“…Hey, dear.”
“Yeah?”
Clyde absentmindedly turned to look at me.
“Can I ask you a favor?”
“Sure. What is it?”
“Could I… visit home just once?”
It had been a thought lingering in my mind for the past few months. Everything had been going so well. Clyde’s rule had been stable for a long time, and our adorable daughter brought laughter with just a glance. Perhaps because of this, thoughts of the family I left behind came to me more often.
They were people who cared and loved me as much as I loved Clyde and Tina. I couldn’t shake off the guilt of feeling happy while they were suffering after taking away the only daughter and sister from those who cherished and loved me.
“Do you remember? You said before, I can go if I want. It’s okay, I can use my teleportation spell to get back and forth quickly….”
For some reason, I couldn’t look Clyde in the eye. Maybe because it was a difficult decision, and I was afraid to see his reaction. I quickly added, keeping my eyes down.
“If you say no, I’ll give up. I don’t want to trouble you. Going back isn’t something I desperately need. So…”
That’s when Clyde took my hand.
“There’s no way I’d say it’s not possible.”
“…….”
I slowly looked into his face. Clyde’s lingering smile at the corner of his mouth was incredibly warm.
“It’s not just once; anytime is fine. Come and go as you please.”
“…….”
Somehow, tears welled up, and I lowered my head.
“…Thank you, Clyde.”
Clyde quietly swept my hair aside. The sound of Tina’s cheerful laughter echoed.
━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━
I hadn’t seen it in years, but the Rojasis mansion looked just as I remembered it.
I stared at the mansion, overwhelmed with emotion. I was using an invisibility spell, so others couldn’t see me.
It was the house where I had spent most of my life. Stepping inside, various emotions stirred in my chest. It held countless memories. It was also where I first met Clyde.
At that moment, a carriage approached from the main gate. It stopped in front of the mansion, and Nita descended from it.
Seeing Nita after two years, nothing about him had changed. His hair was slightly longer than before. Overwhelmed with emotions, I momentarily froze, and he extended his hand from the carriage.
“Be careful.”
A woman stepped out, holding Nita’s hand. With bright brick-colored hair and faint freckles on her nose, she looked charming.
Looking at Nita, she smiled brightly.
“Thank you, honey.”
I knew about Nita’s marriage through the reports of the secret agents. It was only after hearing the news that I realized I wanted to go home.
She seemed as bright and kind as Nita, and they looked perfect together. Above all, it was heartwarming to see Nita with a genuinely happy smile.
After a while, I made my way to my room within the mansion. The twilight seeped through the closed curtains.
The room had been preserved in the same condition as when I last left. It was impeccably clean, as if it were dusted daily, and the bedsheets carried a pleasant sun-dried scent.
With tears welling up in my eyes, I sat quietly on the bed. I heard footsteps approaching from outside. Then the door creaked open.
“Eila…!”
Nita looked at me with wide eyes, as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. I placed a finger on my lips, making a shushing sound. Nita turned around abruptly, carefully closing the door.
[I’ll be waiting in my room.]
I had left a note in Nita’s room with that message earlier.
“I knew brother Nita would recognize my handwriting,” I said with a small smile.
“Eila. Is it really you?”
“Yes, it’s me.”
Nita stood dumbfounded in the doorway, not daring to come near me. I approached him and gently embraced him.
“I missed you, Brother Nita.”
“…….”
Nita trembled as I held him.
“How… how did you get here….”
“I came because I wanted to see you. I’m sorry it took so long.”
Nita’s eyes were now moist. Seeing that, I felt like bursting into tears.
“I’m relieved you’re safe, Eila. Truly… relieved.”
“Of course I am. Look how well I’m doing. Look at me. I even got married.”
I showed Nita the ring on my left hand. Nita stared at it as if he were seeing a gem for the first time in his life.
“Oh … I see. That’s good. It must be… good, right?”
“Yes, of course.”
After hesitating for a moment, Nita asked,
“Does he… treat you well?”
The fact that Nita referred to Clyde not as ‘the Demon King’ but as ‘he’ was immensely comforting. I nodded repeatedly and spoke in a muffled voice.
“Yes. He treats me really well. I’m truly happy.”
“…I’m glad.”
Finally, Nita smiled.
“In truth, I knew the moment I saw you. Your face looked happier than any time I remember. Thank you, Eila, for showing me that face. For letting me know that you’re living happily…”
“Brother…”
I couldn’t hold back the tears any longer.
━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━
After that, Nita left the room for a while and returned a few hours later, saying that Karina had just fallen asleep.
“My sister-in-law’s name is Karina?”
“Uh… yeah.”
“She’s a beautiful woman. I know it’s late, but congratulations on your marriage, brother.”
“To be honest, I don’t know if I deserve congratulations. Our older brother is still there; our father is like that, but I’m the only one….”
“…….”
Nita noticed my expression and apologized, realizing his unintentional insensitivity.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that….”
“…I know.”
After returning from the Demon Realm, Father secluded himself in a remote mansion in the province. According to reports from the surveillance team, he didn’t seem particularly engrossed in magical research. Instead, he spent most of his days sitting idly in the garden.
“Did you see Father?”
I shook my head in silence.
“Yeah, it won’t be easy. I know how you feel, but go see him whenever you can. I’m sure he’ll be relieved; I felt the same way.”
“Thank you, Brother Nita.”
Nita shared updates on other people.
Despite Clyde sending an envoy to the Palma Empire a year ago to officially declare peace, Heufeln still resided at the western gate.
According to Nita, Heufeln blamed himself for the invasion two years ago, the collapse of the gate, and even my departure to the Demon Realm.
“In the Empire, there are still many who doubt the sincerity of the Demon King. They temporarily halted the war but then launched another large-scale invasion… Considering this is the first time in history that negotiations between the Demon Realm and the Empire are happening this way, it’s not surprising.”
Nita said cautiously, watching my eyes.
It was actually an expected reaction. From the Empire’s perspective, the Demon Realm was a one-sided aggressor.
Human-demon relations had just begun, and gaining trust would take time. It takes time to earn trust. I and Clyde fully understood that.
Aslan had practically lived at the academy. There were at most three nights a week when he slept in the mansion, and he hadn’t returned home today.
“…….”
“In a way, it’s probably for the best. Truth be told, Aslan… he struggled as much as Father. Rather than meeting suddenly, conveying feelings through letters or something else might be better.”
“Actually, that’s why I wrote a letter in advance.”
“Really?”
“Yes. There’s one for you too, Brother Nita. Just in case I couldn’t muster the courage to meet you in person.”
In truth, being able to meet Nita today was thanks to witnessing his happy moments with his wife. Otherwise, I might have just left letters and returned.
Regardless of the reasons, the fact remained that I had inflicted lasting wounds on my family. I didn’t expect I could easily revert everything to how it was before.
I entrusted the letters I wrote to my older brothers to Nita.
“I’ll leave now. I don’t want my sister-in-law to wake up and realize that my brother Nita isn’t with her….”
“…….”
Nita was speechless for a moment. However, just from his expression, it was clear what he wanted to say.
“I’ll come again. Next time, bring brother Aslan with you. And someday… please introduce my new sister-in-law too.”
Nita’s eyes fluttered at my words.
He furrowed his eyebrows but smiled.
“…Sure.”
━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━
After leaving Rojasis Mansion, my next destination was the Imperial Palace.
“By the way, how is the Crown Prince doing? Any news about his marriage yet?”
“Uh… yeah. Not really.”
As I asked casually, Nita trailed off awkwardly.
I knew right away. Raphir hadn’t sorted out his feelings toward me.
