and Bianca cleared her throat softly from behind.
The duchess chuckled and said,
“Shouldn’t you call her by her name now?”
“Ah…”
Even after experiencing the maids’ reverent treatment earlier, Lia still hadn’t fully grasped the change in her status.
And calling Diana by name instead of ‘my lady’ felt strangely embarrassing.
At that moment, Ascart, who had spotted Allen standing awkwardly by the sofa, called out cheerfully.
“Hello, Allen!”
Lia, realizing that Ascart might have changed the subject on purpose to ease her discomfort, turned to look at him in surprise.
“Let me introduce you! This is my sister, Adriana!”
“…”
Seeing Ascart’s bright, innocent smile, it was clear that he simply wanted to say those words out loud.
“Uh-huh.”
Allen nodded absentmindedly and murmured,
“Congratulations, brother.”
But his gaze remained fixed, not on Ascart—but on Lia.
