TFPW 40

Chapter 40

“It’s Aden.”

Rui, who had his head sticking out the carriage window, cried out in delight.

Eluana, who had been fiddling with a metal marble with a face drawn on it, looked up. Through the carriage window, she saw a familiar landscape. The sky, the color she knew so well, and the air that felt like home greeted her warmly.

It was the Aden estate where Eluana had been born and raised.

“We’re back…”

The carriage passed the fields where Eluana and Rui used to play and headed toward the lord’s castle. The estate workers in the fields lifted their heads to watch the passing carriage. Some, upon spotting Rui leaning out the window, looked shocked.

As the carriage sped powerfully into the castle, it gradually slowed down. The moment it came to a halt, Sing stepped down and offered her hand.

“Take my hand, miss.”

Alex, who had also been reaching out to offer his hand, made a baffled expression.

Sing was dressed perfectly like a maid. But as soon as she mouthed the word “The Duke,” Alex silently withdrew his hand and stepped back.

Eluana took Sing’s hand and stepped out of the carriage, finding the lord waiting to greet them.

“You’ve arrived. Thank you for visiting again.”

Seeing the lord bow respectfully, Eluana once again felt how much her life had changed.

Rui jumped out of the carriage without anyone’s help. He seemed to realize belatedly that his actions were improper, but brushed it off with a cheerful smile.

The last one to descend was Ring. Quietly stepping down, she looked around and, without being told, began unloading luggage from the carriage.

And so, Eluana returned to Aden.

After settling into the guest room at the lord’s castle, Eluana took Rui by the hand and went to visit their house first. Because of the last time they saw it, she expected it to look abandoned, but the home that greeted them was intact.

Not only the house but even the smithy had been neatly restored. Some furniture and ornaments were missing, but it was cleaner than when Eluana and Rui had lived there.

“Looks like they threw away what was broken.”

Eluana didn’t mind most things being gone, but she felt a twinge of sadness at the disappearance of a few of her mother’s paintings. Rui was also glum, saying his model ship was gone.

The funeral was held the day after their arrival. Duke Spes had prepared everything perfectly, so Eluana and Rui didn’t have to worry about anything—only pretend to grieve.

Eluana woke up early, changed into a black dress, and wore a black veil that flowed down to her waist. Holding hands with Rui, who was also dressed in black, she headed to the hill where Ron’s grave was located.

As they climbed the hill, a sudden gust of wind lifted her skirt and sent her veil flying. In the blink of an eye, the fluttering veil soared high into the sky.

“I’ll get it!”

Sing sprinted into the woods and soon returned with the veil.

“Found it quickly. It got caught on a branch. If it had kept riding the wind, we might not have found it. Lucky, right?”

“Thanks.”

Eluana took the black veil and placed it back over her head.

The world seen through the black netting felt a bit stifling. Still, the good thing about the veil was that she didn’t need to manage her expression.

Even a slight bow of her head naturally conveyed solemnity.

Eluana climbed the hill at a pace neither fast nor slow, and stood before the large coffin. The fake Ron inside would be buried next to the real Ron. Duke Spes had arranged it so that it wouldn’t seem awkward when Eluana came to visit the real grave in the future.

The funeral was held in a solemn atmosphere. The unknown man in the coffin looked so much like Ron in build and aura that even Eluana found it easy to get into the mood of mourning.

Some neighbors who knew the real Ron had died also did their best to act grieving. As the Duke had informed them in advance and generously compensated them, their performances were impressively enthusiastic.

Many others also expressed sorrow over Ron’s death.

The funeral ended with the coffin of the unknown man being lowered into the ground. Eluana, who had stood upright from beginning to end, was the last to place a flower before the gravestone.

Even knowing it was the funeral of a stranger, she felt strangely emotional.

One by one, people came to offer words of comfort and then left. The last person to approach was Sam—the man who had pretended not to recognize her when they ran into each other in the forest after her prison escape. She was still grateful for that.

“Thank you, Uncle Sam. If it weren’t for you, something terrible might’ve happened.”

She might have lost her head before even meeting the Duke.

“No problem. You look well. That’s enough for me.”

Rui, glancing around, asked, “Where’s Hans?”

“He went to school. Said he wanted to see you and would try to time his return, but I guess he’s running late.”

Aden didn’t have a school, so Eluana’s eyes widened.

“There’s a school nearby now?”

