MCWTV 66

CHAPTER 66……………..

Aslan, who had been holding my hand, let go out of sheer excitement and ran straight toward him.

“Uncle!”

“Aslan, you made it here safely.”

Id bent down, catching the boy as he leapt into his arms, holding him securely as he smiled.

He spoke as though he had been expecting us all along.

But this was supposed to be top secret—how did he know?

No, wait. Weren’t we supposed to be moving away from here?!

Unlike Aslan, who bounced around with joy, I couldn’t bring myself to be happy.

“L-Lord Mente, why are you here?”

Could it be that Theodora told him where we were headed? But it was supposed to be a state secret. What if Id was really working for Mars? Then we’d be like rats trapped in a jar. Did I misjudge him? Are we in danger again?

Anxious thoughts raced through my head.

Id might have saved my, Aslan’s, and my household’s lives, but it was all too easy for suspicion to sprout.

Though my face showed no trace of delight, Id acted as if he hadn’t noticed and answered calmly.

“My master is none other than His Grace the Duke of Eckhardt. I never dreamed I would see you here again, madam.”

“You… you were the duke’s retainer all along?”

Suddenly the pieces fell into place.

When I first met him, I had found it odd that I—who knew every noble family by name—hadn’t recognized him.

But of course—dukes had the authority to grant titles like baron or viscount even to commoners.

That explained why he seemed strangely wealthy for a provincial noble, and why he traveled to the capital so often—he was acting as the duke’s man.

The suspicion melted from my face in an instant, replaced with embarrassment at my shamelessness for doubting him first. I gave an awkward laugh.

Id, mercifully, pretended not to notice.

“My apologies for not telling you earlier. As you know, this was a matter of utmost secrecy. Even you, madam, as the one involved, could not be told.”

“N-no, you don’t need to apologize. It’s not your fault.”

At that, Id smiled gently, as though to say, Then neither should you apologize.

Even so, the unease in my chest hadn’t vanished. It was Aslan who swept it away.

“Uncle, then is Ayla here too?”

Truth be told, Aslan had been acting energetic, but ever since leaving the Fran territory, he had seemed downhearted.

Now, at the sight of Id, his spirits returned instantly, his eyes sparkling.

Smiling, Id nodded.

“Yes, she’s waiting upstairs.”

“Wow! Mom, did you hear? Ayla’s here too! We’re all back together again!”

Aslan hopped with joy.

Yes, they had said Ayla would be moved to a safe place.

And if it was the Duchy of Eckhardt, safety was all but guaranteed.

Chaotic as everything was, I had also enjoyed our days among the neighbors in Mente’s lands.

Our positions might have changed, but as Aslan said, we were together again.

Looking at his uncontainable happiness, all my fatigue and muscle aches melted away.

“Then please take us to Ayla, Lord Mente.”

Since her arrival, Ayla had felt like she was floating outside of reality.

The only “home” she had ever known was the orphanage.

She had never had a room of her own—only cramped quarters smaller than the Mente estate’s stables, where she and the other children slept packed together.

So when she first saw the Mente manor’s blue-roofed house, she had thought it was an unbelievably large and luxurious mansion.

But this place was on another level entirely.

It wasn’t a house—it was practically a castle.

And she was told the entire east wing, where the sun rose, belonged to her.

A building as large as, if not larger than, the Mente manor—completely hers.

Am I dreaming?

She had always wanted to be rich.

The orphanage director had constantly struggled with money, and Ayla had grown up believing vaguely that having wealth was a good thing.

Even after becoming Ayla Mente, that hadn’t changed.

She had wanted it so badly that surely this must be a dream.

Better to wake herself before she became disappointed when reality set in.

So she pinched her own cheek.

“Ow.”

It just hurt. Nothing else.

Startled by her sudden action, the maids who had been watching rushed over.

“My lady, what’s wrong?”

“Your cheek is red—oh heavens, how hard did you pinch yourself?”

“I’ll fetch some ice.”

They were all the same maids who had served at Mente manor.

Perhaps they had always known Lloyd’s true identity, for they treated Ayla as a duke’s daughter without hesitation.

The chill of ice on her cheek jolted her back to her senses.

So this was reality.

Without realizing it, she had become the adopted daughter of a family of staggering power.

And she had been the only one who hadn’t known the truth—her father’s true identity.

She had wanted to be adopted into a good family.

A place without hunger, without cold, full of warmth.

But she had ended up in a house far beyond anything she’d wished for.

And so she was afraid.

She had already thought being the daughter of a viscount was more than enough. But to learn she was truly a duke’s daughter…!

Why did Father adopt me?

Nothing made sense.

Even if she did come to understand, could she shoulder this weight?

It was suffocating.

Now, separated from her beloved teacher Minerva and her friend Aslan, she felt she couldn’t manage anything.

I want to go back…

She hugged her knees and bowed her head just as—

“…uncle… is… here?”

A faint voice reached her from outside, making her snap her head up toward the door.

“My lady?”

The maids called to her in confusion, but Ayla’s hearing was fixed on that faint voice.

No more sounds followed.

Had she imagined it?

Of course—how could any voice carry through a door that thick?

Chastising herself for being disappointed, she forced herself back to reason.

Think logically. Why would madam and Aslan be here? They said they were moved somewhere safe.

Like it or not, she was now the duke’s daughter.

Her father surely expected her to behave as one. Depending on people she might never see again was no longer acceptable.

Her head began to droop again—

When the door suddenly burst open.

“It really is Ayla!”

That playful, catlike, high-pitched voice.

Could it be—really?

Ayla looked up.

And there, behind Lloyd, she saw the platinum-haired mother and son she loved so dearly.

The moment her eyes met Aslan’s, his face lit up and he shouted her name.

“Ayla!”

The noble, platinum-haired princess smiled at her with the same warmth as she had back in the countryside, calling her name.

“Madam, Aslan…!”

Tears welled up, but she couldn’t stop smiling.

The three of them ran to each other and embraced in a heartfelt reunion.

To an onlooker, it might have seemed they had been apart for years rather than two days. But for the three of them, the joy was in being reunited with those they had feared they might not see again.

“Madam, Aslan—is it really you?”

It had only been two days.

Yet the unease she had felt in that short time had been so overwhelming that relief made her knees weak.

Minerva wrapped her arms around the girl gently, patting her back, while Aslan chattered away.

“Yup, it’s really us! You didn’t know we were coming, Ayla? We were super shocked too when they said you were here!”

“No, I had no idea. But how are you two here…?”

Still sniffling, Ayla asked. Minerva smiled, though her eyes were full of pity, and answered.

“Thankfully, the Duke of Eckhardt has given us a place to stay.”

“…What?”

Her father? But why hadn’t he told her?

The question was short-lived, for Minerva turned reproachfully to Lloyd.

“Lord Mente, I understand the need for secrecy, but you could have at least given the girl a hint.”