“Your Grace, it is said that the lost granddaughter of His Majesty the Emperor has appeared.”

Arcadia’s urgent report echoed through the corridors of the Jedo mansion.

The Duke stood silently for a moment, forgetting the presence of others around him.

It was bewildering.

The Emperor’s own granddaughter.

He sighed deeply and turned his head, glancing at me. Our eyes met in midair.

‘What’s this about?’

But his gaze was quickly withdrawn.

Was I mistaken again?

“Young master, no, Your Grace! How long has it been since we’ve had the honor of your visit. Please change into your clothes. Would you like a warm bath?”

The white-haired butler, advanced in years, approached with teary eyes.

“Hans, it really has been a long time. Too long.”

“No, Your Grace, not at all. How busy and difficult it must have been for you. I heard from Sir Nugent that you were coming, and I, Hans, have been rushing around the mansion.”

“Haha, it’s really good to hear you’re still healthy. I’m happy.”

The Duke firmly grasped the butler’s hand.

“I’ll change my clothes and take a bath as you say. Dinner will be a bit late tonight. I need to have a lengthy discussion with Sir Nugent.”

“Certainly, certainly.”

The butler nodded vigorously, his face filled with emotion.

Was he the butler who had been working in this mansion since the Duke was a child?

His upright posture bent upon seeing the Duke, revealing his long years and age. Somehow, the sight was both heartwarming and poignant.

After a moment, the Duke cautiously shifted his gaze towards me.

“And this young lady here.”

The Duke pointed at me.

“She’s the new knight from the North whom I rescued in the South, and now also my servant.”

“Ah!”

The butler’s eyes sparkled.

“I heard a bit from Sir Nugent. The one who is incredibly skilled with a sword and has great loyalty.”

“Cough. Hans just wouldn’t stop asking me about it…”

Nugent interrupted the butler’s words, glancing cautiously at the Duke. The Duke frowned slightly before speaking to the butler.

“Wouldn’t you give this young lady a nice room too, Hans? On a different floor than where the sweaty men are. So she can rest comfortably.”

“Of course, Your Grace. I’ve prepared a small but very clean room already.”

“Thank you. And please provide clean resting places and bathing water for the rest of our knights and soldiers.”

“I’ve prepared everything already. My skills haven’t rusted, you see.”

“Yes, yes.”

The Duke showed a warm smile.

Is this what it feels like for a girl to have her own room for the first time?

Opening the door, a cozy room greeted me, its window framing the Jedo estate’s northern garden like a painting.

There was a bed with snowy white sheets on a frame of pink-tinted ivory. Elegant and antique furniture made of white birch filled the space with a dignified air.

The pale jade walls looked almost like wood at a glance. A tea set that seemed thoughtfully prepared by someone. A grayish pechka. A white, fluffy rug of just the right thickness.

The room was more than cozy and beautiful.

For the first time, I immersed myself in a warm bath made of pink ivory. The clean, hot water with a fragrant scent seemed to caress my entire body.

Steam rose from the warm bath as I huddled beneath it, submerging my body and head in the water.

The only sound in the tranquil water was the muffled beating of my own heart.

I felt at ease.

‘The Emperor’s own granddaughter has appeared.’

It’s surely, or rather obviously, a lie.

I am the only granddaughter of the Emperor in this world.

Is it a plot devised by the Duke of the South, or a strategy of other kingdoms wanting to grasp even a fragment of this empire?

Unable to untangle my thoughts, I got out of the bath.

“New clothes have been left for you. We will wash and return the clothes you took off.”
The voice of a female employee was heard outside the bathroom, followed by the sound of the door closing.

On the table in front of the bed lay a clean set of new clothes.

It was a soft and slightly transparent blouse, adorned with a single small flower embroidered in silver thread. It was a neat, pale blue top whose sleeves would flutter as one walked.

‘I’ve never worn something like this before…’

However, the cotton clothes I had worn continuously from the South were too dirty and had already been sent straight to the laundry.

‘I guess I have no choice.’

The pale blue blouse resembled the color of my eyes.

Picking up the blouse, I saw a light jade skirt that came with it.

‘Ah, have my pants also been sent to the laundry?’

I had never worn a skirt before. What to do.

But I couldn’t just go around undressed because it felt awkward. Should I be grateful that a dress didn’t come?

Eventually, I put on the blouse and skirt. Then, wearing an unfinished new mask, I sat tentatively on the bed.

Then, someone knocked on the door.

Standing in the hallway was the butler, Hans. His eyes widened upon seeing me.