TRL 31

Chapter 31

When she lifted her head, he was already standing close to her. His eyes were bloodshot. A large hand rested gently on her head.

“You’ve grown up wonderfully.”

“…!”

Unexpected words. Her eyes widened in surprise. The Duke smiled as he stroked her hair.

“I’m proud of you.”

“…Me?”

“There were so many difficult and painful moments, yet you overcame them all safely. Not only that, but you achieved countless victories and made friends you can entrust your life to.”

He pulled her into his arms and held her tightly.

“Your father is really proud of you.”

Rita stopped breathing for a moment.

That she had grown up well… That he was proud of her?

She never imagined hearing such words, but maybe… maybe she’d always wanted to hear them. Perhaps she’d wanted her efforts, her struggles, to be recognized, especially by her family.

That thought crossed her mind. Otherwise, she wouldn’t feel this shaken. Warmth spread through her once-rigid body, and her heart began to race.

Maybe… no, definitely… my family…

While being held in her father’s affectionate embrace, she looked at the others.

Her mother was crying.

“Thank you, my dear. Thank you for telling us. It must have been so hard, but thank you for growing up so well…”

Before she knew it, her mother had come close, wrapping and gently caressing her hands.

Leonhardt let out a bitter smile.

“Lily, no matter how much you’ve changed, the fact that you’re my little sister hasn’t changed. As you said, it’s been ten years, and so much has happened in that time, so of course we might feel a little awkward or unfamiliar with each other.”

Taking a deep breath, he continued,

“But so what? We’re family, Lily. We’ll just get used to each other again. Like you told us today, let’s keep talking and get to know each other again.”

“Yeah, exactly.”

Richard chimed in, frowning slightly as he glanced at her.

“Hey, why are you looking at us like you’ve made some grand, tragic resolution? Did you really think we were gonna reject ‘Rita Pascal’ or something? Sure, I’m pissed that you went through all that hell unfairly, but we’re not gonna act like it never happened.”

He reached out and ruffled her hair, still nestled in their father’s arms.

“You went through a lot. Welcome back, Rita.”

Richard deliberately called her “Rita” instead of “Lily.” Noticing this, Leonhardt smiled awkwardly and spoke up.

“Yeah, welcome back, Rita.”

“Look at you, copying me now.”

“Shut up.”

Despite the tears streaming down her face, the Duchess let out a small laugh at the brothers’ bickering. Then, with a gaze as soft as melting snow, she looked at Lilietta.

“What should I call you? Which name do you prefer?”

Rita couldn’t answer right away. Her throat tightened. Swallowing hard, she barely managed to speak.

“It… it doesn’t matter. Either name…”

“That’s right. Whether it’s Lily or Rita, you’re still Lilietta, aren’t you?”

Smiling through her tear-stained face, her mother cupped her cheeks and whispered,

“Then… I’ll call you Lily. Even though you’ve grown into such a wonderful adult, to me, you’ll always be my beloved baby Lily.”

At her words, the Duke chuckled softly. She could feel her father’s warm laughter from where she rested against him. As Richard’s rough petting left her hair a mess, their father gently smoothed it down.

“I’ll call you Lily too. No matter how amazing an adult you’ve become, you’ll always be my adorable youngest daughter Lily.”

“What about us, then?” Richard butted in gruffly. “If you two call her Lily, what happens to us who called her Rita?”

Leonhardt smiled slyly.

“What do you mean? We’ll be the older brothers who treat our grown-up youngest sibling with the respect she deserves.”

“Wow, you’re real smooth when it counts, huh?”

The family burst into laughter.

Rita stared at them with a dazed expression, feeling her eyes grow hot. Richard poked the tip of her nose teasingly.

“What’s this? Our baby’s crying? Moved to tears?”

“…Shut up, Richie.”

“Why? It’s fine to cry. Actually, please cry more. If you do, then I can cry proudly too.”

Grinning, Richard’s eyes were red. Lilietta laughed in disbelief, and suddenly tears began to spill over. Once she started crying, she couldn’t stop.

