It was late afternoon, with the sun setting, when Elaina arrived at the villa by the Hidden River that had belonged to the former empress and now was owned by Sinclair.

The villa was neither as grand as she had thought nor as luxurious as she had expected.

Standing alone without anything around it, the villa looked a bit lonely, but its quaint appearance made it feel oddly endearing.

Also, right in front of the villa’s garden were several silver arches, completely entwined with red rose vines, making them incredibly beautiful. The scent of roses tickling her with every breeze was also delightful.

As soon as they arrived at the villa, Judith and Anna were busy moving food and medicine that Elaina and Sinclair needed to eat.

While doing so, they kept glancing at Sinclair, and each time, he would put his index finger to his lips as if telling Elaina to be quiet, making her barely hold back her laughter.

“The knights and soldiers will all set up camp in front. There’s only one way up here, so you needn’t worry,” Schuler said with a smile, looking at the couple who had entered the villa.

“If you need anything else, please don’t hesitate to call. Now, rest well.”

Schuler’s greeting was incredibly brief and simple. With those final words, he immediately left the villa and went down the hill, leaving Elaina and Sinclair alone in the cozy villa.

Sinclair was already standing alone at the innermost part of the villa, in front of a corner wall.

As she followed him, Elaina noticed wallpaper with a subtly different tone from its surroundings, as if something large had once hung there.

“It was a portrait. Of my mother and me.”

“…”

“It was painted when I was very young.”

“Where is it now?”

“…In the Crown Prince’s Palace.”

Perhaps that portrait was the only remaining image of his mother’s face. While Elaina didn’t know the details of the imperial palace situation, she at least knew that his mother had received no respect during her lifetime.

…He must have moved it on purpose.

“Show it to me next time. I’m curious.”

For a moment, Sinclair hesitated briefly.

“I’m curious about what the empress was like, and also what young Sinclair looked like.”

Sinclair didn’t give any answer. Or perhaps he couldn’t.

When no response came, Elaina, perhaps thinking Sinclair was lost in memories, carefully continued speaking.

“What kind of person was she? The empress.”

“…Kind and warm.”

Sinclair’s dry lips moved slowly.

“And strong. Though others might not have thought so at all.”

“No, I think she must have been strong.”

Elaina looked at Sinclair with warm eyes as she spoke.

“I saw the emperor last time, remember? He didn’t resemble you in the slightest.”

“…”

“So your courage and strength must have come from the empress, right?”

Sinclair laughed weakly.

“But there’s something here.”

What Elaina pointed to then was a small notebook placed on top of the fireplace.

Its thick cover was embroidered with gold thread, and sapphires as blue as Elaina’s eyes were embedded here and there.

“It’s like a diary. I wrote in it whenever I came here.”

“Whenever you came?”

“She would occasionally have me do that. Sometimes today. Sometimes this month. And sometimes the most enjoyable thing that happened within this year.”

“…”

“Even as I wrote, I wondered. Why on earth was she making me do this? It seemed meaningless to me.”

“Let’s see if that’s really true.”

Elaina carefully picked up the notebook. Then she began to read the neatly written entries, quite tidy for a child.

“Today I went for a walk with mother, and the sunlight was so warm that I felt very happy. I picked some flowers for her thinking she would like them, but I got scolded for no reason. She said that to appreciate flowers, one shouldn’t forcibly pick them, but should observe them as they bloom. I don’t really understand what she meant, but I said I did because I was afraid of getting scolded more.”

“…Now that I hear it, I seem to remember. It was the roses right in front of here.”

“And here’s another interesting entry…”

Elaina continued reading, vaguely imagining the young Sinclair…

“The most enjoyable thing this month was martial arts training. Eric Connor said that I have very good skills. He said that someday when I’m older, I might even surpass him. But I don’t think I’ll have a belly like Eric Connor’s even when I reach his age. So wouldn’t it be natural for me to win?”

“…”

“You had quite a talent for sarcasm from a young age, Sinclair.”

Damn it.

Sinclair ran a hand through his hair.

“…The best thing this year was learning to ride a horse. Someday when I grow much taller, I might be able to give mother a ride. But mother said instead of her, I should give a ride to the woman I love. She said that would make a better picture.”

Elaina laughed.

“I’m not sure what love is, but if I ever have a woman I love, instead of giving her a ride, I’ll teach her how to ride a horse. Then even when I’m not around, she can ride whenever she wants to. Without waiting for me. I don’t like it when someone waits for me. Because waiting is too painful… Oh my. Unlike the previous entry, this one is quite romantic…”

Elaina’s words were cut short. Unable to bear listening anymore, Sinclair forcibly snatched the notebook from her hands.

“This is insulting to the royal family.”

“I was just reading what was written, Sinclair.”

“…Anyway.”

“And I think I understand. Why the empress made you write these things.”

Sinclair, who had been trying to shove the small notebook into his chest, suddenly stopped moving.

“Why?”

“You just said it yourself, didn’t you? That hearing it made you remember.”

“…”

“She must have hoped that you would have many joyful moments to recall as you lived your life. I would have done the same.”

