Episode 7
With the help of the three servants sent by the Grand Duke of Crichton, we packed up our belongings.
The house was small and we didn’t have many possessions to begin with, so the packing was finished quickly.
At the end, Mother took out a box that contained Father’s belongings.
Even though Father had passed away four years ago, the box holding his keepsakes was spotless, without a single speck of dust.
Mother stared at the box for a long time with longing in her eyes before carefully packing it again and standing up.
One of the servants offered to carry it for her, but Mother refused, saying she wanted to carry this one herself.
When we stepped outside, a commercial cargo wagon was waiting in front of the house.
It was smaller and more worn-out than the Grand Duke’s carriage—so much so that calling it a cart rather than a wagon would have been more fitting.
The servants were carefully loading our belongings onto it.
“Why not load that box there as well?”
Leaning on his cane, the Grand Duke of Crichton watched the servants and suggested this to Mother when he saw the box in her hands.
But Mother shook her head and declined.
“No… I’ll carry this myself. They were Gail’s things… Besides, it isn’t heavy.”
The Grand Duke glanced at the box for a moment and then smiled bitterly.
“Very well.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
Mother thanked him with a slightly embarrassed expression.
The Grand Duke lightly patted her shoulder and glanced at the cargo wagon.
“The carriage we’ll ride in is waiting at the village entrance. We’ll have to walk a little to get there.”
“Yes, Father. Mirabel, Mommy’s hands are full right now. Why don’t you hold Grandpa’s hand so you don’t get lost?”
I widened my eyes at Mother’s unexpected suggestion.
When I glanced at the Grand Duke, he gave me an awkward smile.
Seeing that, I began to understand why Mother had suggested it.
There was no way I—who had lived in this neighborhood all my life—would get lost on the way to the village entrance.
Even so, Mother must have encouraged me to hold the Grand Duke’s hand because she wanted the two of us to grow a little closer.
After all, he was going to become my grandfather from now on.
Besides, the village entrance wasn’t far.
After a moment of hesitation, I nodded.
“Your Grace, may I hold your hand?”
“Y-yes.”
The Grand Duke hesitantly extended his hand.
I took it and immediately looked back at Mother.
For some reason, she looked slightly disappointed.
Why?
“Let’s go then.”
Before I could think more about it, the Grand Duke cleared his throat and began walking.
He walked slowly enough that even my short legs could keep up.
When we arrived at the village entrance, the carriage was waiting for us just like it had been when we first arrived.
Mother and I sat on the forward-facing seat, while the Grand Duke sat across from us.
Soon the carriage began to move slowly.
—
For the three days we traveled by carriage, Mother and the Grand Duke talked about everything that had built up between them over the years.
Mother spoke about how much she had loved Father, why she had chosen to run away from her family, and how she had lived burdened by guilt ever since.
The Grand Duke admitted that he only realized how excessive his greed had been after losing Mother. But by the time he tried to fix things, it was already too late.
Ten years had passed like that.
The feelings of the father and daughter—who had long been running on parallel lines—finally met. They apologized, forgave, and came to understand each other.
Since they had missed each other all that time and longed to meet again, the resentment that had built up in their hearts melted away quickly.
And just as they finished reminiscing, we finally arrived at the Grand Duke of Crichton’s residence.
The carriage slowly slowed to a stop in front of the estate.
“We’ve arrived, Your Grace.”
As the coachman announced our arrival, the carriage door opened.
The Grand Duke got off first, then Mother, and finally me.
Once I stepped down from the carriage, I saw that many people had gathered to welcome the Grand Duke.
“Your Grace!”
A tall man who had been standing at the entrance hurried toward us.
He looked to be in his late thirties.
“Is the letter true? That you found Cornelia…!”
He stopped mid-question when his gaze fell on Mother.
Then he widened his eyes and looked her up and down, as if trying to confirm that the person standing in front of him was truly real.
Mother gave him a faint smile.
“It’s been a long time, brother.”
“Cornelia, you….”
The man’s face twisted as if he were about to cry. He strode forward and pulled Mother into a tight embrace.
“If you were alive, you should have contacted me! Do you know how worried I was?”
His voice was filled with resentment.
“…I’m sorry.”
Mother gently patted his back, comforting him as he struggled to hold back his emotions.
“No… it’s fine. You’re back now.”