Was it gratitude? The realization that she was finally home? The fact that her family was still her family?

She didn’t know. She couldn’t explain it.

Lilietta cried her heart out. And because she wasn’t crying alone, it wasn’t embarrassing.

* * *

Even after Lilietta finished telling her story, the family didn’t leave the sitting room overlooking the garden.

As the sunset faded and night fell, they sat around the fireplace with reddened eyes, talking even more.

“To think that young maid lured you out that night… Ha.”

“Technically, it was that archmage guy. Rita was right. We should keep that maid close and watch her carefully. And we absolutely have to catch and punish that bastard Pascal, or whatever his name is.”

“Pascal… Pascal… I can’t even imagine who that might be. Well, since he’s from another world, it’s understandable… Whatever his intention was, he’ll surely face the wrath of Laskail.”

“Our poor girl… You must have been so scared that night… having to recall it all again and talk about it… Are you okay? Should I sleep with you tonight?”

They expressed their anger over the kidnapping that night, offered her comfort,

“I’ll personally investigate the magical traces left on the coffin fragments and the broken slipper. I have connections at the capital’s magic tower.”

“I’ll look into where and how that coffin was made. It would have been hard to bring something that size in from outside Laskail, so there’s a high chance it was crafted within the territory.”

“Lily, I’ll have the most trustworthy maids keep an eye on Hannah, so don’t worry too much. If you feel even slightly uncomfortable with her, let us know. Oh, and darling, remember? That maid, Hannah… she definitely…”

“…Has a complicated background. It’s not easy to explain right now. Lily, the amethyst you’ll receive soon will explain it well.”

“That Pascal guy… he might be a dark sorcerer. No, considering what he did, he must be. I’ll look into information about dark sorcerers. And while I’m at it, I’ll check with the temple to see if there’s any info about people from other worlds.”

They also discussed what to do going forward.

But not just heavy topics—they shared plenty of lighthearted chatter, too, as if trying to fill in all the years they had spent apart.

“Wow, monsters are really that big? And you fought those?”

“Magitech gunfighting sounds really different from the shooting we know. Rita, can you show us sometime?”

“That’s right, you didn’t see it, did you? She blew off a wyvern’s head with a single shot in the city! And from a huge distance too…”

At one point, the Duchess gave the Duke a sharp look.

“I still think it’s your fault she chose a gun.”

“Ahem.”

“Oh my, you seem awfully pleased about it.”

The Duke cleared his throat and said to Rita,

“Lily, how about going hunting with me next time?”

“Lily, careful. If you say yes, your father might literally die from happiness.”

“Ahem, ahem, dear.”

The Duke cleared his throat again. Rita smiled slightly.

“Sure. I never got to go with you when I was little. Now that I’m all grown up, let’s definitely go together.”

At her answer, the usually dignified Duke grinned like a child. Richard laughed at the sight, only to get smacked on the back of the head by Leonhardt.

Covering her mouth to stifle a laugh, the Duchess turned to Rita.

“By the way, the social season is coming up soon. Do you remember what that is?”

“Hmm… It’s the time spent at the townhouse in the capital, right? From spring to summer…”

“Exactly! You remember! From April to August, nobles from all over the empire gather in the imperial capital, Ramcard, for the social season. There are countless balls and banquets, plus big festivals and hunting competitions.”

Clapping her hands with excitement, the Duchess blushed like a young girl as she continued,

“Lily, how about making your debut this social season? We need to announce your return to everyone! Let’s host your debutante ball and a grand welcome party at the Cream Dome!”

“You’re really planning to attend the social season this year?”

Leonhardt asked in surprise. The Duchess answered right away.

“Of course! Our daughter has returned! We must announce it with a grand party, right? Don’t you agree, darling?”

“Hmm, indeed. We can’t just quietly gloss over the return of Laskail’s princess. As you said, let’s make the first party of this social season Lilietta’s debutante ball.”

As the Duke and Duchess exchanged words, the young Duke smiled softly.

“It’ll also serve as a party announcing Laskail’s return in full force. We’d better prepare properly.”