Chapter 3.1
We were in the middle of eating inside a restaurant, having stopped to have lunch while traveling by carriage.
By now, we had reached a point where we could sit at one table and eat comfortably without hesitation, but that process had not been easy.
To them, I was the master, and it was certain that eating with the master was something they had never even imagined.
However, as I continued to be stubborn, it eventually reached the point where it felt awkward not to eat together.
I looked at the three people sitting around the table one by one for a moment.
Mary, William, and Lian.
Since Mary and William were adults from the start, not much seemed to have changed compared to two years ago.
Is it just that their eyes contain love for each other that is different?
On the other hand, Lian had grown quite a bit as he went from a child to a boy.
I stared intently at Lian, who was tearing and eating bread in front of me.
Then Lian also put down the bread he was eating and fixed his gaze on me.
When I first saw Lian, it seemed I had misestimated the child’s age after all.
Or perhaps he grew less than his peers because he couldn’t eat well.
Only two years had passed, but the current Lian looked to be about sixteen outwardly.
“I think your age was incorrect after all.”
“Pardon?”
Lian asked me back with a face that failed to grasp the meaning of my words.
“Don’t you think so?”
“Actually, I thought so too.”
Mary agreed with my words and spoke, and beside her, William was taking care of various things for her to eat.
Watching the two of them being affectionate, I thought that I should let their love bear fruit once we return to the capital.
“When I first saw you, I thought your age was about twelve. Then that would mean you are fourteen now, but no matter how I look at it, you don’t look like a fourteen-year-old.”
“Lian’s learning ability is also very excellent for a fourteen-year-old.”
William also agreed with my words.
“Then how old would I be?”
Lian said with a puzzled expression.
His voice had also deepened a lot, unlike that of a young child two years ago.
“Is there still nothing you remember?”
“Yes. I’m sorry.”
“What is there for you to be sorry about? It’s not like you’re trying not to remember on purpose…….”
There was a reason why I brought up Lian’s age.
I was thinking of ending this long journey and returning now.
‘Because the original story is like that…….’
I couldn’t remember the content perfectly now, but I remembered exactly when this original story ended.
It was about a year ago.
In the original story, Belita noticed the relationship between Kane and Adela and bullied her over the course of half a year.
Due to that bullying, Adela faced a crisis where she almost died, but she was the female protagonist.
So, at the same time Adela escaped from the crisis, Adela’s younger brother, Aiden, who had been away, also returned.
And after finding out everything, Aiden killed Belita with his own hands, and that incident triggered a war between the three families.
The war lasted for about three months.
The Baltheus Empire was an empire where divine power was uniquely stronger than imperial power.
The Emperor was little more than a puppet, and it was the Dukes of the three families who actually held the real power.
Therefore, the empire was devastated due to the war between the three Ducal families.
Eventually, after a long civil war, House Hates fell, and only Maxius and Bayon survived.
And the end of the story, as always, concluded with the marriage of the two.
Since the original story had already ended, I could return at any time.
Around the time I met the man named Eden, that was probably when the original story ended.
However, because I inwardly knew that such a time would never come again, I wanted to do everything I wanted to do before returning.
Because of that, I traveled for another year even after the original story ended.
But now the time had come to return.
I wrote letters to my mother and father occasionally, but I could clearly see how much they must be worrying about me.
Two years ago, my age was twenty, but now I have become twenty-two.
And once I return, I had to be clear about Lian’s position.
Perhaps thanks to William’s teaching, Lian’s skills had improved by leaps and bounds.
Since he learned swordsmanship from a formal knight, and an outstanding one at that, his skills were now at a level where he could join the knighthood.
However, there was one thing I had overlooked.
I don’t know about other families, but our family allowed only those aged fifteen or older to join the knights.
If Lian’s age was set at fourteen, he could not become a knight of our family right now.
Still, the fortunate thing was that Lian did not look fourteen no matter how one looked at him.
Of course, there might be fourteen-year-olds who look mature, but if measured by the average, Lian looked at least one or two years older.
“Sir William, the qualification to join our family’s knighthood is fifteen or older, right?”
