Time passed quickly in the territory.
Although Roderick and Ophelia didn't visit often and had taken most of their employees to the capital city mansion, there weren't many people left in the mansion, but it was still neat and clean.
There, Aila spent her time learning swordsmanship and horsemanship from Roderick as usual, and watching him carry out his duties as a lord.
And together with her uncle, Isidore Hailing, she visited the magical ruins in the snowy mountains where her mother had come as a researcher and participated in the excavation work.
Of course, since Aila was a layman when it came to magic, she didn't really know what was going on, but the sight of the softly glowing magic stone floating in the air was still very beautiful.
So the long, harsh winter of the North passed, and spring came.
The thick ice that seemed like it would never melt began to melt, and the once white harbor began to show colorful colors.
Aila boarded a large ship to return to the capital, where her mother and younger brother were waiting. She'd been on ships before, traveling abroad, but this time felt different.
It was nice to see the horizon stretching out endlessly without anything to catch her eye, but it was also a unique experience to follow the river and see the landscape changing every moment.
And her mind was also very at ease. Back then, it had only recently become clear that she was under a curse, so her heart had been heavy, but now that she was free of it.
Besides, there was no one to watch over her except Laura, and even Laura was suffering from seasickness, so no one bothered her.
So naturally, she felt freer than ever.
“You’re here again.”
As Aila leaned against the deck railing, gazing out at the riverside, Roderick spoke from behind. She was always up on deck whenever she had a moment.
“Oh, Father, you’re here? Look, the sunset is so beautiful.”
Aila smiled brightly and pointed to the western sky where the sun was setting.
Following her finger, a picturesque scene unfolded before her, with fluffy white clouds hanging across an orange-tinged sky.
And there, a round, shining yellow sun stood before her. It was too dazzling to look straight at, but its warm glow excited Aila.
Because it reminds her of someone's affectionate eyes.
“It’s really pretty.”
Roderick gently stroked his daughter's head, then suddenly looked around with a serious expression. The absence of anyone else seemed ideal for a private conversation with his daughter.
"Your mother and I have given you permission, so now that you're back, the real work will begin. Your plan to capture him."
“...Yes, Father.”
She was momentarily absorbed in the beautiful scenery, but her father's words brought her back to reality with a solemn expression on her face.
Now that the risk of losing her life to the curse was gone, she decided not to just sit back and watch.
“It seems Laura and that guy have been in contact a lot lately. I don’t know the details, but... did she say anything to you?”
"Oh, I think she told him about my illness. He was worried about my health."
To her father's question, Aila answered with a bitter smile.
She knew that Byron's concern was a complaint disguised as concern.
To them, she had always been treated that way. She was nothing more than a tool for revenge, and she wasn't even allowed to suffer until she had completed that revenge.
Although he did treat Aila well after she got sick, it was only to help her recover quickly and take advantage of her.
Byron always made her feel guilty about being sick, so she couldn't show it.
"...I see."
Roderick nodded in agreement. He then gazed intently at his daughter's face, as if he knew she had more to say.
But Aila couldn't bring herself to speak. Her lips wouldn't move at all.
As she left Byron and headed to Scott and Debbie's cabin, Byron's words kept bothering her.
That's what he told her to do before killing Roderick.
Although there had been no further word from Laura, she had a nagging feeling that an order to kill Noah would soon come.
'...It's not even certain, so I don't want to upset you by bringing up Noah.'
Aila bit her lip nervously. Of course, if the order came down, she'd speak then, but there was no need to speak before the order had even been given.
“I can do it, Father. Don’t worry.”
So there was nothing she could do but reassure her father with such nonsense.
“Yes, I trust you, my daughter.”
Roderick said with a small smile.
Aila had heard the same words countless times from Byron, but the resonance they gave was as different as heaven and earth.
“Aila!”
Ophelia literally welcomed her daughter's return with open arms. Roderick had been summoned to the palace on business immediately upon arriving in Venator, leaving Aila and Isidore to return home first.
