Instead of calling out to him, I squeezed his clasped hands.
He was bowing as if in prayer, and he immediately looked up to look at me.
"Elona!"
I just lost consciousness due to a slight bleeding in a state of lack of energy.
He expressed relief on his face, as if he was facing someone who had just died and come back to life.
The fluttering golden eyes frantically examined my complexion.
"Are you coming to your senses? What is the current situation? Maybe it will happen..."
"I'm glad you're safe."
Kishian, who had been pouring out his worries frantically, fell silent.
He let out a long sigh of relief and bruised me.
"Who's going to do it..."
"You went to hunt monsters by yourself and worried a lot."
"Don't worry about it now, it's all worked out."
Does the fact that everything went well really include Letie's work?
I was so scared that my lips didn't fall off well, but in the end, I had to bite.
"Letie...?"
"..."
"What happened to her?"
There was silence for a long time.
A strange fear gradually became apparent.
Somehow, I felt like I knew Letie's ending even if I didn't listen to it
"The Princess... She decided to kill herself."
"..."
"I didn't know, but she was already contaminated. She was insane. I wasn't in a position to cleanse her either, so I had no choice but to leave it alone."
"..."
"But I couldn't kill her because she was your sister, so I just locked her up, but she seems to have had another dagger."
"..."
"I can live my life with it..."
"I see."
It was harder to hear more, so I stopped talking.
I didn't have to listen to it in detail to understand what was going on.
In the end, she couldn't accept that she was fake.
She had lived her whole life in warm affection, praised as a true savior, and she must have been so afraid of the future that would be pushed out of the shadows.
If she had been contaminated by it, her mind would have become more unstable.
It seemed to lead to such an end.
"..."
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't sad.
It was a really bad relationship, but she used to call me sister and follow me.
When I became a little gloomy, even Kishian twitched, showing signs of gloom.
"I'm sorry. I couldn't stop her."
"You have something to be sorry for. That's how it happened... It's her fate."
It wasn't Kishian's responsibility.
It just happened.
I patted his hand gently.
I could see that the hem of his clothes was damaged here and there, as if he had suffered from catching two monsters.
He must have suffered a lot, but it didn't suit him to have such a gloomy face.
"Let's go home now."
I was able to speak in a calmer voice than I expected.
I think I was a little scared before.
It was true that I had suffered all sorts of sad things at the Grand Duke's residence.
But now, that feeling has faded as if it were a long time ago.
Above all, I was sure that Kishian wouldn't hurt me anymore.
The things that needed to be done... For example, the work of Letie may have had a not very pleasant ending, but it ended somehow
Kishian stopped moving and faced me.
There was no response.
I wondered if he hadn't heard it, so I was about to open my mouth again.
"Really...? Give me another chance..."
"What are the opportunities.. You were supposed to go back."
Whenever he acted as if he would persist until the word 'return' came out of my mouth, he was stunned when I asked him to go back.
Watching him respond seriously, I couldn't help but smile.
"Because the territory has been vacant for too long. I miss the maids. I wonder what happened to the greenhouse, and most of all... I miss the time I spent there with you."
When Rodrick took me away, he said.
Think about how many times the Kishian made me cry.
However, if O think about it, there were more days when I laughed than I cried.
I can't deny that I was hurt by Kishian, but he was the first person who made me laugh from the bottom of my heart.
"..."
Kishian slowly opened his lips as if he was about to say something.
Even so, he couldn't get it out easily.
In the end, he lowered his head and leaned his forehead on our hands.
He looked like he was crying, so I grabbed his shoulder with my hand, a little embarrassed.
"Kishian?"
"I'm not going to be as stupid as I used to be."
It sounded as if it contained only the truth.
He put his forehead on the back of my hand and confessed.
"I will never doubt you under any circumstances, and I will always stand by your side."
The grip of the clasp became even stronger.
His hands were firm, but I also felt a shallow tremor.
"So that no one will hurt you, including me."
I didn't say that he had to swear an oath or anything like that.
I knew he meant it anyway.
I just hugged him by the nape of his neck without saying a word.
The time to return home was approaching.
***
When I recovered to a certain extent, other mercenaries came to see me and asked how I was.
Hertha came. Dirk came. Haynes and those who had been treated by me came one after another to greet me.
Among them, the first and most frequent visitor was Hertha.
She made me feel affection that I had never felt from my own sister.
When Hertha called me sister, I felt as if the wounds I had received from Letie in the past had healed a little.
Even though it has been half a year, our farewell was not as bright as it seemed, as deep a bond as we felt.
When I announced that I was leaving for the North, Hertha asked with a wide range of eyes.
"Are you really going back?"
"Yes, it was a decision I made after a lot of hard consideration. I am... But I think that's where I am."
I leaned against the head of the bed and answered so firmly, and Hertha carefully took my hand.
"I think I'm not mature yet. I know you've already made up your mind, but when my sister says she's leaving, I can't help but feel sad. It was the first time I had ever had an older sister. I only have a lot of younger siblings to take care of. We got assignments together, went out to play on our days off, and had a lot of fun..."
She seemed to be smiling, but the corners of Hertha's mouth were trembling.
She seemed to be holding back her tears, so even I felt sad.
Hertha finally asked with a limp mouth.
"What does Your Highness say to the Grand Duke? You won't be harassed again, will you?"
"I won't. I'm sure."
If I didn't have faith, I wouldn't have decided to follow him in the first place.
I decided to trust him and the time we spent together.
Just as he decided to believe me.
"He said he would protect me so that no one would get hurt."
"Thank goodness..."
In the end, Hertha showed tears.
Thick tears flowed down my cheeks as if I had been holding back.
Wiping it with the hem of my robe, I made a promise.
"I'll come to the South sometimes. You can come to the North. It's a little far away, but it's not a distance we can't meet. So stop it."
"Hmm... hmm... Hmmm..."
The word "stop" became a catalyst, and Hertha began to cry even more than before.
Despite the hard work I had put in, the cat-like face quickly became covered with tears.
After pouring out tears for a long time, she felt a little calmer.
Wiping away her swollen eyes, Hertha spoke.
"I'm fine now. You don't have to soothe me, because you have one more person to soothe."
I didn't have to ask who it was.
I already knew who would be the most upset.
Hertha, who had wiped off all the water, mentioned him.
"The general manager seemed to be very hurt. Even if you don't say it."
Rodrick hasn't come since I came to my senses.
I could also roughly guess the reason.
He must be dodging. The moment of parting.
"My sister should visit him in person, and the general manager won't come to visit you in person. The general manager is... He liked you a lot. If he runs into you, he'll know what he's going to hear, so he'll probably just keep avoiding you."
"..."
"My sister has to go and finish it herself, even if it's for the sake of the dress."
I agreed.
I recovered enough to move.
So I couldn't put it off any longer
The moment has come when we must face Rodrick's emotions without avoiding them.
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