“Yes. That is correct.”
I confirmed the information I knew with William once more.
“What do you think, Sir? Do you think Lian is sufficiently qualified to join?”
“Not only his skills, but even if his age were raised to fifteen or sixteen, I believe there would be no problem.”
Hearing William’s words made it more certain.
“Then it seems better to decide on sixteen. Lian, what do you think?”
I looked toward Lian and asked for his thoughts.
“I will follow whatever the young lady wishes.”
From the time Lian decided to follow and join me two years ago, he had consistently shown his loyalty to me.
He never went against me and followed my words so well that he would even pretend to die if I told him to.
“Hmm…….”
Realizing that asking him for his thoughts wouldn’t yield a proper answer anyway, I fell into thought for a moment before opening my mouth again.
“Fine. Then let’s make it sixteen.”
“Yes. I will do so.”
The matter regarding Lian’s age was settled like that.
After finishing the meal, we left the restaurant.
And finally, I declared to them that we should return home.
At that, the carriage began moving in the opposite direction from its previous course.
I opened the window, leaned my head out, and gestured to Lian, who was following on horseback, to come over.
Lian slowed the horse’s speed and brought it close to the carriage.
“What is the matter, young lady?”
“Are you prepared?”
“What preparation are you talking about?”
“Once we go to the capital, you will be much busier than now. Training will become harder, and there will be many things to do.”
Since Mary and William were returning to where they originally belonged, I wasn’t that worried.
But Lian now had to live in a new place, bumping into many more people.
Along with that, it was certain that I wouldn’t be able to look after him by his side like this in the future.
“As you know, I am a noble. Therefore, I cannot take care of various things by your side like I have until now. I might not be able to see you often. So you have to live with your wits about you. Understood?”
“…….”
“Why is there no answer?”
“……I understand.”
Lian’s voice was deeply subdued.
It seemed to be because he heard the words that we wouldn’t be able to see each other often now.
“Right. Still, you’ve done very well until now.”
I smiled broadly, looking proudly at Lian, who had followed me so well until now.
“Come here.”
I beckoned with my hand, telling Lian to come closer.
Lian came a bit closer, but it still didn’t seem like my hand would reach.
“Lower your head a bit.”
At my words, Lian immediately lowered his
head and brought it to the window.
And while gently stroking his hair, which had become much finer in texture than two years ago, I whispered softly into his ear.
“When we return, let’s go see the younger siblings you lived with. Okay?”
Lian looked at me with wide eyes, like someone who had heard something unexpected.
And then, drawing a smile on his lips, he nodded slightly.
A moment later, when I closed the window and turned my head back inside the carriage, Mary was staring at me.
“Why?”
“It seems the young lady is quite special toward Lian.”
“Because I took that child in. So I must take responsibility and look after him until the end. If I had a sibling, I think it would feel similar.”
“Indeed, I also have a younger brother with an age gap, and when I see him, I somehow can’t leave him alone. I think he will have grown quite a bit when I see him
after returning this time.”
“You had a younger brother?!”
I didn’t know.
Of course, there’s no way a noble lady would know the family relations of a maid or a servant, but…….
“Yes, there’s a seven-year difference, and he is very, very cute.”
“You must have missed him. You haven’t seen him for two years because of me.”
Why did I not think about the fact that they also have families?
I looked at her with an apologetic expression, blaming my own indifference.
“Oh, no, young lady. I followed this trip because I wanted to go. Thanks to the young lady, I’ve been to places I would never have been able to go in my life. So please don’t make that face.”
“When we return this time, I’ll give you a long vacation, so go visit your family.”
“Really?”
“Yes, I’ll make sure you have plenty of gifts for your family too, so take them with you.”
“Thank you, young lady!”
There was so much to do once we returned.
Giving Mary and William sufficient rewards for being with me until now and sending them on vacation was the top priority, and I also had to prepare for the two’s wedding.
And I had to look into a place for Lian to stay.
‘It’s going to be busy.’
But since I had done as I pleased for two years, once I return, I will now live as the daughter of House Hates.
Vowing thus, I memorized the things I had to do in the future one by one.