“No, I sent him to the closest one. Still takes a week by carriage. The Duke who said he’s your relative sent quite a bit of money to thank me.”

“That’s good.”

She hadn’t known Duke Spes had taken care of such things. She decided she’d thank him when they returned. Just then, Rui asked with a sad face,

“So we’re not going to see Hans?”

“We’re leaving tomorrow, so I guess not.”

“I see…”

Rui looked downcast at the thought of leaving without seeing Hans. He had a feeling that it wouldn’t be easy to meet again. He shyly handed Sam a paper-wrapped object—it was the wooden boat he bought at the market the day before.

“Please give this to Hans.”

Sam smiled broadly as he took it.

“I will. He’ll love it.”

After Sam walked away with the toy boat, no one else came. Once the small clusters of mourners had all departed, Eluana remained where she was.

She felt a bit dazed. As she stood there, unmoving, Rui took Ring by the hand and returned to the castle first.

Left alone, Eluana sat in the breeze for a while, then approached the neighboring grave and gently traced the gravestone with her fingertips.

“Dad, I’m back.”

The metal marble in her pocket rolled slightly, as if comforting her.

A gentle breeze, like Ron’s touch, brushed her cheek. It carried a sense of longing as it rustled her hair. The reason Ron’s grave was placed on this hill was because from here, one could overlook the house and the smithy.

Now, Ron would only be watching over an empty home and smithy.

“Hey, Dad, I think I have a father now.”

It felt strange to say out loud, but it was the truth.

“So now my name is Eluana Vita Spes… Are you upset?”

Even if you are, I had no choice. I have to protect Rui and myself. That was the best I could do.

“The Duke… he seems like a good person. He’s kind to us. Do you remember that? When you and Mom used to sleep in separate rooms? When I begged you for a younger sibling, you’d get all flustered. That was funny, so I kept asking, just to tease you.”

Thinking back to those times brought a soft smile to her face.

Even from a young age, she knew her family was different. Ron had explained that noble couples usually had separate rooms, but that wasn’t the only thing.

Compared to how comfortably Mom treated Ron, Ron always maintained formality and distance—though his eyes were always on her.

Eluana guessed they had made some sort of agreement. She didn’t know what Ron had received in return for becoming part of their family. But he had been the best father.

When the emotional distance between Ron and Mom slowly began to shrink, and they started sharing a room, the next year Rui was born. Eluana had been truly happy. It finally felt like they were a real family. Not that it didn’t before—but this time, it felt complete.

If Mom hadn’t passed away, the four of them would have been even happier. Not that she wasn’t happy now.

“Dad, I made a friend. Look! My very first friend. You always teased me for not having any.”

Eluana pulled out the marbles from her pocket and showed them. The three marbles on her palm formed a neat little circle.

“I have alchemy powers now. Did you know? Isn’t that cool?”

The marbles spun joyfully in place like they were performing for her. Eluana slipped them back into her pocket.

Mom was a princess, you know? Did you know that too?

She wanted to talk more about her mother, but with Sing and the Spes knights nearby, she couldn’t say anything aloud.

They say people who use aura have sharp hearing and can catch even distant whispers. Ron told her that too.

Now that she thought about it, Ron had told her so many things.

“We’re doing fine, so don’t worry. Rui’s doing well too. Eats well, sleeps well. Says the food now is tastier than mine. He’s even learning etiquette. Turns out he’s really talented. If we’d stayed in Aden, we’d never have known he was a genius. Now he’s like a real young master. Honestly, I’m a bit worried because he’s grown up so fast.”

As she rambled, she looked up at the sky.

“Thanks for raising me so well. You’ll always be my dad.”

Even if I have another father now, that won’t change.

Just as she was about to finish her goodbye, Sing’s whip suddenly cracked past her eyes. Before she could even scream, the whip snatched away a dagger that had flown right in front of her.

With a metallic clang, the dagger clattered to the ground.

Huh?

That sharp sound marked the beginning of the ambush.

Dozens of daggers came flying from all directions. Most were deflected by the four Spes knights, and the rest were knocked aside by Sing’s whip. More weapons kept coming, and each time, her whip slashed them down, blood spraying each time.

Eluana couldn’t comprehend the slaughter happening right before her. Her jaw trembled, and cold sweat ran down her back. The spreading scent of death felt like it was choking her.

Sing, who had approached at some point, stood in front of Eluana and said,

“Miss, don’t worry. Nothing’s going to happen to you.”

Nothing? With that many attackers?