After a lively meal, three designers visited the mansion.

It was to make clothes for my mother and me to wear.

It must have been a natural procedure, since the clothes we have worn so far are too shabby to wear here.

The three designers were people I had heard of several times.

All three had at least the title of baronet, one of whom I had met once.

After the three designers measured the body index of my mother and me, they checked to see if there was a design or color they wanted.

I didn’t really have an opinion, so I just sat there. Instead of me, my mother suggested this and that design.

The designers were able to leave the mansion only after meticulously writing down my mother’s words.

“Now…”

After the designers left, my mother looked back at me. Somehow her eyes looked sad, so I quietly took her hand. My mom also felt my actions, and soon she grabbed my hand with her big hand.

Only then did I feel it again.

My mother lived

After I came back, I worried a lot about whether I was doing the right thing and whether I could save my mother by doing this.

And only now did I realize that the past had changed and that my mother was alive.

… If I had gone back to being younger than I am now, would I have been able to save my dad like this?

The empty question left a small ripple in my heart.

But I thought it would be too much.

Because I was too young when my father died.

I only have a few memories of my father.

Even if I went back then, I won’t be able to do anything to save him.

Besides, if it wasn’t for my father, we wouldn’t be able to deal with the monsters that attacked the village.

“Mirabel.”

My mother called me in a low voice.

“Yes, mom?”

I opened my eyes and looked at my mom. She was still looking at me and smiling gently.

“Mom is going to see His Majesty the Emperor; can my daughter go with me? I told your uncle that it was okay, but mom is actually a little scared. Would you like to go with me? If you don’t like it, you can refuse it.”

Mom carefully suggested.

I thought there would be a day that my mom had to meet with the Emperor in person, but I didn’t know that day would come so fast.

I quietly took my mother’s hand and nodded.

“Yeah, if going with me will make you less scared, I’ll go anywhere with you.”

If her fears go away just by being with me, then I’ll go with her a hundred times if I could.

“Thank you, my daughter.”

Mom smiled softly as she listened to my answer.

“My Bel, there are so many things that mom couldn’t do for you in the past, but from now on, Mom will do anything for you.”

When it was decided that I would go with my mother to the imperial palace, the preparations went smoothly.

I changed into the children’s dress brought by the designers a while ago and was led by the maids to trim my hair and tidy up my clothes.

Belatedly, I stood in front of the mirror and looked at myself, my previous scruffy appearance had disappeared, I looked like a girl who grew up in a noble family and seemed to be unaware of hardships.

I marveled at my amazing transformation.

I once longed for this.

When I was a child I wanted luxury, and when I became a mercenary, I realized that dress was not good for my body, and I gave up wearing these expensive dresses.

“You’re so pretty, young miss!”

The maid who helped me get my hair done spoke flattering words.

Of course, I laughed, even though I know they were just flattering me.

“Thank you.”

“Oh, young miss, you don’t have to talk formally to me. You don’t have to talk formally to anyone employed in this mansion.”

Indeed. I am now here as Grand Duke Crichton’s granddaughter.

So, in general, it was correct not to use honorifics for the employees of the household.

I realized later and nodded.

“Yeah. All right.”

“Then let’s go out. The lady will be waiting for you.”

As she said, my mother was waiting for me when I came out with a new dress under the guidance of the maid.

“Wow!”

Seeing my mother’s face, I let out a small sigh.

Her appearance was as beautiful as a goddess in a picture.

She had long brown hair, and her yellow dress was pointed with a green ribbon plus her usual gentle look combined that she looked as if I were seeing Selenes, the goddess of Benevolence.

“Why? It’s a dress I haven’t worn in a long time, so it’s a little awkward… Is it weird?”

“No! It’s so pretty!”

Mom smiled softly as I gave her a thumbs up and shouted. Then she reached out her hand towards me.

“Then let’s go, Bel.”

When I left the mansion holding my mother’s hand, a gorgeous carriage was prepared outside.

It was a carriage pulled by four horses with the crest of the Grand Duke of Crichton, and it was so large and splendid that it could not be compared with the carriage that we rode with him last time.

I was a little freaked out by the sight, but my mother, as if familiar with it, walked over to her carriage.

First, my mom got into the wagon, then she put out her hand so that I could easily ride.

Holding her mother’s hand, she climbed into her carriage and took a seat, and soon the carriage began to move slowly.

Although it was a chariot led by four horses, there was no rattling or uncomfortable feeling while moving.

It was a rather fluffy ride, I felt like I was going to forget that this place was in a carriage.

Mom didn’t say a word while we were moving.

I didn’t want to talk to her or bother her, so I opened the window and looked outside.

The view of the capital was slowly passing by.

After some time, we finally arrived at the palace.

