Upon arriving at our mansion in the Bernstein Domain, I was shocked to see the number of people who had come from all over the estate to greet us, as well as some of the faces among them.
“Welcome home, Eli.”
There stood a man with tanned skin and a buff physique that belied his vocation as a scholar. He was a rarity in our family, a muscular sort who insisted that physical strength was a necessity for his archaeological digs. He had a youthful face and carefree, childlike brown eyes. He was my father’s younger brother, five years his junior.
“Uncle Andrew!”
I usually only saw him once a year at best. However, since he’d made the rare visit to our estate in the royal capital right after the Holy Night’s Banquet, it had only been about two months this time.
In the midst of my joy at being reunited after such a short period of time, I spotted my grandfather sitting in his wheelchair. His legs had given out several years back, and he had been confined to that wheelchair ever since. Thus, it was difficult to summon him to the royal capital, and returning to my home territory was the only way I could see him.
“Grandfather... I’m home.”
With a face full of wrinkles and eyes that exuded deep wisdom, he gave off a slightly more sharp-edged impression than my father. But when I greeted him, he broke into a gentle, beaming smile.
“Welcome home, Elianna,” he said.
He extended a hand, and I rushed over to his side, embracing him for the first time in almost five years. I could smell the same familiar scent on him. The way he patted my head hadn’t changed a bit either.
“Eli... I’m so glad you were all right.”
His words served as a reminder that, much like the staff of our estate in the capital, my uncle, grandfather, and all the people back in our territory must have been worried for me. In Grandpa Theoden’s words, I’d made the right choice in coming home while I had the chance.
“I see you’re a man of your word, Theoden.”
“Of course I am. As if I’d let a youngster like him get the better of me more than once. Why, I stole her from right out under his nose! I can imagine the look on his face when he heard the news.”
He added that it was a shame he’d missed it, at which I instinctively stole a glance at my grandfather beside me.
“Grandfather... How are you feeling?”
“All better now that I’ve been reunited with my darling granddaughter.”
I had no response. Apparently, I’d been dancing in the palms of these wily old men.
I rose to my feet with a small sigh, then introduced everyone to Lady Anna, who had been watching our banter with a smile on her face. My grandfather’s eyes widened a fraction at the mention of who her father was.
As the first step to recovering from the long journey, I headed into the estate, where I had tea with familiar faces in a mansion that brought back old memories. I also heard some news for the first time. General Bakula and my uncle exchanged information about what had gone on in the royal capital and around the kingdom, and I breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that infection rates were on the decline. It was then that my grandfather brought up an earlier incident.
“Was old Dan Edold any help, Eli?”
The servants of House Bernstein had arranged various supplies for me in the Ralshen Region. When I had returned home and confirmed this with my father, I had thanked him with no small amount of surprise, but it now occurred to me that there was no way my grandfather couldn’t have known about it.
I said yes and thanked my grandfather, at which Uncle Andrew said something surprising. “Can you believe it? First my brother drags me back to the royal capital right before the Holy Night’s Banquet, claiming the matter is urgent, and then he sends me off on a tour of the three northern domains of Ralshen, Azul, and Tor. He’s more of a slave driver than he looks.”
My eyes went wide. “You were up north when I was, Uncle Andy?”
I asked if he was the one who had arranged for supplies to be sent to me from other territories, and he nodded his head with a blithe smile. “My darling niece was fighting a one-woman battle. The whole family rallied to support you. That aside, you really stepped up, Eli! I was so proud of you.”
“You should have come to see me...”
I could only imagine the strength it would have given me. It’s true that his support alone had helped me a lot, but if I’d had the chance to see someone I’d known since childhood, it would have put me in a completely different state of mind.
My uncle smiled with all the composure of an experienced adult. “I figured that I shouldn’t show my face and snap the thread of tension you had going. You were so desperate to do everything you could. Still, I watched all your triumphs from afar. You did a great job, Elianna.”
