“Of course, the Emperor’s partner should be Luga.”

Ethan knew that Milene, his one and only love and life companion, would say something like this.

She had returned to the Flache estate as soon as the battle with the monsters was over. Originally, she wasn’t supposed to come back, but she couldn’t resist when she heard that their eldest daughter had collapsed in tears.

“Isn’t it a great honor that His Majesty has never been partners with any other young lady until now?”

“But, Milene, that’s—”

“What is it, Ethan?”

Milene turned around and wiped her blood-stained sword.

“It’s too soon. Our child still needs time to adjust.”

“Until when?”

“If she enters society now, she’ll be torn to pieces. She’s already a child who avoided people for four years in the countryside. If she becomes the Emperor’s partner, then…”
Our daughter! Our daughter who has already suffered enough! She’ll be pushed around by socialites and thick-skinned noble daughters from the East!

“Honey, Ethan? Snap out of it. I think you’re getting carried away. Come back.”

“No, Milene, it’s my fatherly instinct talking! I think His Majesty sees our Luga in a rather unique way.”

Ethan argued that a father’s intuition for his three daughters can sometimes be sharper than a woman’s.

“Luga is pretty, I get that. But even so—”

“Ethan, Luga is twenty-five. She’s older than when I gave birth to her. She knows how to make her own decisions.”

Ethan, who was about to say something, hesitated, and finally sat down, drooping his shoulders. Milene set down her sword and gently rubbed her husband’s shoulders.
“There’s no need to buy her a school uniform or a sword anymore. We don’t need to worry about her hitting puberty; she’s an independent adult now. What we need to help her with is to make sure she doesn’t live consumed by curses and revenge. That’s all she needs.”

It’s true, all true, but Ethan, the father who hadn’t done much for her, felt slighted, pitiful, and hurt inside. His large hands, calloused from wielding swords and pens, eventually covered his handsome face.

“Don’t cry, Ethan.”

“Today, Luga called me ‘Dad, Dad.’ But I didn’t want to think about her getting married just yet, I—”

He had wanted to make up for the lost time by being with her for as long as possible, but now her social debut— the starting point of her marriage— was right around the corner. Milene gave a bitter smile and patted her husband’s trembling shoulders. Lost time never returns.

“Miss, have some water first.”

Before she could even ponder where she was, numerous hands were there to assist her in getting up.

They propped her floundering body against a pillow and brought water to her lips. Luga looked up in surprise. They were maids wearing clean white caps and white aprons.

“You’re exhausted. You must drink water first.”

Ah, right. Judging by the fact that the sun was still up, she hadn’t been unconscious for too long. Her robust body, usually distant from the notion of fainting, seemed to have held up somehow. It was somewhat fortunate that she hadn’t neglected her physical training, even with a cursed body.

Luga drank the water. Wetting her sore throat by roaring like a beast made her feel like she could survive.
“Shall we prepare a bath? We have fresh clothes and bathwater ready.”

Perhaps she should. Luga thought it would be generally wise to heed the maids’ suggestions. Her mother might have ordered it. Soaking in a warm bathtub after crying for a while felt luxurious.

Moreover, after being dragged to Belfort yesterday, no matter how much attention the Emperor paid her, taking a bath on the battlefield was simply not possible. The clean bed sheets freshly changed, and the linen replaced; this clean environment was just as she was used to when she was young.

“We will assist you with your bath.”

It felt as if she had returned to the days when she was known as the genius knight of Kaleta. A time when she received applause for becoming a knight that surpassed her lost parents. She remembered the days of relieving the stress and burdens brought on by battles while enjoying luxurious clothes in a well-off mansion with numerous servants.

“Honey and lemon.”
The maids of the Earl’s house were neither fussy nor calm with decorum. They also exuded well-trained qualities. For a newly established Earldom, it was evident that the Earl and his wife had been diligently attentive both inside and outside the home.

‘I should help out a bit…’

Her younger siblings were still quite young, and her parents were very busy; Luga had to step in. She felt increasingly impatient with the thought of wanting to see her father again soon. As she hurriedly bathed and dried her hair, the maids presented her with a selection of clothes.

“These are clothes prepared by the lady of the house. She said you could choose and wear whatever you like.”

“Mother did?”

“Yes, Miss.”