It was a day like any other.

Beatrice frowned as she observed the vivid scars on her mother’s arms and legs. Her expression clearly conveyed a sense of sadness. The child gently touched Cloé’s seemingly indifferent wounds and asked.

“Mom, why do you have scars here?”

As they stood out on her fair skin, the scars looked particularly prominent. Cloé comforted the concerned child, embracing her and placing her on her lap.

“Mom got a little hurt a long time ago.”

“Why?”

“Because of something hot.”

“Something hot? Fire?”

“Yes, that’s right. Mom got burned by fire before we had you, Bea.”

Hearing the word “fire,” Beatrice covered herself with a frightened expression. She had learned that touching fire was extremely painful, so it was understandable that she was terrified.

“But fire hurts… Why did you touch it?”

“Umm…”

Cloé hesitated for a moment. Even now, with the fear still vivid, she thought that revealing the truth might shock the child.

“By chance, there was a fire where Mom was.”

“I see…”

With a sad expression, Beatrice stared at her mother’s arm. To confirm if everything was really okay, she even lightly tapped the scars with her fingers.

“Our princess, please don’t be sad.”

“…Mm.”

“Mom is really okay.”

“Really?”

“Yes, so don’t worry. And, don’t bring up Mom’s scars to Dad for no reason.”

As if Beatrice might ask, “Why not?” Cloé preemptively explained.

“Dad gets really sad when he sees these scars like Bea does. He worries that Mom might still be in pain.”

“I see… I won’t mention it to Dad without a reason.”

Even afterward, Beatrice repeatedly glanced at Cloé’s scars. Despite Cloé reassuring her that she was fine, the scars still looked like bad wounds that hurt her mom.

Since then, Beatrice unconsciously became more aware of her mother.

Even in the hot summer, her mom had to wear long-sleeved clothes to cover the scars on her arms. Wearing stockings every day to hide the scars on her legs was not a choice but a necessity.

Despite being scars from over a decade ago, she still had to visit the doctor once a month for proper care. Once a week, a smelly ointment had to be generously applied to the scars.

“Someday, I will definitely treat this…”

Before going to sleep, Beatrice whispered while holding her mother’s hand as she read her a bedtime story.

The thought remained unchanged until Beatrice turned ten.

Cloé still avoided exposing her scars, and she still had to put in effort to treat them. Even if the empire’s finest doctors came, they couldn’t completely erase her scars. Thanks to Beatrice, she learned the feeling of disillusionment at an early age.
When Beatrice celebrated her tenth birthday, Cloé and Kuhn took her to the Pantheon Temple.

“Pontiff, greetings.”

“Nice to see you. The little one has already grown into a polite young lady. Time truly flies.”

“I’m also surprised at how fast time goes by. It feels like she was only six years old yesterday…”

“What? Haha!”

Amused by Beatrice’s elderly-like words, the Pontiff chuckled heartily. He even affectionately stroked Beatrice’s black hair, praising her cheekiness.

As Cloé and Kuhn vacated their seats in the temple to receive the blessing of the gods, the Pontiff, curious if there were any questions, was promptly asked by Beatrice.

“Can’t the gods erase Mom’s scars?”

“Scars?”

“Our mom, no, Empress, has burn marks on her arms and legs.”

Understanding the description, the Pontiff soon grasped what the child was curious about.

“Unfortunately, those scars cannot be helped. The gods do not directly intervene in personal harm.”

“Even for you, Pontiff?”

“While I can heal wounds, the power to remove scars that have already formed is beyond my capabilities.”

“Sigh.”

With the last remaining hope also disappearing, Beatrice pouted in disappointment. With both the divine and the Pontiff unable to do anything, it truly seemed like there was no solution.

Next, the Pontiff subtly inquired of Beatrice, who was receiving the gods’ blessing.

“In fact, those of the Friede royal bloodline are granted special privileges.”

“What is it?”

“On the year they turn ten and come to receive the blessing, the gods grant them a single wish.”

“A wish?”

“Yes, any wish can be granted. If you tell me, I can convey that wish to the gods.”

“Ah, then I want Mom’s scars to…”

“That won’t work, as I said. We cannot change the past that has already happened.”

A wish! The child, who had intended to request the removal of Cloé’s scars, quickly confronted the reality and gave up.

“…What did Dad wish for?”

“His Imperial Majesty wished to be bestowed with the legendary sword. With that ancient sword, he conquered the empire.”

“And what about Dad’s dad?”

“He regretted not being able to say a final farewell to the dog he raised, so on his last day, he returned to embrace the dog tightly.”

“Is it possible to go back to the past?”

“Well.”

After pondering for a moment, Beatrice clapped her hands. It signaled that a clever idea had come to her.