He finally let go of her, his face full of joy as he looked at her again.
Then he suddenly looked down at me.
“And this child…?”
“Yes. She’s my daughter with Gail.”
Mother released my hand and gently nudged me forward.
“Mirabel, greet him. This is your uncle, Duke Brian Crichton.”
Ah, I remembered hearing about him.
The Grand Duke had a son who held the title of duke—and that man was Mother’s older brother.
“Hello, my name is Mirabel.”
Brian crouched down to meet my eyes, his face full of curiosity.
“You resemble Lord Houston and Cornelia almost perfectly—half and half. Nice to meet you, niece. You may call me Uncle.”
I nodded awkwardly.
“Yes, Uncle.”
Hearing that, Brian smiled brighter than ever.
The cheerful smile seemed completely different from the pain he had shown earlier.
“Oh, that reminds me. I also have a son about your age.”
Brian turned around mid-sentence.
“Elliot! Come here.”
“Yes, Father.”
A brown-haired boy who had been standing in the distance walked toward us with elegant, refined steps.
He was probably Brian’s son.
Brian had said he was around my age, but he looked three or four years older than me.
“Have you returned safely, Your Grace?”
“Yes. Thanks to your concern.”
“I’m glad you were able to find Aunt.”
After greeting the Grand Duke first, Elliot turned to Mother.
“Aunt, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Elliot Crichton.”
“It’s been a long time. You’ve grown so much. The last time I saw you, you were barely learning to walk.”
Finally, Elliot looked at me.
His round eyes were filled with curiosity.
“She’s Cornelia’s daughter, so she’s your cousin. Be nice to her.”
At Brian’s explanation, Elliot smiled and extended his hand toward me.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Elliot. I guess I’m your older cousin.”
His bright, unpretentious smile seemed to reflect his personality.
I reached out and shook his hand.
“I’m Mirabel. Please take care of me.”
“Well then, now that the introductions are done, let’s go inside. Cornelia and Mirabel must be tired after traveling so long. You can talk later—let them rest.”
The Grand Duke, who had been watching Elliot and me with satisfaction, made the suggestion.
Even though we had only traveled by carriage, I was extremely tired.
More than anything, I had spent nine straight days on the road.
Just as I was thinking how much I wanted to rest, the Grand Duke’s words felt like rain in a drought.
As he was about to enter the mansion, a servant approached and whispered something to him.
He frowned slightly, clearly displeased by what he heard, then said something back to the servant before looking at me.
“Hmm, Mirabel, my dear. You’ll have to stay in Cornelia’s room tonight. I had them prepare your room, but it seems it’s not ready yet.”
“That’s okay.”
The Grand Duke smiled at me proudly.
“Cornelia, your room is just as you left it. You remember where it is, don’t you?”
“Of course.”
“You must be tired, so go rest.”
“Yes, Father. Come on, Mirabel.”
Mother took my hand and led me to the room.
Her room was located at the end of the left corridor on the third floor of the mansion.
“Wow…”
I couldn’t help letting out a quiet gasp when I saw the luxurious and beautiful room for the first time.
Even though I had stayed in high-end hotels several times during my life as a mercenary, none of those rooms were as beautiful as this one.
While I looked around in amazement, Mother gazed around the room with nostalgic eyes.
Not wanting to interrupt her moment, I quietly sat down on the bed.
The bed was soft and cozy.
Three days in a cargo wagon, six days in a luxury carriage.
When we traveled in the cargo wagon, I slept briefly on the hard floor. In the luxury carriage, I had to sleep on a small folding bed.
Well, for someone who had lived the life of a mercenary, even a noble’s folding bed was fairly luxurious—but my current nine-year-old body wasn’t used to sleeping rough.
Nine days of travel had left me exhausted.
Wanting to fall asleep early, I took off my shoes and lay down on the bed.
How long had it been since I last slept in a proper bed?
“Belle, are you very tired?”
Mother asked as she approached me.
It would have been a lie to say no, so I nodded honestly.
“Then let’s sleep early. Mommy will sing you a lullaby.”
Mother pulled the blanket up to my neck and sat on the edge of the bed.
Then she gently patted me and began singing softly.
It was the same lullaby she had always sung to me.
As I closed my eyes to the familiar, nostalgic song, my consciousness slowly drifted away.
