After a few days, I received a letter from Sycar, whom I had been subtly anticipating.

However, the contents of the letter were below expectations, to the point of being extremely disappointing.

… Is this the end?

But no matter how much I flipped the letter or searched the envelope, there was no other content.

I had hoped so much when I heard the letter arrived… What exactly did I expect?

Even though I was afraid of Sycar, paradoxically, knowing that he was the only person I knew, I realized how much I had relied on him after he left.

Anyway, even in his absence, I managed myself well. To be more precise, I was forced to manage myself well.

With Vika keeping a close eye on me wherever I went, I couldn’t afford not to manage myself properly.

Anywhere I could go, the post-Lendox fief was all there was.

Sometimes, Vika guided me to the training room, but that place was off-limits for me.

Hersia often came to visit and had quite a friendly relationship with her.

Time passed like water, and before I knew it, a letter arrived announcing Sycar’s return.

I called Mary and tidied up my considerably grown hair.

The servants of the Duke’s residence were all in high spirits due to the news of Sycar’s return.

While Mary was braiding my hair, her mouth was close to my ear.

“Madam, I knew that the Duke would return victorious! I never doubted it even once!”

“Is that so?”

“Of course! It’s obvious!”

Perhaps because everyone was excited, but it had been a long time since I met Sycar again, so I felt a bit excited today, feeling like my mind was floating all day.

During that time, Kian had grown quite a bit, and he had diligently received lessons as the Crown Prince, no longer the young boy he used to be. Rather, he had become even more refined.

Entering the dining room, Kian, seeing my neatly braided hair, smiled gently.

“Mother, perhaps because you braided your hair, you look even more beautiful.”

I felt a bit embarrassed, thinking his words might sound like, ‘You braided your hair because the Duke is coming, right?’

“Oh, this hair? It’s just like the warm breeze passing by in spring. That’s why I braided it.”

“I hope you braid it more often. I also want to see Mother’s braided hair.”

“Since our son wants to see it, I’ll have to braid it more often, right?”

“By the way, Mother, when did the Duke say he would arrive?”

At that moment, Vika, stretching, came in, sat down, and answered.

“Sometime this afternoon.”

“I see.”

Although he didn’t show it, Kian seemed to be expecting a bit.
Nearly three years have passed, and it seems that Kian has been curious about Sycar’s news during that time.

Vika casually sprinkled lemon over the meat, sniffing the aroma, and said nonchalantly, “Young Master, are you secretly looking forward to the Duke’s arrival?”

Kian, who was about to eat soup, clutched his utensils with a startled expression and exclaimed, “W-What are you talking about!”

“Well, why not? Even though the Duke may be unpleasant, you might still want to see him, Young Master. Isn’t that right?”

Three years may be a long time, but their relationship remained unchanged. The only difference was that the grown-up Kian no longer received candies from Vika as he used to.

Instead, he started using spirit magic. As if seeking revenge for Vika making fun of him, Kian ignited a fire on the meat Vika was enjoying.

While Vika was cutting the meat with a fork and knife, she suddenly looked at Kian as the fire blazed up, as if quickly identifying the culprit.

“Young Master, is this how you display meal etiquette?”

Kian, with a sly smile, took a bite of bread. “It seems the meat is undercooked.”

It was a blatant provocation.

The maids were in a dilemma because they couldn’t carry the dish with the flames, couldn’t sprinkle water on Vika while she was eating, and leaving it as it was would cause confusion.

Then Vika resolved the situation by covering the dish with the lid.

Of course, the atmosphere during meals wasn’t always like this. It was only occasionally when Vika teased Kian or when Vika made a verbal mistake towards me.

Thanks to that, my anxious feelings that lasted all morning had eased a bit.

Today, I sent a letter to those who were supposed to visit the Duke’s residence in the afternoon, asking them to postpone their visit.

After doing that, it felt like Sycar’s arrival was becoming a reality.

Still, since it had been three years since I visited a duke’s residence, I thought I should put up a welcoming banner before Sycar’s arrival. So, I ordered the servants to start decorating the Duke’s residence.

I prepared a banner saying ‘Welcome Back’ and hung it at the main gate of the Duke’s residence. I also prepared goose dishes for the special day.