EWOWMAIBTYPF Chapter 136

Chapter 136

 

As I nodded, my mother once again began massaging my hands together with my father.

Because I had been constantly seasick from the unfamiliar sea and my first time on a ship, my fingertips were cold.

‘No, maybe it wasn’t just because of the seasickness.’

Ever since I boarded the ship and watched the empire I had lived in my whole life rapidly fade into the distance, my heart had been unsettled.

Joy and sorrow, relief and regret coexisted within me.

Though I had many painful memories, all my precious ones were also in the empire.

The thought that I would now have to live a completely new life in a different place made me uneasy.

“Are you very nervous?”

Had my anxiety about the future shown so clearly on my face? My father, who had been watching me the whole time, asked gently.

I nodded.

“I’m a little worried. Even though it’s just an illusion spell, I don’t look like you and Mother…”

Although those in the Grand Duchy had been informed in advance, I was still anxious about whether they would be able to accept me, someone who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

At one point, I had thought of myself as someone who would never settle anywhere, someone who could never truly be part of a family.

And even now, I was afraid of not being welcomed.

“Who says such nonsense?! Adriana, you look just like your mother when she was young!”

“Especially your eyes—they’re exactly like mine.”

At that moment, my mother and father strongly refuted my words.

But wasn’t it only because they had briefly seen my real appearance that they thought that way?

My doubtful gaze was immediately met with reassurance.

“Even if your hair and eye colors are different, you still resemble us!”

“…Really?”

“Of course! If you look closely, there’s not a single part of you that doesn’t resemble us, it’s almost uncanny.”

It might have just been my overprotective parents trying to comfort me as usual, but their words eased my worries a little, and I found myself smiling.

Besides, after my mana outburst, I had often been told that I had suddenly become prettier. Maybe at that time, the illusion spell had weakened slightly, making me actually look more like them.

“We’ll be arriving soon, Your Highness.”

Just then, Bianca informed me that it was time to prepare for disembarkation.

As I instinctively took a deep breath, nervous, the hands holding mine on either side tightened reassuringly.

A short while later, the ship docked, and with my hood pulled over my head, I boarded the waiting carriage.

I could see the people of the Grand Duchy tilting their heads in confusion at the sight of the Grand Duke’s carriage. They could never have imagined that the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess, who had left for the empire, had returned.

Despite it being winter, the weather was warm. The setting sun painted the coastline in golden hues.

The lively atmosphere, the sounds of laughter, and the sight of people strolling leisurely all told me that we had arrived in Rone, the capital of Belus, a place I had only read about in books.

As I gazed out through the small window of the carriage, we soon began ascending a steep hill.

And then, after a short while…

“Adriana, it’s time to step out.”

My father, having first escorted my mother down from the carriage, extended his hand to me.

Feeling as if my heart might burst, I carefully took his hand.

“…!”

And then, I froze at the sight before me.

On a cliff overlooking the vast blue sea stood a grand, majestic white castle with towering pointed roofs.

Lining the path leading to the castle were thirty knights in white ceremonial uniforms adorned with the golden epaulettes symbolizing swordmasters, and nearly fifty attendants.

As one, they all bowed deeply.

“Welcome home, Your Highness, the Grand Princess.”

Welcome, welcome…

The powerful voices echoed endlessly in the air.

I blinked in astonishment, struggling to process the surreal scene before me.

Then, the elderly man at the front, his pristine silver hair swept neatly back without a strand out of place, stepped forward.

“Your Highness, the Grand Princess, you have endured much to come here. Truly, you have done well.”

His strict, disciplined expression softened as his eyes slowly filled with emotion.

It was as if he understood how difficult the journey had been for me, and the thought made tears well up in my own eyes.

“Thank you, Arthur.”

“…You know my name?”

“My father and mother told me about you on the way here. They said you have been a steadfast guardian of the Grand Duchy for a long time.”

Arthur had served the Belus Grand Duchy for three generations. In my mother’s absence, he had managed the Main Castle, overseeing everything from financial matters to charitable works.

Even when my father and mother left for my brother’s graduation, they trusted the castle to him completely.

“Ugh, I’m so jealous of the butler!”

“So this is the fairy of Belus…”

“She’s incredibly clever, too.”

“She’s absolutely adorable…”

I could hear the attendants murmuring among themselves.

Perhaps because there were too few people to manage the vast Main Castle, even their quiet whispers sounded loud.

As I listened to them, my cheeks flushed slightly, and my mother chuckled.

“See, Adriana? No one dislikes you.”

No sooner had she finished speaking than murmurs of agreement rippled through the crowd.

“How could anyone dislike her?”

“Your Grace, I believe it is time to show the Grand Princess her chambers.”

