Chapter 64
If you only listened to Archibald, you might think it was just a quarrel between two kindergarteners.
Perhaps to that fool, even Mars trying to kill me like a madman now might look like a sibling fight.
That simpleton had a talent for irritating people with the flower garden he was growing in his head.
‘You think this will end with reconciliation?’
This wasn’t something that could be resolved by exchanging apologies like ‘I’m sorry,’ ‘I’m more sorry,’ and hugs.
Because we never fought in the first place.
It was just a difference in personalities.
Just because you’re playmates doesn’t mean you have to get along until death, right?
The reason Minerva chose Gabriel as a playmate even knowing the end was…
“Mom?”
“Huh? Yeah?”
When I came to my senses, I was rubbing my face.
What was I just thinking about?
It wasn’t just my thoughts that had stopped; the carriage had come to a halt as well.
My thought that maybe the wheel had broken was shattered by Aslan’s innocent question as she pointed out the window.
“Mom, what’s that?”
“…Huh?”
At the end of Aslan’s finger was a large four-legged animal.
The four-legged animal was standing on two legs, blocking the path.
Right, it was a bear.
Even though it was a forest, it wasn’t that rough of a terrain since we could travel by carriage.
But a bear appears?
I was startled for a moment, but I didn’t feel particularly threatened.
Why else would the Imperial Knights be here?
Thinking it would be dealt with quickly, I was about to sprawl out resting my chin on the window sill when suddenly the door swung open.
“Please get out, Your Highness.”
“…Me? You’re telling me to get out?”
When there’s a bear out there? Why me?
Maybe it was because Theodora’s attitude was so confident and natural, but I found myself getting out of the carriage before I knew it.
I thought maybe they were going to show me how they deal with the bear, but the knights just stood there blankly.
To top it off, Theodora forcibly pressed a sword into my hand.
“Why are you giving this to me…”
“It’s a bit early, but this is practical training. Now, please take care of it.”
Are you crazy! You want me to take care of that?
I’d love it if this were a joke, but in both Minerva’s memories and mine, Theodora was a truly cruel instructor.
This was serious.
My survival instinct, warning me not to provoke the bear, quickly awakened, and I protested to Theodora with my eyes, holding back what felt like it would be a loud voice.
However, she took even my plea for my life as childish whining.
“Once we arrive at Grand Duke Eckhart’s territory, we’ll have to return, so from now on, we’ll give you intensive training. Come on, raise your sword.”
“N-no. Didn’t you say you’d train me after I’m reinstated!”
I barely managed to lower my voice at the end, but the bear lowered its front legs and stood on all fours.
It meant it was ready to charge at us.
Grrrrr.
With the bear’s low growl as background music, Theodora personally removed the scabbard from the sword I was holding.
“I changed my mind after seeing that person yesterday. Training after reinstatement would be too late. If they know that Your Highness has weakened, it will be troublesome, so you need to quickly regain your original strength.”
Honestly, she had a point.
If I had been as strong as the real Minerva, I wouldn’t have been in that sorry state.
I understand the intention, but!
“What if while I’m fumbling around trying to deal with that thing, it comes after us! I can’t handle that with my current strength!”
We were in a situation where every minute, every second counted.
How could we have time to leisurely train here!
But as I said before, my instructor was a truly cruel one.
“That’s why you need to handle it quickly. You can do it, Your Highness. Whenever there was a hunting festival, didn’t you easily catch several bears like this?”
That wasn’t me!
I’ve never participated in a hunting festival in Minerva’s body.
Believe it or not, I tend to avoid meaningless killing.
Theodora’s teaching method remained unchanged in its Spartan style.
This is why I put down the sword as soon as I left the imperial palace.
I didn’t want to go through this again.
Not knowing my feelings, Theodora mercilessly pushed me forward.
“Don’t worry, we’ll protect Lady Aslan!”
Roarrr!
As if Theodora’s shout was a starting signal, the bear charged at me.
