Chapter 66

Aslan, who had been holding my hand, let go and ran to him in delight.

“Uncle!”

“Aslan, you’ve arrived safely.”

Ide steadily embraced Aslan, who was jumping as she ran to him, and smiled.

His tone suggested he knew we would be coming here.

This was supposed to be top secret, how did he know?

No, more importantly, didn’t he say he was moving?

Unlike Aslan, who was bouncing with joy, I couldn’t feel completely at ease about seeing him.

“L-Lord Mente, why are you here?”

Could Theodora have told him our destination? It’s confidential, but if Ide is actually Mars’s man, we’d be mice in a trap. Did I misjudge him? Are we in danger again?

All sorts of anxious thoughts flashed through my mind.

Despite Ide being the benefactor who saved my and Aslan’s lives, as well as my household’s, doubt sprouted easily.

Even though my face clearly showed I couldn’t be happy to see him, Ide answered as if he hadn’t noticed.

“My master is His Grace, Grand Duke Eckhart. I never dreamed I’d meet you again here, madam.”

“You were… a retainer of the Grand Duke’s family? Lord Mente?”

For some reason, it felt like puzzle pieces were falling into place.

Now I understood why I, who knew all the noble registers by heart, didn’t know him when I first saw him.

A Grand Duke can bestow baronies or viscounties to commoners.

That’s why he seemed strangely wealthy for a rural noble, and frequently traveled to the capital – it was all because he was the Grand Duke’s subordinate.

The doubt instantly vanished from my face, and an awkward smile appeared as I felt ashamed for suspecting him so shamelessly.

Ide pretended not to notice this as well.

“I apologize for not telling you in advance. As you know, this matter is top secret, so I couldn’t speak of it freely even to you, madam, who are directly involved.”

“Ah, no. You don’t need to apologize, my lord.”

At my words, Ide smiled gently, as if to say you don’t need to apologize either.

Still, I couldn’t feel completely at ease, and it was Aslan who lifted the mood.

“Mister, then is Ayla here too?”

In truth, Aslan had seemed constantly low-spirited since leaving the Fran territory, despite pretending to be energetic.

But from the moment she saw Ide, Aslan instantly regained her energy and her eyes sparkled.

Ide chuckled at her unchanged behavior and nodded.

“Yes, she should be waiting upstairs.”

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

Aslan jumped up and down, so excited.

Right, he said he was moving to a safe place with Ayla.

The Eckhart Grand Duke’s territory would certainly be more than safe enough.

Despite all the confusion, I too had enjoyed the days spent with neighbors in the Mente territory.

Although our positions have changed in many ways, we’re together again as Aslan said.

Seeing Aslan so overjoyed, all my fatigue and muscle pain seemed to vanish.

“Please take us to Ayla, Lord Mente.”

* * *

Since arriving here, Ayla had constantly felt detached from reality.

The only home Ayla knew was the orphanage.

Her first experience of a home was having to sleep packed tightly with many others in a space smaller than even the stables of the Mente mansion, let alone having a private room.

That’s why even the Blue Roof Mansion of the Mente Viscount territory seemed incredibly luxurious and large to her.

But this place was on a different level entirely.

It was more accurate to call this a castle rather than a mansion.

And the entire east wing of the building was said to be Ayla’s.

The entire east wing, as large as or perhaps even larger than the Mente mansion.

‘Am I dreaming?’

She had wanted to be rich.

The orphanage director had always been desperate for money, and Ayla vaguely thought that having a lot of money must be good.

That feeling remained even after she became Ayla Mente.

She must be dreaming because she wanted it so badly.

If so, she needed to wake herself up and break free from this delusion before realizing the truth later and being disappointed.

Ayla pinched her cheek.

“Ouch.”

It only hurt, nothing else happened.

Perhaps startled by the Grand Duchess’s sudden eccentric behavior, the maids who had been watching her rushed over to check on Ayla.

“Young miss, is something wrong?”

“Your cheek is red. My goodness, how hard did you pinch yourself…”

“I’ll bring some ice.”

They were all maids from the Mente mansion.