…Was that it? Was that the meaning? Sinclair chuckled and then asked Elaina somewhat cautiously.

“Then what about you?”

And then he asked Elaina.

“If I were to ask you to write down joyful things, like my mother did to me… what would you write?”

“…Well.”

Elaina spoke with a somewhat bitter expression.

“I don’t have many good memories from Edenbell.”

“…”

“I don’t think I’d have anything to write.”

Memories with Ren, memories with her mother.

It would be a blatant lie to say those moments weren’t joyful, but at the same time, those memories with them were also ones that tore at Elaina’s heart.

Because she knew all too well that those moments would never come again.

Now useless, meaningless… faded days that she couldn’t ignore.

“Shall we eat, Sinclair? Although this medicine is said to be weaker than the previous one, it’s still not good to take it on an empty stomach.”

With that, Elaina began busily examining the food prepared by Judith and Anna without being asked.

But Sinclair, still standing in front of the fireplace, looked at Elaina with a somewhat sad and remorseful expression.

After a simple meal, it was already dusk with the sun setting.

It seemed Sinclair’s words that ‘it wouldn’t be uncomfortable to stay’ were true, as the cozy villa unexpectedly had everything one might need.

For example, a bathtub to soak away fatigue, a large bed, and very clean and warm-looking bedding.

Sinclair said he would bathe first, and meanwhile, Elaina rearranged the bedding once more with her own hands.

Of course, she and Sinclair would sleep with their backs turned as they had in the Crown Prince’s Palace, but still, it seemed better to have things neat and tidy.

Judith and Anna’s diligence was not limited to food, as the bathroom was full of things they had prepared and left.

Soaking in the warm water, Elaina relaxed her lightly accumulated fatigue and imagined alone.

Bathing in this tub with her beloved mother, falling asleep on that large bed using her mother’s arm as a pillow, and the sight of young Sinclair running around the villa frantically from early morning.

Then she smiled softly.

“You called me stupid, but it seems you’re not so bright yourself.”

Elaina, who had just finished bathing and returned, looked at Sinclair with round eyes as if to ask what he meant.

“If you walk around with your hair not properly dried like that, you’re bound to catch a cold. I can’t believe you don’t know that.”

Sit down.

The place Sinclair led Elaina to was in front of the fireplace.

Somehow the fire had already been lit, and from inside the fireplace came a pleasant crackling sound along with just the right amount of warmth.

“I’m surprised you know how to do this too.”

“…Then what exactly do you think I know how to do?”

“Threats and sarcasm…”

“What?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Ha.

Sinclair sighed briefly as if in disbelief, then suddenly turned around.

He picked up the thick blanket that Elaina had just tidied with one hand, brought it over, and draped it over Elaina.

“I know how to do this too. Quite surprising, I’m sure.”

And most astonishingly, he began to carefully dry Elaina’s black hair, which reached her waist, as she crouched in front of the fireplace, with a dry towel.

“I used to do it often. For my mother.”

“…”

“I thought I’d never have the chance to do it again.”

Sinclair chuckled.

But unlike the laughing Sinclair, Elaina, sitting with her back to him, wore a somewhat awkward expression.

Sinclair, who had caressed her damaged legs with infinitely regretful hands.

Sinclair, who had offered his thigh for her to sleep comfortably until dawn broke.

Sinclair, who casually stroked her hair with gentle hands.

Today’s Sinclair was strangely so different from what she had seen in the Crown Prince’s Palace that her heart seemed to flutter and race for no reason.

Could hair have skin too?

How else could the touch of his hands feel so vivid?

Trying to hide the sound of her rapidly beating heart, Elaina pulled the thick blanket up to her chest for no reason.

Whether his words about often doing this for the empress were true or not, Sinclair very skillfully finished drying Elaina’s hair. Then he threw the now-wet towel behind him and sat down next to Elaina.

“When I was young, I often fell asleep here rather than in bed.”

“…Because of the fireplace here?”

Afraid that the pounding sound of her heart might reach Sinclair’s ears, Elaina blurted out nonsense just as he had done earlier.

Sinclair tilted his head for a moment, then shrugged as if to say that could be one way to think about it, and continued speaking.

“I liked the sound of that crackling. And as you said, it was warm too. I would fall asleep without realizing it, and when I woke up at dawn, mother was always lying beside me.”

“…”

“I think those were the happiest times. When mother, without waking me on purpose, lay down with me on the hard ground… it felt like I knew how much she loved me. So when I opened my eyes, I would burrow into her embrace like a puppy.”

I’m glad.

That we came to this villa.

That I could hear such stories.

…That I could learn a little more about the man called Sinclair Butler.

“You look sleepy.”

But perhaps mistaking Elaina’s lack of response for fatigue, Sinclair asked with a slightly furrowed brow.

“Go lie down on the bed. Even though there’s a carpet, your back will hurt.”

With that, Sinclair slowly stood up and…

Suddenly, from who knows where, courage appeared, and Elaina found herself reaching out without realizing it.

“Here…”

Then, tugging forcefully at the hem of Sinclair’s shirt, she said,

“Let’s lie down here together, Sinclair.”

With a slightly reddened face.