For the first time since I became a slave, I received a vacation from the Crown Prince.
“This western journey must have been very tiring as you have had a lot of work to do. I won’t be visiting you for a while, so take a few days to rest and replenish your strength.”
What kind of bread is this!
It's strange that the word 'rest' came out of the Crown Prince's mouth first.
Excited as I was, I began to wonder how I would spend this precious vacation.
'Should I take a nap that I missed? No, I can't waste my vacation time, which I may not get again, on something like sleep. Hmm, the weather is nice. Should I go somewhere?'
As I was lost in my happy thoughts, the Duke's servants suddenly came to mind.
'Come to think of it, I haven't been able to meet them yet.'
I was so indifferent to these people who were still guarding the Duke's residence, even though they knew full well that they weren't getting paid.
'Yeah, if I don't go this time, I don't know when I'll be able to go again.'
I decided to use this precious vacation time to care for the precious people who are guarding my home without expecting anything in return.
After a while, I hurriedly finished getting ready, patted Delton, who was taking a long nap, and immediately left the temple.
'This road hasn't changed.'
It was at that very moment that I was humming a tune as I looked out the carriage window at the familiar scenery.
“Huh? It’s the Saintess!”
Someone who recognized me shouted.
In an instant, everyone's eyes on the street were focused on me.
“What? You’re really a Saintess?”
“I heard that you returned to the capital yesterday evening after slaughtering the heretics. Where are you going now?”
“The disaster has stopped, so I think you should get some rest.”
“What do you think, our Saintess? Your face is half gone. You must be very tired from work.”
“How can I repay this kindness for running around for us, even to the point of ruining your body?”
They looked at me with pitiful eyes and soon shouted loudly.
“Thank you, Saintess!”
“Thanks to you, the disaster stopped, and our lives became much more peaceful!”
“Thank you for working hard for us even though you are not in good health!”
“Long live our Saintess!”
I just stared at them as they showered me with warm praise.
In the past, I would have sneered, saying, "When did you spit on my dying back, and now you change your attitude? How shameless!"
But as time passed, my hatred towards them seemed to have diminished, so now I don't really think like that.
It's just fortunate that the darkness that covered their faces has lifted a little and that they are still living without giving up on life even in difficult situations.
'Have I been infected by the Crown Prince's utmost love for his people?'
I let out a hollow laugh, then smiled brightly and waved at them.
Still, the fact that so many people were worried about me and were grateful to me didn't make me feel so bad.
While I was enjoying the parade alone for a long time, the carriage that had been running quickly slowly stopped.
Soon, the voice of the knight who had come as an escort was heard from outside.
“Your Ladyship, we have arrived at the Duke’s residence. May I open the door?”
“Yes, please.”
I quickly fixed my clothes.
I didn't want to show my disheveled appearance to those I hadn't seen in a long time.
'But how did you get through the main gate?'
As befitting the only Duke in the empire, the estate of the Duke of Veloce was very spacious.
Even after passing through the main gate, it was still quite a while before I could finally reach the mansion.
In the past, there would have been no problem as the guards at the door would have opened it for me, but now it was impossible.
Because they've probably already left the Duke's residence.
'Hmm. It doesn't feel right to yell for someone to open the door from outside the main gate, so should I just break it down and go in?'
As I got out of the carriage with the help of the paladin, I pondered over how I could successfully complete my return.
But it was all a needless worry.
“Welcome, Miss.”
At the main gate, the Duke's knights were lined up to greet me.
“Why are the guards here...”
When I asked with a bewildered expression, the Knight Commander who stood at the very front to greet me smiled brightly.
“I was waiting after receiving a report from the sentries that the Saintess’s carriage was coming this way. I was wondering if you might stop by the Duke’s residence.”
“No, that’s not it. I’m asking why the guards are still guarding this place.”
I heard from the servants who came to Delucia last time that the Duke's residence was still being guarded, but I thought that was limited to the servants only.
Because a knight was a highly skilled worker with a short lifespan, he had to earn as much money as possible before he got old.
It was foolish to wait desperately for a master who couldn't even pay his wages and not be able to leave.
But they asked back with expressions of not understanding.
“If the Duke’s Knights don’t guard the Duke’s mansion, where will they guard it?”
I was speechless at the response that said something so obvious.
“No, of course you each have to find your own way. Why are you still in a place where there is no owner and no salary...?”
I shouted out in frustration, but I couldn't finish asking my question.
Because the answer was in the faces of the knights smiling warmly at me.
So, instead of complaining to hide my embarrassment, I quietly expressed my gratitude.
“...Thank you. I will somehow pay the overdue wages later.”
“The position of knight of the House of Veloce is a matter of pride for us. None of us are here expecting material things. So please do not bother with such trivial concerns.”
He spoke firmly and then stepped aside with a warm smile.
“Welcome home, Miss. I’ll take you inside.”
I couldn't help but feel upset at the remark that treated the compensation they deservedly received as 'material things'.
But I couldn't show my incompetent side any longer in front of those who cared so much about me, so I pursed my lips and nodded.
As I took a step forward, those who stepped aside one by one followed behind me.
As I was walking with the escort of the Duke's Knights for the first time in a long while, one of the servants watering the garden was startled and dropped the iris.
“Oh, Miss?”
He was a servant who entered the Duke's residence at the age of seven, the same age as me, and we went through thick and thin together for over ten years.
“Long time no see, Henna. How have you been?”
When I smiled and waved my hand, Henna, who had been looking dumbfounded, came to her senses belatedly and hurriedly came running.
“What is this? Our young lady is coming? Surely I am not dreaming?”
Her face, with her mouth covered and tears welling up, was filled with shock rather than emotion, so I burst out laughing.
“Why are you so surprised? If someone saw you, they’d think you saw a ghost.”
“It’s like seeing a ghost! The young lady who was taken away as a sacrifice has come back alive and well! Of course, I heard that you became a Saintess, but this is the first time I’ve seen you with my own eyes!”
Henna, who had been screaming, soon hugged me and burst into tears.
“How wonderful, our young lady came back alive and well. Now I have no regrets, even if I die.”
It was a cry that was almost like sobbing.
I was shaking my head as if I couldn't stop her and was hugging Henna and patting her on the back.
“What’s this noise so early in the morning?”
“Why are all the knights gathered here, and who is that crying over there?”
“I think it’s henna?”
“Henna? No, you said you were going to water the flower bed, so why are you crying over there?”
“Oh, the lady from the temple came... Oh my, she really came?”
The servants who had gathered one by one due to the commotion since morning discovered me and came running out of breath.
"Miss!"
“No, how long has it been since this happened!”
There was also a nanny in the gap.
“Oh my, Miss! What’s going on? I heard you’ve been working day and night these days. Aren’t you feeling unwell? Look!”
The nanny grabbed my face tightly. Her hands were shaking so much that she looked as if she would freak out if there was even the slightest blemish on me.
Well, it was understandable, since I was like a precious daughter to her, having been breastfed by her since I was a baby.
'Because my mother passed away early, I also thought of my nanny as my mother.'
I looked at my nanny with longing eyes.
However.
“Oh my, my dear. What is your skin like? It’s so rough, like a washcloth... No, there’s no separate dry cloth! You must be so busy that you don’t even have time to put on makeup!”
I looked at my nanny, who was sobbing on the floor, as if throwing my face away, and then quietly shook my head.
“...Nanny, this isn’t a real face. I’ve been pounding on it for an hour.”
In an instant, everyone around me gasped.
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