Chapter 61

Shortly thereafter, Eva came and assigned a maid and attendants, and knelt down with courtesy to the Madam who returned after a long time.

“Madam, you don’t know how long I have waited. It’s really good that you’re back.”

Eva looked up at her with tears in her eyes.

“Eva…….you have softened a lot. I didn’t see a single tear when I left.”

Eva wiped her tears away and got her body up.

“Because if I shed tears at that time, Madam would not have been able to leave.”

Soliaphe took Eva’s hands. The relationship between the butler and the Duchess was deep. Because Soliaphe had saved Eva’s father.

“Madam, it looks like the South Wing needs renovation. How about staying in the East Wing Hall or the Main Building for the time being?”

It was a story about whether to stay with her son Leoni, or to stay with her husband Louivid. But Soliaphe wanted to be alone in the South Wing. There was no need to worry about that for now.

“It looks good to me……You’re not going to change the interior and furniture, are you?”

Eva replied as if she had read Soliaphe’s signs of reluctance for the extra time it would take.

“I’d love to, but just cleaning and taking care of the Madam’s new items will take plenty of time. And a Happy Event is scheduled to happen soon, so I have to prepare for it.”

“A Happy Event?”

Eva closed her lips, believing that Elder Madam Evelyn would talk about it.

“You will find out gradually. Alright, first, let’s go prepare for lunch as the Elder Madam commanded. Sadly, both the Elder Master and Master are not home.”

She didn’t know what was happening, but Soliaphe quietly followed Eva’s words to choose what to wear among her old dresses and move them to the East Wing.

“Wait, you can go ahead first. I will follow you soon.”

“Yes, Madam.”

Eva nodded her head and hurriedly instructed the attendants to move the items. When everyone left, Soliaphe opened a box she had kept in a deep drawer.

There were round communication ports and accessories that Louivid had given her. Among them, there was a rosy gold bracelet. After wearing it on her wrist, she turned on the communication channel.

When the connection failed, she immediately turned it off. If he went out to inspect anyway, he’ll be back soon. She had come prepared, but she was not yet confident that she could meet his eyes. Soliaphe sat down on the floor as if collapsing.

‘The remaining time will be two years at most.’

There’s really not much time left. The two years the doctor said had already passed. The fact that she might die tomorrow was terrifying.

When she first found out that she had a deadline to live, at that time, she just wanted to run away. Even if she died, she wanted to die quietly, holding the sword and doing the things she could do with her hands.

She met strong monsters and opponents and almost died several times, but her tough life was not easily cut off. Looking back now, she suddenly returned because she wanted to see the faces of her family for the last time.

I’ll have to leave again though.

Soliaphe barely lifted her heavy body. Just a few more steps and she will arrive to her son who would be waiting. She struggled one-step at a time. After being groomed by a maid for the first time in two years, she went to the dinner hall.

She was very unfamiliar with how long it had been since she had tried on a dress. The children arrived first at the restaurant and were chatting. Soliaphe  saw the head of a golden chestnut-like child sitting on a table chair. It was her son whom she dreamed of meeting.

‘Leoni!’

There was also a silver-haired girl sitting next to Leoni. She was the child Soliaphe met yesterday. Luciel raised her head at the sudden gaze. It was the woman she met yesterday at the South Wing.

Duchess of Bellstein, Soliaphe.

Her purple hair was pulled up and adorned with pearls, she was dressed in a navy blue dress and looked like a different person from yesterday.

If Evelyn had a feminine and elegant rhythm that went down to her fingertips while holding a cup, Soliaphe exuded a wonderful aura. The neatness of a person who mastered the sword permeated her body, and even her gait caught people’s eyes.

Dressed up to the fullest, she was mightily beautiful, but her expression somehow seemed calm and aloof from everything.

Now that Luciel knew who she was, she had to pay her respects. She naturally rose from her seat. Then bowed her head politely and greeted by holding the hem of her dress.

“Greetings to the Duchess of Bellstein. My name is Luciel.”

Soliaphe’s bright blue eyes stayed on the silver-haired girl.

“……you are from yesterday. I see that you weren’t a maid, I was rude.”

“No. I was the one who was wrong yesterday.”

Following Luciel’s gaze and actions, Leoni looked back at them with a stunned face.

“……Mom?”

Leoni’s red eyes like pomegranate grains, grew very large. Soliaphe, who had been watching her child, slowly approached and hugged Leoni tightly.

The day she left, she had gone without even seeing Leoni.

Seeing her young son’s face, she couldn’t possibly go. It was poison to her determination.

Soliaphe and Leoni hugged for a long time. While digging into his mother’s arms like a puppy, Leoni let out a locked whisper.

“Mom…….”

“Leoni, I’m sorry. Mom is too late. right?”