There were already many people waiting for us.

The first thing in front of the crowd was a knight that looked like my mother’s age.

“Lady Cornelia.”

The knight, who gave my mother a sincere greeting with his hand on his chest, looked at my mother with troubled eyes.

Mom smiled thinly and held out her right hand to him.

“It’s been a long time, Tenervan.”

The knight took my mother’s hand as if it were natural, and lightly kissed the back of her hand.

“I heard from His Majesty the Emperor that you had returned… How have you been?”

“Thank you for worrying. Tenervan seems to have become a knight leader in the meantime.”

“Yes, I am leading the Imperial Guard.”

“Congratulations.”

“Let’s talk about it later. His Majesty is waiting for you.”

In a blink of an eye, the gaze of the knight called Tenervan turned to me.

But he began to lead us into the imperial palace without asking anything.

The Imperial palace was creating a different atmosphere from the mansion of the Grand Duke of Crichton.

White walls with gold points or beautiful rims decorate the ceiling and walls.

There wasn’t anything that didn’t catch my eye.

Holding my mother’s hand and facing forward, I slowly watched the interior of the palace.

“His Majesty the Emperor is in this parlor.”

Tenervan spoke in front of the door where we had arrived.

“Announce our arrival”

“Yes.”

When he gave his orders to the servant, the servant immediately knocked on the door.

“Your Majesty, Cornelia Crichton has arrived.”

“Come in.”

At the sound from the inside, both the servant and the Tenervan gave way for us to enter.

I wanted to go in now, but my mother gently squeezed the hand she was holding.

I looked at my mother, her tense expression was evident.

I quietly raised my other hand and wrapped my mom’s hand around me. My mom looked at me and smiled.

“Let’s go in.”

“Yes”

With a slightly relaxed look, my mother took the first step. I followed that stride and entered the parlor.

In the parlor, a man was looking out of the window with his back to us.

I could not see the exact shape of the man as the light dripped backlit.

Only after Mom came inside did she let go of me and hold her skirt with both hands, bending her knees slightly to bow.

“I see your Majesty the Emperor.”

I too, belatedly, imitated my mother’s behavior and greeted him.

“I see you, Your Majesty the Emperor.”

Only after my voice rang in the parlor did the man turn. However, it was still difficult to see him because of the backlight.

Fortunately, soon he began to slowly approach us.

And it was only after I got out of the light that I could see his face properly.

He was an impressive man with dark hair like ebony and red eyes like a ruby. It seemed that this man was James Badget Castro, the Ruler and Emperor of the empire.

“It’s too late.”

The first words the Emperor spoke were not greetings.

“I keep standing in Badget’s garden. Back then, and even now.”

Her mother bowed her head for a moment and as she listened to his words with a little mixture of resentment.

“I’m sorry, but that was my answer.”

“You could’ve found me at least once before you left?”

“… No, if I went to Badget’s garden, I would never see Gail again, and I don’t regret my choice. But I’m so sorry for your Majesty, who has been waiting all the time.”

Words came and went that I didn’t know what they meant.

The Emperor kept his eyes on my mother for a while.

I felt many emotions in his eyes

.

Longing, joy, and resentment seemed to be swirling in a tangle.

The Emperor opened his mouth again, found me within, and shut his mouth again.

The light of the emperor’s invisible body seemed to freeze.

“Is she the daughter of Sir Houston and yours?”

“Yes, that’s right. It’s Mirabel.”

I greeted him again with courtesy, but the Emperor did not respond.

Then, after a while, he let out a long breath.

“I think it would be good to get the child out for now. It’s not a story for a child to hear, is it?”

“… I guess so.”

My mother, nodding her head gently, bent her knees and reached my eye level.

In the meantime, the Emperor rang the strings and called a servant.

“Mirabel, would you like to rest for a minute somewhere else? I’ll see you soon.”

“Yes. All right. I’ll wait.”

“Thank you, Bel.”

My mom swept my side hair over my ear flaps, and then I left.

A maid, who appeared just in time, bowed her head politely to us and greeted us.

“Take the child somewhere else, it won’t take long, so stay nearby.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Lady, please come this way.”

The maid began to guide me. I turned my head for a moment to look at Mom and the Emperor sitting on the sofa, and then I left the drawing room immediately.

“Ahh!”

Just as I had just left the drawing room and turned my head, I suddenly heard a scream next to me.

When I looked closely, a boy about six or seven years old was squeezing his buttocks and crumpling his face.

“I fell because of you!”

The child cried out to me in a voice full of pain.

Then, the color of the boy’s hair and eyes was very similar to that of the Emperor.

Is this his kid?

Not long after, the maid beside me hurriedly raised the boy and opened her mouth.

“Are you okay, Crown Prince?”