There was a straightforward admiration in my uncle’s voice and expression, and as memories of that time flashed before my own eyes, I felt a lump form in my throat. He was my favorite uncle, whom I had begged to tell me stories of history and archaeological sites from all over the world since I was a little girl. To hear such lavish praise from him both embarrassed me and instilled me with a strong sense of self-confidence.
He went on, “When I first heard you’d been engaged to the crown prince, I wondered how things were going to turn out...but I’m relieved to see there won’t be any problems. I mean, I can hardly believe you had so much strength inside you. I really missed out. Should’ve had you follow in my footsteps.”
I blinked in surprise. My uncle, the world-traveling excavator and archaeologist, wanted me to be his successor?
“It’s not too late, Andy,” Grandpa Theoden insisted. “What if you took Eli on a two- or three-year trip around the continent? I’ll help get you across the border.”
My grandfather seemed taken with the idea. “That’s not a bad suggestion. Perhaps you can tour the ruins of the ancient myths she’s always loved.”
He asked Lady Anna, who had been listening to this conversation with wide-eyed surprise, if she’d like to come along for the trip. There was a hint of amusement in my grandfather’s expression, and I felt like I’d gotten a glimpse of the mercilessness he could show to even Alfred, his own grandson.
Lady Anna played along and deftly sidestepped the trap. She considered the offer seriously, as if it was genuinely appealing to her. “That’s a very tempting invitation. The traces and breath of history that lie dormant all over the world... It’s the desire of anyone who studies history to see and touch those for themselves. However...”
When she lifted her gaze, I saw the unwavering strength of a woman who had set her own course. “I would rather search for the truth that lies in recorded history than explore ancient sites and historical remnants for myself. I want to read the accounts of those who lived in that era, in that time.”
She fixed her navy blue eyes straight on my grandfather and Grandpa Theoden as she spoke. “Thus, I am grateful to have been born in the times I was. I’ve been able to see and touch things for myself, to hold conversations—and to share invaluable moments like these with people who have left their mark on history.”
Grandfather’s eyes lit up with amusement, and Grandpa Theoden gave an impressed laugh. He said that she was a tricky one. “Don’t you think she’s wasted on Alfred?” he even teased.
There was no way the men of the family wouldn’t know that she had accompanied my brother to the Holy Night’s Banquet. I assumed that was why they were testing her like this.
My grandfather nodded quietly, then welcomed her for a second time. “Lady Anna Hayden, I do hope that my estate will deepen your knowledge and open further avenues for you to explore. You are free to use all the public facilities during your stay. If there’s anything else you require, you need only ask.”
My eyes widened a fraction. That was my grandfather’s ultimate offer of hospitality. For my own part, I couldn’t help but marvel at what a wonderful woman Lady Anna was. She would never go back on the path she had chosen for herself. That had been true both when she confronted the earl and when she moved to the royal palace all alone and put forth her best effort. Surely many had fallen for her dignified demeanor.
A giggle escaped my lips. Though I wouldn’t go quite as far as Grandpa Theoden, I still found myself thinking that our Alfred would have to get his act together.
~.~.~.~
The next day came. Grandpa Theoden and a few of the Black Wing Knights returned to their posts. Lilia’s letter had mentioned the remaining soldiers up north heading back to the royal capital, so I asked him if it was all right not to wait.
“Please, they’re not infants. If they’re too useless to make decisions without their leader, we don’t need them in the Black Wing Knights,” he sternly replied.
From what I’d heard, the knights’ jubilation at General Bakula’s survival had rocked the town, but the man in question was unmoved. He seemed of the mind to retrain the knights from scratch in light of the military’s most recent blunder.
Thinking of how difficult it must be to lead an order responsible for national security, I thanked Grandpa Theoden again. He had protected and cared for me throughout the dead of winter. I’d been heartbroken when the truth of his whereabouts was kept from me, but now here he was, alive and well. I couldn’t imagine a more precious feeling.
A soft look in his one eye, he reached out and patted me on the head. “I plan to be there for your wedding.”