Liz covered her mouth with both hands and sighed.

“Oh my God….”

Only then did Liz notice the peculiar feeling that had never before been present on Mirabel’s face.

It wasn’t that long ago; why had she changed so much? Ah, so that’s why.

Because she was carrying a life inside her.

“Good for you, Mirabel. Really good for you.”

With both hands, Liz tightly grasped Mirabel’s large and rough hands, overjoyed as if it were her own accomplishment.

Mirabel shyly smiled and spoke.

“Thanks to you, Miss.”

“Thanks to me?”

“Didn’t you recommend that inn? You said to visit because the facilities were good.”

“Ah…”

She remembered.

“But didn’t you just eat at the restaurant and come back?”

“No way.”

Mirabel’s eyes narrowed as she spoke.

“Do you see me as too naive? I’m thirty years old.”

“Ah…”

‘So that means, after what I saw in the restaurant that time, she had already…’

Liz decided to stop her thoughts there. What was important was that life had come, not how or when it had come.

“I’ve misjudged people. I admit.”

“But I’ve seen people correctly.”

This time it was Mirabel who tightly held both of Liz’s hands.

“I knew you would do well, Miss. Of course, you’re my lady.”

She had no doubt that Liz would become the empress. Liz said nothing because she was still indecisive.

However, it seemed that the situation had been decided without her will involved.

As she had seen when she arrived, guards were positioned every few meters around the mansion, completely surrounding it. Unless she could fly like a bird, escape seemed nearly impossible.

It was a direct route to the imperial palace.

“Speaking of which, it’s a good thing Kain kept his distance.”

Liz was startled as Kain’s name was suddenly mentioned.

“Would this opportunity have been possible if that guy was sticking to your side? Honestly, if he hadn’t left voluntarily, I was planning to kick him out.”

“……Really?”

Mirabel completely missed the ambiguous expression that crossed Liz’s face.

“Anyway, it’s such a relief. Just thinking about how that damned guy shook you up…”

‘Damned guy?’

How fortunate the emperor wasn’t here; Liz couldn’t have been more grateful.

“The emperor seemed like a really good person. It felt like he truly loved you, Miss.”

“……Love?”

It was a word she hadn’t yet adapted to.

Well, was there only one thing she hadn’t adapted to?
She had spent ten years with Kain. Ten years, infatuated with him.

But then she discovered that he too loved her.

She would have thought this a happy ending, except he no longer looked like Kain.

The man who would be her husband was Emperor Hersis, not the slave Kain she had been infatuated with.

Intellectually, she knew the soul within was the same, but her heart couldn’t accept it.

Liz still found him unfamiliar.

She couldn’t be sure if she could transfer her love for Kain to Hersis.

Even if she could, it seemed unlikely it would happen quickly.

“Ah, look at me. I baked some madeleines you like. I’ll bring some.”

Mirabel’s words broke her reverie.

“No, don’t.”

Liz declined.

Kain… no, Hersis was waiting outside, and above all, she didn’t want to rush someone who was not alone.

It seemed it was still early on.

“I’ll pack them for you then. Come down in five minutes.”

“……”

Unable to refuse Mirabel’s earnest desire to do something for her, Liz stayed silent.

Mirabel left the room, and Liz looked around her room briefly.

Did she know because it was the end?

Her usual bed, the dresser, and even the trinkets she hadn’t noticed before, all looked new to her.

It was hard to believe.

It felt more like an eternal farewell than when she first ran away from this house.

Yes. It was definitely an eternal farewell.

Because she wasn’t likely to come back.

Carefully, Liz walked toward the door. Before turning the doorknob, she took one last look at her room.

There was no other way to record it, so she stored it in her mind.

Like a canvas painting.

“Goodbye, my haven for twenty years.”

In the empty room that no one would hear, Liz softly said her goodbyes and left. Then she walked down the hall without looking back.

As she arrived at the entrance to the staircase leading from the second floor to the first, Liz encountered Lilia.

No, not encountered, it was more accurate to say she met her.

Because it looked as though Lilia had been waiting for her, leaning against the stair railing.

“Congratulations, sis.”

Lilia greeted her with a bright smile, as usual.

That smile appeared oddly contrived to Liz.
In the time they hadn’t seen each other, Lilia seemed to have become frail, both in body and face.

Originally slender, her body now appeared twig-like, and her hollowed cheeks made her look older than Liz.

Still, her eyes shone too brightly; against her gaunt face, they sparkled like jewels, making her seem somewhat ghostly.

Why did Lilia look worse when Liz was the one who had been away?

What had happened?

Liz, puzzled, was approached by Lilia with a smile.

“I’m glad you’re doing well, sister.”

“Thank you.”