"Mother!"
Aila ran straight into Ophelia's arms and hugged her tightly. As always, her arms smelled sweet.
While Ophelia and Aila greeted each other with affectionate hugs, Isidore greeted his daughters.
“Welcome, Father.”
“Is there anything like a gift for me?”
"Rachel, you seem to be more interested in gifts than your father. Of course, I bought some for you..."
Aila, who was in her mother's arms, found herself laughing at their conversation without realizing it.
And as Aila looked around with a smile, she found someone she was especially happy to see, someone she hadn't expected to see here.
It was her younger brother, Noah, who was in the arms of his nanny.
“Noah, come here. You need to say hello to your sister.”
Ophelia took Noah from his nanny and held him in her arms, introducing him to Aila. It was impossible to properly greet him, as he was still a toddler and couldn't speak.
Noah, who seemed to like his sister, who resembled his mother, flailed his arms in Ophelia's embrace. He seemed eager to approach Aila.
“Noah seems to want to hug you. Do you want to hug him?”
“Is that okay?”
At Ophelia's suggestion, Aila accepted Noah, her face flushed with joy. She'd expected him to be light, considering his small size, but he felt surprisingly substantial.
Noah babbled incomprehensibly, his tiny hands reaching out to Aila's face. He seemed to want to touch her cheeks, her nose, her lips.
Noah, who had been wiggling his little fingers, grabbed a handful of Aila's hair and let out a loud laugh.
“But he doesn’t pull your hair just because you're his older sister. He always pulls my hair.”
“Does Noah pull mother’s hair?”
At Ophelia's words, Aila opened her eyes wide and asked back.
"It's the age when you have to put everything you can get your hands on in your mouth. All babies do that at this age. But miraculously, he doesn't pull on your hair."
The nanny, who had been laughing and saying that all children grow up like that, took Noah from Aila and held him in her arms.
“Still, Master Noah is quite well-behaved. I don’t know how much worse it is for other babies.”
"I see..."
All children go through that kind of phase. Perhaps she, too, pulled her parents' hair when she was little. The thought made her feel strangely embarrassed.
“You all must be tired, so go in quickly and get some rest.”
At Ophelia's words, Isidore, already tired, entered the mansion with his daughters. And so did Aela.
She entered her room with Laura, who looked somewhat displeased. A landscape that had now become almost familiar greeted her.
“What’s wrong, Laura?”
Aila sat comfortably in her chair and asked Laura, who had a sullen look on her face, as if she had something to say.
Aila could already guess the reason because it was the expression she made whenever she was being friendly to Noah, but she pretended not to know and asked.
“You seem to be too caught up in the princess game... but you mustn’t forget. This is your true duty as a young lady.”
"Playing princess." Laura's expression made her chuckle, but Aila tried to suppress her emotions and answered.
“...I haven’t forgotten.”
How could she forget? No matter how much peace of mind she felt, she couldn't forget what Byron had done to her.
"Really? Judging by the way you've been acting lately, you seem to have forgotten everything. You'd rather live comfortably in this house, pretending to be a princess. Wearing pretty clothes, eating delicious food, and sleeping in a comfortable bed. You probably don't care what kind of hardships the master, who cared so much for you, endures, wandering the cold streets."
Laura spoke in a rude, accusing tone. She wasn't usually polite toward Aila, but today was particularly harsh. It was enough to make Aila wonder why she was acting like this.
She had been playing the role of the obedient 'lady' that Laura wanted, but she was about to lose her temper and get angry.
“...Why are you saying that? No, there’s no way I would do that!”
And when Aila suddenly lost her temper, Laura opened her mouth with a wry smile as if she had been waiting for it.
“Then prove your unchanging heart, young lady.”
Proof, what, how?
“...Prove my feelings? What do you mean?”
Realizing what Laura was saying, Aila felt her heart sink and asked with a slightly trembling voice.
"For the sake of your father, kill Noah Weishaffen. As soon as possible. That is my master's order."
Laura said in a gloomy voice.