Thump thump!
The only one worried about me here was Aslan, who was frantically pounding on the glass window. The carriage must be so soundproof that I couldn’t even hear her voice.
Unable to show weakness in front of Aslan twice, I raised my sword while crying.
They say life gets tough once you leave home.
“Theodora, I won’t let you off easy when I’m reinstated!”
Probably no one else misses the peaceful days at the Fran mansion as much as I do right now.
* * *
Around the time Minerva was longing for the Fran mansion.
As they passed through the gate of the grand mansion that looked like a castle, there was one child who missed the Fran mansion just as much as her.
“F-Father. This is…”
“…”
Lloyd pretended not to hear Ayla’s question.
In the end, they had arrived without him saying anything.
And he still couldn’t say anything.
No matter how frustratingly tight-lipped her adoptive father was, Ayla was quick to catch on.
The village they passed through was closer to a city than a village, with brick-paved streets and a great many people.
If there had been a golden castle, she would have mistaken it for the capital without a doubt.
But instead of the golden castle visible from anywhere in the capital, there was this grand mansion before her eyes.
Lloyd and his daughter passed through the gates of this massive mansion without any inspection.
The gatekeeper even saluted Lloyd, and the carriage drove familiarly down the long entrance.
That’s how they arrived in front of the mansion.
“…Shall we get out first?”
Lloyd didn’t say where this was until the end, but Ayla could tell this was his family home.
After all, when they first set out, he said they were going to where he was born and raised.
Does he work at such an impressive house? Ayla nervously took Lloyd’s hand and got out.
Up close, it was dozens of times larger than the mansion in the Mente territory.
As if to prove its scale, numerous employees had come out to greet them, standing in a line, and they all bowed their heads in unison.
“Welcome, Your Grace the Grand Duke.”
“G-Grand Duke…?”
The welcoming words from them shattered Ayla’s hopeful assumptions.
She looked around frantically, but no matter how she thought about it, Lloyd was the only one receiving this grand greeting!
Her father had indeed just been called Grand Duke.
Grand Duke. She knew about it from books.
A title even higher than the commonly classified five ranks of nobility.
It was a title given to close relatives of the Emperor when they left the imperial family, recognized in foreign countries as equivalent to the king of a small nation.
She had read in a book that there was only one Grand Duke family in the current empire.
Butler Lawrence, who had come out of the carriage following Lloyd, approached Ayla and belatedly greeted her.
“Lady Ayla, Grand Duchess. You must be tired, please come in first.”
A completely different title came from the mouth of the old butler she always saw.
It was too serious to be a joke, and no one was laughing.
As Ayla stood frozen, a person who looked like the head maid came forward.
“I am Susan, the head maid of the Eckhart Grand Duke’s household. Grand Duchess, is there anywhere you’re feeling uncomfortable?”
Ayla avoided her gaze and tugged on Lloyd’s sleeve.
Grand Duchess? Me? That can’t be! Someone like me couldn’t possibly be a Grand Duchess!
What’s going on here? She looked up at Lloyd with such eyes.
If I had known it would be like this, I should have said something earlier.
Despite having plenty of opportunities to speak during the three days, Lloyd wanted to slap his own back for keeping his mouth shut like a clam. With his eyes tightly closed, he said:
“My real name is Lloyd Eckhart, Ayla. …From now on, your name won’t be Ayla Mente, but Ayla Eckhart.”
“W-what?”
“…I’m sorry for deceiving you, Ayla.”
Lloyd bowed his head deeply.
Ayla stared blankly at that round head for a long time.
She recalled the question Lloyd had asked just a few days ago.
“Wouldn’t you like to go to a better home?”
Ah, so this situation is real.
That’s why he asked that.
Even so, to be a Grand Duchess!
This is…
“This is impossible!”
Impossible-
Impossi-
Impos…
It was Ayla’s first day in the Eckhart Grand Duke’s territory, with her cry echoing back to her.
