# 126
---
“Dear, stop.”
The Duchess, who could only shake her head, grabbed her husband's arm and was startled.
The Duke was trembling as if he was fighting a battle.
“No, are you that shocked because Leia is a princess? And of course I was surprised too...”
It wasn't something where my whole body would react that way.
Isn't it rather touching and delightful?
Parents who have missed their daughter for a long time and the grieving baby girl have been miraculously reunited.
“I know, I know...”
Duke Elad touched his forehead and frowned.
Although he was much better now that he was older and had a daughter, he hated the color pink to a shocking extent.
But today, when I saw that Leah looked exactly like Stella when she was little, I felt goosebumps all over my body.
“Haha, it's a joy... I really hoped Stella would find her daughter.”
The Duke let out a deep sigh and spoke in a confused voice.
“But it’s Leah, how can this sweet and innocent child…..”
He couldn't bear to talk.
Naturally, I remembered the day I first met Stella, the Archduchess and one-time daughter of the Marquis of Diabelle.
His father, the former Duke, did not like Dominic because he was born by eating his mother.
*Which mother died because of him*
Although he was the only direct descendant, he was confined to a separate building and went unnoticed due to his incompetence, ruining the family business.
At one point, he lived happily and the management of the entire family depended on the Senate.
The elders were harsh on Dominic, who would one day succeed the dukedom.
The goal was to make him someone who could handle things as he pleased like the previous Duke.
Because of this, there was no one around Dominic, even though he was a valuable member of the Ellard Duchy.
Then one day Stella showed up.
The childish lady who lived next door said she had lost the ball while playing with her younger brother, and had broken into the Duke's house.
From that day on, I started visiting Dominic every day.
The elders were wary of this, but Marquis Diabelle was so afraid that they couldn't say anything.
At that time, Dominic thought that Stella was coming to take pity on him.
It wasn't long before I realized it was a big misunderstanding.
“Even now, my hair still stands up when I think of how the memorized words were thrown at me, saying that they were training to prepare for a surprise attack!”
The Duke, who was stroking his forehead because he felt pain between his eyebrows for no reason, made an angry expression.
“These bets are ridiculous!”
As a result of the fight where there was no match, Dominic had to write his name with his ass every day, eat spicy food, and wear a dress.
It was tremendous harassment.
Compared to this humiliation, it was easy to sign graffiti promising to marry her future child.
I couldn't help but feel uncomfortable being Stella's in-laws, but anyway, my younger f decided that day that she would never marry or have children, and that she would make the Duke of Elade disappear from her generation.
Of course, I did this without having any idea that a few years later, I would fall in love with Ethel at first sight.
“Even the day before the wedding, Stella said, ‘Oh my God, aren’t you the kind of person who says you’re going to live alone all your life?
I can still hear your teasing.
The Duchess could barely suppress her laughter as she looked at her husband's now frowning face.
“But she is your only friend. If it were not for Her Highness the Archduchess, I would not be able to pick up a sword or even think about going to war.”
Then maybe he was still living a meaningless life without any hope or influence of the elderly.
Moreover, he still had a very cold and cruel side towards others, and I couldn't imagine how he would have changed if the Archduchess hadn't filled his childhood.
'. … Of course, I think the time remains a very painful memory.'
The Duchess opened her mouth as she struggled to calm her husband.
“Leah...perhaps she resembles His Highness the Archduke? The Archduke, like His Highness, has a very gentle personality.”
“Okay okay...”
The Duke began to nod slightly, as if his wife's words seemed reasonable.
The Duchess felt uncomfortable because she felt that she was gossiping about the Archduke, but she did not bother to vote.
This is because I remembered the time when the Archduchess said it was beautiful, and then my husband got scared and jumped.
At that time, the Duchess's expression darkened as she remembered something.
“But honey, that's not really the important issue right now.”
The Duke looked at his wife in horror as if something more serious might happen.
said the Duchess with a bitter expression.
“Leia will now leave the Duchy of Elad.”
"What? Why?"
“As the Princess of Pylos, it is only natural that she should return to the Principality.”
"Yes . … ".
The Duke was speechless, as if he had finally realized this obvious truth.
* * *
Maybe because I took the medicine and slept well in a warm place, my body felt lighter and more refreshed than the day before.
I had such a happy dream all night that I couldn't help but smile.
As I was laughing with my eyes closed, I suddenly felt a shiver run down my spine.