Although Roderick and Ophelia didn't visit often and had taken most of their employees to the capital city mansion, there weren't many people left in the mansion, but it was still neat and clean.
There, Aila spent her time learning swordsmanship and horsemanship from Roderick as usual, and watching him carry out his duties as a lord.
And together with her uncle, Isidore Hailing, she visited the magical ruins in the snowy mountains where her mother had come as a researcher and participated in the excavation work.
Of course, since Aila was a layman when it came to magic, she didn't really know what was going on, but the sight of the softly glowing magic stone floating in the air was still very beautiful.
So the long, harsh winter of the North passed, and spring came.
The thick ice that seemed like it would never melt began to melt, and the once white harbor began to show colorful colors.
Aila boarded a large ship to return to the capital, where her mother and younger brother were waiting. She'd been on ships before, traveling abroad, but this time felt different.
It was nice to see the horizon stretching out endlessly without anything to catch her eye, but it was also a unique experience to follow the river and see the landscape changing every moment.
And her mind was also very at ease. Back then, it had only recently become clear that she was under a curse, so her heart had been heavy, but now that she was free of it.
Besides, there was no one to watch over her except Laura, and even Laura was suffering from seasickness, so no one bothered her.
So naturally, she felt freer than ever.
“You’re here again.”
As Aila leaned against the deck railing, gazing out at the riverside, Roderick spoke from behind. She was always up on deck whenever she had a moment.
“Oh, Father, you’re here? Look, the sunset is so beautiful.”
Aila smiled brightly and pointed to the western sky where the sun was setting.
Following her finger, a picturesque scene unfolded before her, with fluffy white clouds hanging across an orange-tinged sky.
And there, a round, shining yellow sun stood before her. It was too dazzling to look straight at, but its warm glow excited Aila.
Because it reminds her of someone's affectionate eyes.
“It’s really pretty.”
Roderick gently stroked his daughter's head, then suddenly looked around with a serious expression. The absence of anyone else seemed ideal for a private conversation with his daughter.
"Your mother and I have given you permission, so now that you're back, the real work will begin. Your plan to capture him."
“...Yes, Father.”
She was momentarily absorbed in the beautiful scenery, but her father's words brought her back to reality with a solemn expression on her face.
Now that the risk of losing her life to the curse was gone, she decided not to just sit back and watch.
“It seems Laura and that guy have been in contact a lot lately. I don’t know the details, but... did she say anything to you?”
"Oh, I think she told him about my illness. He was worried about my health."
To her father's question, Aila answered with a bitter smile.
She knew that Byron's concern was a complaint disguised as concern.
To them, she had always been treated that way. She was nothing more than a tool for revenge, and she wasn't even allowed to suffer until she had completed that revenge.
Although he did treat Aila well after she got sick, it was only to help her recover quickly and take advantage of her.
Byron always made her feel guilty about being sick, so she couldn't show it.
"...I see."
Roderick nodded in agreement. He then gazed intently at his daughter's face, as if he knew she had more to say.
But Aila couldn't bring herself to speak. Her lips wouldn't move at all.
As she left Byron and headed to Scott and Debbie's cabin, Byron's words kept bothering her.
That's what he told her to do before killing Roderick.
Although there had been no further word from Laura, she had a nagging feeling that an order to kill Noah would soon come.
'...It's not even certain, so I don't want to upset you by bringing up Noah.'
Aila bit her lip nervously. Of course, if the order came down, she'd speak then, but there was no need to speak before the order had even been given.
“I can do it, Father. Don’t worry.”
So there was nothing she could do but reassure her father with such nonsense.
“Yes, I trust you, my daughter.”
Roderick said with a small smile.
Aila had heard the same words countless times from Byron, but the resonance they gave was as different as heaven and earth.
***
“Aila!”
Ophelia literally welcomed her daughter's return with open arms. Roderick had been summoned to the palace on business immediately upon arriving in Venator, leaving Aila and Isidore to return home first.
"Mother!"
