Chapter 132
Ascart tilted his head as if wondering what else I could possibly mean.
All this time, I thought the Elard princes were the most extreme sister-obsessed fools I had ever seen, but it seemed there was someone just as bad standing right in front of me.
“Lia, I know how close you are with Diana.”
Suddenly, Ascart’s expression grew serious.
He whispered softly,
“It’ll be hard to say goodbye so suddenly, but you’ll see each other again… so don’t be too sad.”
Hearing Ascart speak as if he understood my feelings better than I did, I clamped my mouth shut.
Honestly, ever since I started my second life, I had spent every single day with Diana, so the idea of parting from her didn’t feel real.
‘There was a time when I had prepared for our separation myself…’
Yet now, that distant moment had suddenly become my reality.
With a sigh, I thought to myself that life was truly unpredictable.
And just like that, the day of our farewell arrived—unexpectedly and all too quickly.
***
The next day.
While my family contacted the Principality in advance and prepared for our departure, I decided to visit the Ducal Estate with Ascart to say my final goodbyes.
‘I thought I’d get there quickly since it’s close enough to walk…’
But today, the road to the estate felt unusually rough.
Perhaps my father thought I was a walking time bomb ready to explode, as he cast multiple layers of protective and tracking spells on me.
Since I had already been tainted by dark energy, Raizel had said any blessings might not be very effective, but my mother pestered him until he bestowed his protection on me anyway.
And that was still the least of it.
Inside the Marquisate, especially in the areas where my parents stayed, only those who knew my true identity were present. As a result, everyone acted without restraint, and their treatment of me was particularly excessive.
‘Well, my body is that of a child, but still…’
They were treating me as if I had just learned to walk.
Grandfather insisted on carrying me everywhere, convinced that I would trip and suffer a terrible injury. My father, afraid my wrists would snap if touched too roughly, personally fed me every single meal.
‘At least I liked it when Mother dried my hair.’
My heart warmed as if I were a precious treasure.
Of course, I couldn’t lift my head, given the way the maids watched Mother with jealous eyes while she tended to my hair.
And so, after enduring my family’s extreme overprotectiveness, I finally arrived at the Ducal Estate.
As soon as I stepped out of the carriage, Ascart hesitantly asked,
“Lia, can I carry you inside?”
“No! People will see, and it’s embarrassing!”
The moment I refused, his eyes drooped pitifully.
Seeing him look like a puppy caught in the rain, I sighed.
“I’ll let you carry me in the Grand Duke’s castle.”
“…Really?!”
Ascart immediately beamed as if I had just handed him a chest full of gold.
I shook my head slightly at his reaction.
‘Is it because of his face? How does he keep making me feel weak…? Not that I really have a reason to refuse him anyway.’
At least keeping my family happy was better than making them upset.
Maybe their influence had rubbed off on me because I felt like I had become a little shameless.
Then, Ascart asked,
“Lia, didn’t you say you wanted to stop by the training grounds before meeting Diana?”
“Yes.”
More precisely, my destination was the knights’ quarters near the training grounds.
Holding Ascart’s hand carefully, I stepped into the training grounds, mindful of the many weapons around. Despite the cold winter air, figures were hard at work, devoted to their training.
And then, I saw something that made me doubt my own eyes.
“Perfect timing, Lia! …No, I mean, Your Highness.”
Taze, who had run up to greet me, scratched his head awkwardly at the sudden change in my title.
“Uncle, just call me like you always have—for today, at least.”
“Ahem, are you sure?”
Glancing at Ascart for permission, Taze leaned in slightly and whispered,
“Lia, could you please talk some sense into Jack? I told him to rest, but he refuses to listen. It seems like yesterday, Young Master Allen…”
Hearing his hushed words, I nodded.
I had already guessed as much.
In the future, Jack and Allen would become inseparable rivals, so Jack must have been shaken by Allen’s aura manifestation.
Even during their sparring sessions, I had noticed Jack growing anxious, always struggling to catch up with Allen’s rapidly improving skills.
‘He reminded me of myself.’
Even now, the way Jack wielded his sword was filled with urgency, his strikes brimming with unnecessary force.
“I was going to tell him you were here…”
“He already knows.”
The moment Taze had rushed over to me, Jack’s breathing had faltered for just an instant. His blade had wavered slightly, so subtle that only someone watching closely would have noticed.
“Jack.”
Leaving Taze and Ascart behind, I approached him and softly called his name.
Up close, I could see his forehead and hair drenched in sweat, despite the winter chill.
“I heard you weren’t feeling well. Why are you doing this? If you push yourself too hard, your cold will only get worse.”