They treated Ayla quite naturally as a Grand Duchess, as if they had known Lloyd’s true identity from the start.

As the cold ice touched her stinging cheek, the cool sensation spread and Ayla snapped back to her senses.

This is reality.

Ayla had unknowingly become the adopted child of an incredibly powerful family.

And everyone except her had known.

About her father’s true identity.

She had wanted to be adopted into a good family.

A place where she wouldn’t have to worry about food or cold, and where there were warm people.

But she ended up in a family even more incredible than she had wished for.

That’s why Ayla was scared.

She had lived thinking that becoming a Viscount Mente’s daughter was more than enough, but she was actually a Grand Duchess!

‘Why did Father adopt me?’

There were so many things she couldn’t understand.

No, even if she could understand, could she really handle this position?

It felt suffocating.

Now that she was separated from Minerva, the teacher she loved, and Aslan, the friend she could open her heart to, it felt like she couldn’t accomplish anything.

‘I want to go back…’

Just as Ayla unknowingly hugged her knees and hung her head low, it happened.

“…ter, …she here?”

Hearing a faint voice from outside, Ayla suddenly raised her head and looked towards the door.

“Young miss?”

The maids called out to her at her sudden movement, but Ayla’s hearing was focused on the voice coming from outside.

However, there was no further sound after that.

Did she mishear?

Come to think of it, how could a voice penetrate through such thick doors?

As soon as that thought crossed her mind, Ayla quickly chided herself for being disappointed in an attempt to wake up to reality.

‘I should think rationally. Why would the madam and Aslan be here? They said they were going somewhere safe.’

Whether she liked it or not, she was now a Grand Duchess.

Lloyd must have an image of what a Grand Duchess should be like, so it wasn’t good to rely on those two people she might never see again.

Just as Ayla’s head was about to droop again, the door suddenly opened.

“It really is Ayla!”

Once again, she heard a familiar voice.

A voice like the thin, high-pitched meow of a playful cat.

Could it really be?

Ayla raised her head again.

Behind Lloyd, she clearly saw the platinum-haired mother and daughter she loved so much.

As Ayla’s eyes met Aslan’s, she called out her name with sparkling eyes.

“Ayla!”

“Ayla!”

The noble platinum-haired princess called out to Ayla with the same warm and welcoming smile as when she was a rural noble’s wife.

“Madam, Aslan…!”

She felt like she might cry without realizing it, but for some reason, she couldn’t stop smiling.

The three of them ran to each other and had an emotional reunion.

Anyone watching might have thought they had been apart for two years rather than two days, but for these three, at least, there was only joy at meeting again people they thought they might not see for a long time.

“Madam, Aslan. Is it really you?”

It had only been two days.

Yet the anxiety felt in that time was beyond imagination, and her legs weakened with relief.

Minerva gently hugged Ayla and patted her back, while Aslan chattered away.

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

“Yes, I didn’t know at all. But how are you two here…?”

As Ayla asked, sniffling, Minerva answered with a sympathetic smile.

“Grand Duke Eckhart kindly provided us with accommodation.”

“…What?”

Father did? But why didn’t he tell me? The question was brief.

Because Minerva chided Lloyd.

“Lord Mente. Even if it was a secret, couldn’t you have given the child a hint?”

‘…Lord Mente?’

Ayla’s crying stopped abruptly.

Why is the madam, no, the princess, still calling Father Lord Mente?

“Yeah, mister! You could have told Ayla a little bit! The big boss guy must have told you not to say anything, right!”

Aslan also seemed to view Ide Mente and Grand Duke Eckhart as separate people.

Ayla quickly looked around.

Lloyd was dismissing the maids.

“You may all withdraw now.”

“Yes, Viscount.”

Even Ayla’s maids were treating the Grand Duke Eckhart as Viscount Mente.

Despite having just treated Ayla as a Grand Duchess, there’s no way they wouldn’t know Grand Duke Eckhart.

Ayla looked at Lloyd with disbelief.

Sure enough, Lloyd awkwardly avoided her gaze.

“We need to talk, Father!”