Going to war meant they would be separated for a long time. During that distance, he worried she might forget him.

Because Reibella was kind and gentle, loved by everyone. He couldn’t step away, worried she might completely forget him while meeting others. Hesitation settled in his heart.

“How could I forget? You’re my only friend.”

Only friend.

It was a phrase that felt both good and strangely unpleasant. Still, being her only something made him happy.

“Ah! Right. I saw someone really sparkly and shining today.”

Reibella chattered again.

She probably didn’t know. That to his eyes, she was the only one who shone.

“……So Calyx. Let’s think about what we want to do until we meet next time. How about that?”

“……Yes, good.”

A promise.

Reibella hooked her finger and smiled, heehee.

Calyx committed the girl’s image to his eyes with real persistence. How much her lips curved up when she smiled and how her eyes bent, what voice she used to speak to him, what flower the color of her hair resembled as it fluttered in the breeze.

After engraving it clearly enough to picture with closed eyes, he parted from Reibella, returned to the old palace, and left a short letter answering what Reibella had asked about ‘what he wanted to do in the future.’

“It’s time to go now.”

If he had told her he was leaving today, Reibella surely wouldn’t have smiled like she did today. He had hidden it because he wanted to engrave her smiling face in his eyes one last time, and felt he wouldn’t be able to leave if he saw her crying face.

He felt sorry about that.

Conveying those feelings, he slowly traced the letter he had left with his fingertips. Then, leaving only that one letter behind, he took his first step toward the future. 

 * * *

 “I look forward to working with you from now on.”

On her first day working as the princess’s new maid. When she headed to the maids’ room in her new attire, the senior maids welcomed her.

Reibella greeted them with a professional smile, as formally as a new employee.

“I am Reibella, who from today will be Her Highness’s personal maid. I will work hard. Please guide me well.”

The maids smiled warmly in response. The oldest among them, Julia Hampton, spoke.

“I think we might have more to learn from you instead.”

“That’s right. You protected Her Highness by putting your body on the line.”

“And even before that, you worked hard for Her Highness. Just being a food taster must have been difficult.”

“Don’t you think she’s better than us despite being so young? I can’t even remember what I was doing at that age. I’m 16 now, so 9 years ago?”

“How can you say that, Daisy, when you’re the youngest among us?”

Following Julia’s words, Daisy and Emma each added their thoughts. They poured out stories about what aspects of her work as a food taster they had found admirable and surprising.

Listening to their stories, Reibella recalled when she first met them.

‘Her Highness might be surprised to see a Felicity, so make sure you’re not seen.’

‘Her Highness will be here soon, hide over there. Quickly.’

‘Follow at the very end. Keep your head down.’

They were people who had been sharp with her, telling her not to even come near the princess. She had received countless hostile glares, as if they were hissing cats, whenever she got physically close to Her Highness.

Yet now. To be receiving such a warm welcome from them… the change was surprising.

‘I thought they were just being hostile, but they were properly watching me.’

Her face grew hot at the realization that someone had been watching her efforts.

When Reibella’s cheeks slightly reddened, they giggled with warm smiles. Then, Julia Hampton, whom she had always met during food tasting, spoke primly.

“I’m sure I acted immaturely too. I’m sorry about that. But I had no choice then.”

“I understand. You don’t need to apologize.”

“Thank you for saying that. Anyway, welcome. I look forward to working with you, Reibella.”

“Yes! I’ll work hard!”

As she answered with a bright smile, her first day as a personal maid officially began. 

 * * *

 The work as a personal maid wasn’t particularly difficult. As the head maid had said, at first it was just running small errands. Tasks like watching nearby and providing things the princess needed at the right time. Simple things like quickly finding and bringing water when the princess looked thirsty.

Since these weren’t different from what Reibella had occasionally done before, she could adapt to the work quickly.

The afternoon came in an instant.

Reibella was in the princess’s office organizing the pages the princess had scattered. Beside her, the princess had been sighing deeply for nearly an hour.

Acting as if saying ‘I have something troubling me,’ it was impossible to ignore even if she tried.

Finally, Reibella carefully asked.

“Do you have something on your mind?”

“Yes, I need to write a letter but……”

The princess answered as if she had been waiting, but seemed uncomfortable giving more details as she mumbled and sighed again.

Reibella said.

“Are you having trouble deciding what to write?”

“Yes……”

“Is the beginning difficult?”

The princess nodded. On the desk where her troubled eyes were directed, crumpled papers were piled high.

“Usually people start lightly, like talking about the weather.”

“Isn’t that too ordinary? It’s been a while since we’ve been in contact……”

The princess frowned as if dissatisfied.

“Is it someone you haven’t seen for a long time?”

“Yes. It’s been quite a while. So I’m curious how they’re doing.”

“Then wouldn’t it be good to express those feelings directly? Say that you haven’t seen them in a long time, ask if they’re doing well, say you miss them.”

“……That’s a bit embarrassing.”

“Is it a man?”

The princess slowly nodded. From that response, Reibella could intuit who the letter’s recipient was.

‘It’s the male lead.’

Royan Vicheravali.

From one year ago, when the princess was around 6 years old, their connection had continued. It had been about half a year since they last met, when Royan, who had been staying at his uncle’s house, returned to the Vicheravali estate.

“He must be an amazing person. Seeing how carefully Your Highness is writing this letter.”

“Yes, he’s amazing.”

When she showed interest in talking about him, the princess’s face became slightly flushed.

“Even in incredibly difficult situations, he never lost his warm heart. He’s always kind and good. And he learns everything quickly, and he’s good with a sword too. Also……”

The princess endlessly shared about Royan. Affection could be felt in every single word.

‘Their meeting was quite touching indeed.’

This world’s male protagonist, Royan, despite being the only heir to the Vicheravali duchy, had grown up in his maternal family’s house. This was because the Duke of Vicheravali, who had spent long years on battlefields, couldn’t properly act as a father to him.

However, the uncle who raised him was quite a garbage person. Harboring ambitions to absorb Vicheravali into his own family through Royan, he tried to make him into a puppet who would only listen to him. His world was only darkness, from the violence and brainwashing he suffered since childhood.

Then one day, when he couldn’t resist the urge to escape and wandered out of the house, he encountered the princess who had secretly gone out for business.

Royan had thoroughly beaten some thugs who were picking a fight with him and was lying there powerlessly, but even so, the princess recognized him at first sight. Because she had seen Royan in her previous life.

The princess took care of his battered state and contacted the Vicheravali duchy to hand him over to the people of the territory.

‘That was when the male lead first received treatment fitting for a human and came to see the princess as his benefactor.’

It was natural that those feelings grew into love.

Because the sunshine female lead made people fall for her just by existing.

“I’m worried about how he looked when we parted. It feels like I forced him to go when he didn’t want to…… I’ve been worried all this time.”

“Are you afraid he might resent you?”

“Yes, a little. What if he doesn’t welcome my letter?”

“That won’t happen. You said he has a warm heart. Being a kind person, he probably already understands your feelings.”

“Really?”

“Of course. He might even be thinking of Your Highness right now.”

Not ‘might,’ but definitely.

After returning to Vicheravali with the princess’s help, Royan always thought of the princess while studying and dedicating himself to training to become a man worthy of standing by her side.

“Hearing your words somehow makes me feel like I can write it.”

“I’m glad I could help.”

The princess smiled with a much more relieved expression. Then she looked for writing paper as if to start writing again from the beginning, but there wasn’t any.

Reibella’s gaze naturally turned to the head maid standing beside the princess.

Raniel seemed lost in other thoughts, not noticing what the princess needed.

It was unlike her usual self.