“…”
“You haven’t been learning the sword for long. There’s no need to rush.”
Of course, I knew that even if he understood that logically, it wouldn’t be easy to accept emotionally.
And I also knew that his strong competitive spirit would help him grow faster in the future.
But I didn’t want to see him overwork himself out of fear and impatience.
At that moment…
“You’re leaving today?”
Jack slowly lowered his sword, his gaze fixed on the ground as he spoke.
“I don’t know how someone as noble as you ended up growing up as a lowly orphan like me… but at least you’ve finally found your rightful place.”
“…Jack?”
“I won’t speak of the Grand Princess’s origins or past. Even if we meet again, I won’t acknowledge you. So… please, don’t erase my memories.”
“What… what do you mean? And why are you speaking so formally to me?”
I barely managed to force the words out, my voice tight.
Was it anger? My body was trembling.
“We’re friends… We are friends, right? Don’t tell me you were fine being friends with me when I was a commoner, but now that I’m a noble, it’s not allowed… Is that it?”
Jack lifted his head at my words, exhaling a cloud of white breath.
“When I asked what would happen to you from now on, my father told me. For your safety, someone has been tasked with erasing the memories of the Duke’s household servants. That means I’ll be included, too…”
“They won’t erase yours!”
I yelled without thinking.
In the distance, I saw Taze and Ascart flinch, but I didn’t care.
“Yes, it’s true that they decided to erase everyone else’s memories.”
After everything that had happened recently, the servants of both the Duke’s and the Marquis’s estates must have realized that something was going on between the two families regarding me.
Of course, they wouldn’t have dared to guess the full truth.
But once the Principality officially announced that they had found the lost Grand Princess, some might start to suspect my identity.
Just being the missing Grand Princess would be enough to keep people talking endlessly about my past and how I had lived.
If it ever came to light that I was once an orphan in an orphanage or a maid in the Duke’s estate… how would people react?
But in reality, my background and past weren’t the biggest issue.
‘It was the demon worshippers who kidnapped me and even altered my appearance.’
Long ago, my father had eradicated those cultists, and their name had finally faded from history.
But if it was revealed that they were behind the Grand Princess’s kidnapping, their name would resurface, and countless rumors, malicious and baseless, would spread about me.
To prevent that chaos, erasing memories was a necessary measure.
“But not yours, Jack.”
“You’re my friend.”
Even as I desperately added those words, Jack remained silent, lips pressed tightly together.
I could see it in his eyes…he had already resigned himself to losing those memories.
***
“Haah…”
I let out a deep sigh as I entered Diana’s room.
Honestly, when I came to the Duke’s estate today, I thought facing Diana would be the hardest part.
Maybe that was why I had gone to the training grounds first, to ease my nerves.
‘Jack may be blunt, but he’s surprisingly affectionate…’
I had expected him to sincerely congratulate me for finding my family, maybe feel a little sad, but ultimately send me off with a proper farewell.
But instead, Jack had blindsided me completely.
Now, standing before Diana—the person I had feared facing the most today—I could only let out another troubled sigh.
At the same time, the eyelids of the child lying straight on the bed, eyes tightly shut, quivered slightly.
“Lady Diana, I’m here.”
“…”
“I know you’re pretending to sleep.”
“…”
“Dana, are you really not going to look at me?”
I called her by the name I used back when we lived at the orphanage, my voice lighthearted as I took a seat in the chair beside her bed.
Diana’s shoulders flinched, but she still refused to open her eyes.
I knew firsthand that, despite always acting like a gentle lamb around me, Diana was incredibly stubborn. Seeing her like this made me feel at a loss.
‘Looks like I’ll have to use my last resort.’
I didn’t want to do this to Diana, knowing how hard this already was for her, but I had no choice if I wanted a proper goodbye.
“Alright then. Take care, Diana.”
I infused my voice with as much sorrow as I could muster and slowly stood up.
Step, step.
I made sure my footsteps were loud as I walked toward the door and reached for the handle.
“Hhng…!”
A sudden sob broke out behind me.
When I turned, I saw Diana slipping off the bed, nearly collapsing to the floor.
Her eyes, red and swollen from crying all night, stared at me. But she hesitated, unable to take another step closer.
“Dana…”
My heart clenched.
She might not have known the full details, but she must have realized that she wasn’t supposed to come near me anymore.
Through sniffles and hiccups, Diana managed to speak.
“Mom said… back when she had to leave Dad… she missed him so much… So she said it’d be the same for you… That families… are supposed to stay together… Hhng…”