Soliaphe patted her child’s back, swallowing her tears. At least in front of Leoni, she didn’t look like a knight, but only a mother to her child.

“I said to sleep only ten nights, but mom was too late. I’m sorry I’m late.”

The child was more mature than she thought.

“It’s ok. Now that you came back you can’t go. You have to stay with me.”

Leoni’s eyes widened as his plump cheeks turned red.

Luciel who was watching both, was so moved that tears seemed to flow. Strangely, Soliaphe’s aloof and calm face was so sad that she couldn’t stand it.

“W-Well…… excuse me for a moment.”

“……Oh my, Luciel. What’s the matter?”

“……Sister, what’s wrong?”

As the mother and son asked, wiping away the tears around their eyes, Luciel roughly glossed over.

“Oh? No, I’m in a hurry, so I’ll go to the bathroom.”

Luciel ran out and hurriedly hid in a small warehouse next to the restaurant. It was a warehouse where food was kept, so it was full of all kinds of crops. Next to the basket full of onions there was also a bowl of sliced ones. Luciel used the onions as an excuse to shed beads of tears.

Although she did not know Soliaphe’s circumstances well, the passionate reunion between the two was sad and heartbreaking.

‘What happened…….why do I feel so sad?’

The longing and sorrow for her older sister, whom she had lost long ago, also flooded in. Her heart even throbbed. Before long, tears fell from Luciel’s eyes, while the mana gathered and her heart pounded like waves.

Blue sapphires formed in the air. It was a beautiful sea-colored sapphire. Luciel had never seen the actual sea, but she had seen it in pictures.

‘The real water of the sea is probably this color.’

When Luciel returned to her seat, the atmosphere had become brighter, perhaps because Evelyn had arrived.

The table was full of foods such as plenty of grilled duck, beef steak, steamed scallops, soft cream stew, savory rye bread, tomato caprese salad served with basil, and drinks with lemon and lime.

With the light sound of tableware moving about, everyone’s eyes turned to Luciel. Evelyn gently rolled her eyes and said.

“Come and sit down, Luciel. I was just talking about you. Did you say hello to the Duchess, or should I say mother-in-law?”

“Oh, yes.”

“Yes, Luciel greeted me earlier. I was not able to introduce myself.”

After Soliaphe patted the side of her mouth with a tissue, a small smile appeared on her lips and she continued.

“i’m Soliaphe von Bellstein. I returned to the castle because of circumstances.”

“Ah, yes. It’s an honor to meet you. You’re more amazing than I ever imagined, so I can’t take my eyes off you.”

As Luciel spoke with her cheeks full of blush, Soliaphe’s blue eyes filled with the child.

“My daughter-in-law…is cute.”

“Oh……Yes. I look forward to your kind cooperation.”

When Luciel heard daughter-in-law coming from her mother-in-law’s mouth, for some reason her face became red in blush. Soliaphe, who raised her lips while looking at the nervous child, cut the steak and moved it to Luciel’s plate.

“Eat a lot.”

“Yes, Madam Soliaphe, should eat a lot too. Grandma Evelyn too, and Leoni too!”

Watching Luciel take care of this side and that side, Soliaphe thought to herself.

‘You are very considerate for a child.’

Luciel’s situation was roughly heard through Eva.

It seems like she would be a warm and bright companion to the blunt Kizef since he resembled both Louivid and Soliaphe. Hence, she took a liking to Luciel.

Naturally, she sent a warm gaze towards Luciel. Maybe Kizef will be fine after her death, because he has Luciel.

“Well, Soliaphe. Next month, Luciel will turn ten and we will be having her wedding right away. If you’re not busy, I want you to help me…….”

Hearing Evelyn’s words, Soliaphe hesitated to open her lips.

“I don’t know much about that, so it would be better to let mother take care of it.”

As Soliaphe touched her head and spoke, Evelyn’s fair face hardened for a moment.

“…… Isn’t it all over?”

“It’s disbanded, but there’s a little bit of clean-up left to do.”

“It’s not anyone else, it’s your son, Kizef’s wedding, it’s a little sad.”

Luciel, who looked at the two of them slightly aware of the heavy mood, said.

“Since we are not adults, isn’t it better to do a simple wedding?”

“No matter how simple it is, there are many things to take care of. Luciel.”

“I am already prepared, and there’s not much left to organize. Beside I have Bessie and Rose……I don’t think there will be much for Madam Soliaphe to take care of.”

Evelyn listened carefully to her words, wondering what she meant.

“…… What do you mean you are already prepared? Hm?”

“Grandma bought me the only diamond dress in the world. I’ll wear it to the wedding. I haven’t tried it on yet, so I’m just waiting for the day to try it on.”

Luciel said with eyes shining brightly like an excited child.