Because I realized the look that seemed to be stuck on my face.
'I don't think there's any malicious intent, but...'
I opened my eyes slowly, and put my guard down.
"Yes !"
"Oh my God! Are you okay? Are you surprised?"
I could barely control my heartbeat and looked at Askart who looked puzzled.
He looked at me with lighter skin than yesterday.
“Are you so surprised? I’m really sorry.”
I can't say I wasn't surprised.
Because I had no idea he would be sitting next to the bed with his face right in front of my nose.
Askart's eyes quickly became dim as he couldn't say anything and kept his heart.
“Sorry, as soon as I woke up I was surprised because I thought yesterday was a dream but later I heard that you were in my mother’s room... But when I arrived I found you asleep so I couldn’t wake you up... I didn’t mean to scare you, however, I’m sorry.”
“I was a little surprised, but it's okay, so don't cry.”
As I wiped my eyes with remorse and the tears began to flow, Askart grabbed my fingers and growled.
“This is the important thing you wanted to talk about yesterday, isn’t it? Are you my sister...”
I nodded and looked at Askart who was unable to continue talking.
He said bitterly.
“There's something else I'm sorry about. I'm sorry I yelled at you yesterday. I couldn't believe you said that.”
“Actually, I can't believe you love my mother...”
“I think this is inevitable!”
She quickly grabbed Askart, who started blaming himf.
“It was a hard story to believe, so it's okay.”
At my words, Askart frowned again and spoke.
“You are so nice...”
When I felt embarrassed by those words and wrinkled my nose and laughed, Ascart suddenly sighed.
“If I hadn’t gone looking for snowflakes with my father, I wouldn’t have lost you.”
“Snowflakes?”
When I tilted my head, Askart said with a sad face.
“It is a mysterious flower that only blooms on a snow-covered mountain at the end of the continent. There is a somewhat disturbing legend that it is a flower that bloomed after someone died due to mana escaping long ago... However, the effect of controlling mana is amazing. Just keeping it by your side can help prevent mana overflow.”
“Mana Exceeding?”
Askart nodded and explained.
When the Archduchess was pregnant with me, the amount of my mana was so large that it made her movements uncomfortable, so an escape could have occurred as soon as I gave birth.”
“My mana was that much?”
I tilted my head inward, but Askart continued talking.
“Don’t be stubborn then, you should be in the castle, you followed my father for no reason. ….”
She envisioned young Askart wandering through the mountains in the middle of a snowstorm, wanting to give a gift that might be useful to his soon-to-be-born younger sister.
Askart's eyes became bright again, not realizing that I was looking at him salty.
“Fortunately, I found the snowflake right away...and when I returned to the castle with my father, it was already....”
He bit his lip, perhaps remembering the horrific sight of the Archduchess as the newborn princess was kidnapped and turned upside down.
However, just for a moment, Askart realized that he was in front of me, and he quickly shook his head and spoke cheerfully.
“Yes, I still have that snowflake! I'm sure you'll like it too, the petals are translucent silver, but when you get close to the inside, they turn blue and look so pretty.”
“Really cool?”
It is silver and blue.
That's when I thought it was a combination that somehow reminded me of Diana.
“Hah! I’ll show you when we get back to the emirate.”
". … Yes."
For a moment, I was stunned by Askart's words.
I was so happy to have found my family that I didn't even think about it.
“Sir, are you sure you won’t go home?”
"house . … ?"
I see now that my home is the Principality of Pylos.
It was a time when I blinked in a new realization.
"Why? What did I do wrong? Or are you still angry with my mother?"
Suddenly, Askart's face twisted like a child's and tears started flowing again.
“Let's go together, I'll do a really good job from now on, no, no, if you still want to stay in the empire, then there's no need to go either, just at the Marquis's house...”
“Ha!”
"Yes . … ?"
“Stop crying.”
“Oh,” she sighed.
'He must be the same age as Lucio.'
Unlike him, who looked like an adult, Askart felt like a child that I had to protect.
She looked at him and spoke softly.
“If you cry again, they will make fun of you and call you a crybaby.”
"Oh, my God !"
Askart covered his mouth with his hand at my words.
“Oh... Barrier? It's so good!”
“Even though there is a baby crying in front of me?”
"Hah! Fool, fool. ... I don't think it would be good to have a harsher curse than that!"
Askart still had tears in his eyes and smiled even brighter from this.