Aila ran straight into Ophelia's arms and hugged her tightly. As always, her arms smelled sweet.
While Ophelia and Aila greeted each other with affectionate hugs, Isidore greeted his daughters.
“Welcome, Father.”
“Is there anything like a gift for me?”
"Rachel, you seem to be more interested in gifts than your father. Of course, I bought some for you..."
Aila, who was in her mother's arms, found herself laughing at their conversation without realizing it.
And as Aila looked around with a smile, she found someone she was especially happy to see, someone she hadn't expected to see here.
It was her younger brother, Noah, who was in the arms of his nanny.
“Noah, come here. You need to say hello to your sister.”
Ophelia took Noah from his nanny and held him in her arms, introducing him to Aila. It was impossible to properly greet him, as he was still a toddler and couldn't speak.
Noah, who seemed to like his sister, who resembled his mother, flailed his arms in Ophelia's embrace. He seemed eager to approach Aila.
“Noah seems to want to hug you. Do you want to hug him?”
“Is that okay?”
At Ophelia's suggestion, Aila accepted Noah, her face flushed with joy. She'd expected him to be light, considering his small size, but he felt surprisingly substantial.
Noah babbled incomprehensibly, his tiny hands reaching out to Aila's face. He seemed to want to touch her cheeks, her nose, her lips.
Noah, who had been wiggling his little fingers, grabbed a handful of Aila's hair and let out a loud laugh.
“But he doesn’t pull your hair just because you're his older sister. He always pulls my hair.”
“Does Noah pull mother’s hair?”
At Ophelia's words, Aila opened her eyes wide and asked back.
"It's the age when you have to put everything you can get your hands on in your mouth. All babies do that at this age. But miraculously, he doesn't pull on your hair."
The nanny, who had been laughing and saying that all children grow up like that, took Noah from Aila and held him in her arms.
“Still, Master Noah is quite well-behaved. I don’t know how much worse it is for other babies.”
"I see..."
All children go through that kind of phase. Perhaps she, too, pulled her parents' hair when she was little. The thought made her feel strangely embarrassed.
“You all must be tired, so go in quickly and get some rest.”
At Ophelia's words, Isidore, already tired, entered the mansion with his daughters. And so did Aela.
She entered her room with Laura, who looked somewhat displeased. A landscape that had now become almost familiar greeted her.
“What’s wrong, Laura?”
Aila sat comfortably in her chair and asked Laura, who had a sullen look on her face, as if she had something to say.
Aila could already guess the reason because it was the expression she made whenever she was being friendly to Noah, but she pretended not to know and asked.
“You seem to be too caught up in the princess game... but you mustn’t forget. This is your true duty as a young lady.”
"Playing princess." Laura's expression made her chuckle, but Aila tried to suppress her emotions and answered.
“...I haven’t forgotten.”
How could she forget? No matter how much peace of mind she felt, she couldn't forget what Byron had done to her.
"Really? Judging by the way you've been acting lately, you seem to have forgotten everything. You'd rather live comfortably in this house, pretending to be a princess. Wearing pretty clothes, eating delicious food, and sleeping in a comfortable bed. You probably don't care what kind of hardships the master, who cared so much for you, endures, wandering the cold streets."
Laura spoke in a rude, accusing tone. She wasn't usually polite toward Aila, but today was particularly harsh. It was enough to make Aila wonder why she was acting like this.
She had been playing the role of the obedient 'lady' that Laura wanted, but she was about to lose her temper and get angry.
“...Why are you saying that? No, there’s no way I would do that!”
And when Aila suddenly lost her temper, Laura opened her mouth with a wry smile as if she had been waiting for it.
“Then prove your unchanging heart, young lady.”
Proof, what, how?
“...Prove my feelings? What do you mean?”
Realizing what Laura was saying, Aila felt her heart sink and asked with a slightly trembling voice.
"For the sake of your father, kill Noah Weishaffen. As soon as possible. That is my master's order."
Laura said in a gloomy voice.
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