The butler, who had been silently watching with a faintly emotional expression, spoke up.

At my mother’s nod, we finally entered the castle.

The castle, befitting the prestige of the Grand Duchy, was both magnificent and lavish.

Gold adorned the floors and ceilings, and intricate carvings covered the white marble columns and walls, making the entire structure feel like a work of art.

“Your Highness, this is the room with the best view in the castle. It was designated as yours even before you were born.”

Following the butler’s lead, I climbed flight after flight of stairs, finally stopping before a massive set of doors.

But the true wonder lay beyond.

As the doors opened, a vast terrace and floor-to-ceiling windows revealed the ocean stretching out beyond.

The golden hues of the setting sun spilled into the pristine white room, bathing everything in a warm glow.

I stood in stunned silence, mesmerized by the sight, as my mother approached.

“I wasn’t sure if you’d like it.”

Her voice held a slight tremor, as if she was anxious about my reaction.

How could anyone not love this view?

“This is the reception room, Your Highness. To the right is your bedroom, and to the left is your study. The bedroom also has an ensuite bath and a dressing room…”

Jane, my mother’s former handmaid who had fiercely competed to become my personal attendant, enthusiastically explained the room’s layout.

But her words barely registered.

My gaze landed on the small cream-colored sofa and tea table in the reception area.

I had assumed they had merely tidied up the room in preparation for my arrival, but it was clear that the furniture and belongings had been carefully maintained over a long period.

Someone had been looking after this space for years, waiting for me to return.

For the master who would one day return.

“Ah, Adriana? Are you crying right now?”

“My dear! What’s wrong?”

I didn’t want to be a crybaby on my first day, so I tried my best to hold it in, but my face twisted foolishly.

“What don’t you like? We’ll fix everything. No, should we change your room entirely?”

“No!”

Startled, I grabbed my father’s hand and, sniffling, spoke.

“This is my room. This castle is my home. I won’t change it, never.”

For a moment, my father was speechless. Then, kneeling down, he gently wiped my tear-streaked face.

“Yes. This is your home. And we’ll never change that.”

“Huaaah…”

Like a fool, I was so relieved by those words that I started crying again.

I had always been anxious.

I wanted to belong somewhere. I wanted to be someone who was needed.

And now.

For the first time in my life, I was certain that I was exactly where I was meant to be.

This was my home.

 

***

 

After laying their exhausted, tear-streaked child in bed, the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess gazed at her with a mixture of heartache and tenderness before their expressions softened into warm smiles.

Her sleeping face was as angelic as could be.

“It feels like I’ve lived my entire life just to see this moment.”

The Grand Duchess murmured, gently brushing away the traces of tears from Lia’s cheeks.

The Grand Duke responded with a bittersweet sigh.

“I can’t help but feel regret. For all the time we lost.”

Her first coos as a newborn, her first time rolling over, her first steps…

All the moments they had missed pained him to the core.

And the things their child should have had all along—the love, the comfort, the safety.

Thinking of all the hardships she had endured, of the countless wounds she must have suffered, a lump formed in his throat.

“I must be greedy, right? I should just be grateful that we have this chance now.”

He said, his voice tinged with emotion.

The Grand Duchess smiled gently.

“Well, if you are, then so am I. But you’re right.”

She softly patted Adriana’s chest and whispered,

“We’ve been given a miraculous chance. A future.”

“A future…”

“All the things we couldn’t give her before—we can give her now. Calling her name sweetly, holding her hand, saying goodnight…”

They would protect her, cherish her, and spend more time with her than all the moments they had missed.

“There’s no time to dwell on the past when the present is so precious. We both know that, don’t we?”

“…You’re right. Just hearing you say it feels like a dream.”

The Grand Duke, his eyes slightly reddened, smiled as he nodded.

“I hope Ascart comes back soon.”

“Yes, but he should earn some points first before he does.”

“Oh, definitely.”

Jealous that Lia seemed to favor Ascart more, the couple pressed their foreheads together and chuckled.

But when Lia stirred and let out a soft murmur, they froze, holding their breath.

A moment later, they exchanged another blissful smile.

 

***

 

Days like a dream passed—one day, two days. Then a year, two years… time moved quickly.

And before they knew it, the eve of Lia’s 18th birthday had arrived.

 

The next chapter is where the cover needs to change, but I can’t do that yet because I wasn’t the one who published it in the first place. So, I will just drop the new cover at the end of next chapter (⁠ﾉ⁠◕⁠ヮ⁠◕⁠)⁠ﾉ⁠*⁠.⁠✧

Thank you Arwendolyn for the bribe, I wanted to tl these chapters fast, but I didn’t have enough free time. Forgive me 🥺

To keep track, this novel has been sponsored to chapter 167 for now…. Fighting poor me!