Chapter 20

Inside the speeding carriage, Diana leaned her head out the window. The sunset was already slipping behind the mountains. Seeing her outside, a knight approached.

“We’ll be arriving soon, My Lady.”

“Yeah. I can see it now.”

Even without being told, she could tell. The trees, the mountains, and now the village slowly coming into view. Even after several years, nothing seemed to have changed. Diana’s lips curled into a subtle smile at the sight of her hometown after so long.

It’s really been ages. This feeling.

Unlike the busy Imperial Palace or the bustling capital, this peaceful atmosphere was perfect for Diana to relax. The carriage was now slowly entering the village.

“Shall we go straight to the mansion?”

“Yes. I’d like to look around, but it’d get too late. Let’s go home first.”

By now, the sun had set and it was dark outside. Still, thanks to their brisk pace, it wasn’t terribly late. As the sky darkened, lights began to turn on in the houses. The mansion was also lighting up, one window at a time.

“My Lady!”

As they arrived at the mansion’s front gate, the staff recognized Diana and greeted her warmly.

“It’s really you, My Lady!”

“Goodness, how long has it been, My Lady!”

“Have you been well?”

Diana was glad to see the familiar faces of the staff after so long and stepped down from the carriage.

“Indeed. Have you all been well?”

“Oh, we’re always the same. We’ve actually been talking about you all the time, My Lady. But how did you come so suddenly?”

“I got a letter from home saying they wanted to see me, so I came instead of sending a reply.”

“Is that so? I’m sure Madam and Master will be delighted! Come, let’s not stand here—let’s go inside!”

The staff, excited to see Diana, led her into the house.

“Master! Madam! Lady Diana is here!”

The first staff member to open the door called out inside, and those within responded.

“My Lady!”

The staff at the entrance quickly gathered around Diana, welcoming her. Soon, she was surrounded by familiar faces.

“How did you come so suddenly…! What a surprise!”

“That’s how it is. I wanted to give you all a shock.”

But honestly, she just wanted to leave the capital as quickly as possible. As Diana chatted with the staff, two people, a man and a woman, came down the stairs after hearing the news.

“Diana!”

The first to call out to Diana was her mother, Sarah. As soon as Sarah saw Diana, she rushed to hug her.

“My goodness, how did you all come…! You really surprised me.”

“I came right after reading your letter. Have you been well?”

“Of course, we’ve been the same as always.”

While Diana was talking with Sarah, a huge shadow loomed behind her.

“Diana! My daughter!”

“Ugh!”

With overwhelming force, Diana was pulled into the arms of her father, Ben. The strength of his hug made Diana unconsciously gasp for breath.

“Why did you only come now, huh? I missed you so much.”

“Well, I’ve been busy with work…. But, could you let me breathe for a moment, Dad?”

Diana frantically tapped Ben’s arm, and finally he let her go.

“Oh, look at me. I was so happy to see you, I didn’t know my own strength.”

“…If nothing else, I can say your strength hasn’t changed a bit, Dad.”

It was a chaotic greeting, but Diana smiled at her parents. It had been years, but the lively atmosphere hadn’t changed at all.

“Oh, look at me. This isn’t the time for this. Diana, have you eaten? You must not have had a proper meal after such a long trip. Shall we go to the dining room?”

“Yes, let’s do that. We have so much to catch up on, and I want to hear about the capital.”

Ben and Sarah hurried Diana toward the dining room, and the staff moved quickly around them.

“Lady Diana is having dinner!”

“My Lady, is there anything you’d like to eat? Just say the word and we’ll make it right away!”

“I’m fine with anything….”

Being led to the dining room, Diana glanced at Ben and Sarah on either side.

“Didn’t you eat yet? You usually eat earlier, don’t you?”

“Of course we did. But if our daughter wants to eat, we’ll eat again.”

“Don’t worry, Diana. If you don’t want to eat alone, this dad will eat as many bowls as you want!”

Ben and Sarah smiled brightly, saying even several bowls wouldn’t be a problem. As they sat at the table, they kept asking Diana questions.

“So, how long will you stay? What about work?”

“I took a vacation. I’ll stay here a few days before going back.”

“You’re still working as an aide, right? Next to Evan?”

“Yes. I still am… Mom, do you still find it hard to call him ‘His Majesty’?”

Sarah naturally called Evan by name, and Diana pointed it out.

“I’ve told you so many times. You can’t call him that anymore, you know? What if you slip and say his name out of habit when you meet His Majesty in public?”

“Oh dear, I slipped again. It’s just a habit.”

He was now the Emperor of the Empire, but to Sarah, he still seemed like the son of her longtime friend. She laughed softly.

“But you used to call him by name when you were little, didn’t you? I loved that. You two seemed so close.”

“No. Not at all. I think I only called him by name once? And even then, you told me to be careful in the palace. Neither of us ever called each other by name.”

“You two were so cute together. I even talked to Cecile about marrying you two….”

“No way!”

At Sarah’s words, Ben shouted.

“My daughter, no! I won’t let you marry anyone! Not even the Emperor!”

“Oh, really, you’re making a fuss over childhood stories. It’s not like you won’t let Diana marry at all.”

“No! I won’t allow it!”

At Ben and Sarah’s words, Diana looked truly exasperated.

“Anyone would think I came here to get permission to marry His Majesty. Don’t worry. That’ll never happen. I’m not thinking about marriage for a while anyway.”

Actually, marriage wasn’t completely off the table. Diana remembered Evan’s outrageous proposal incident. But she knew if she joked about it with these two, it would cause a commotion, so she changed the subject.

“Nothing’s changed here, even though I haven’t been back in ages. The capital is so hectic.”

“That’s right, there wasn’t much impact from the Prince’s Rebellion here. But is the Imperial Palace alright now? You weren’t hurt, were you?”

“No injuries. Things are fine now, except there’s a lot of work. After His Majesty took the throne, things stabilized a lot.”

“Still, I was so worried then. You were once stabbed by one of those rebellious princes….”

“It was just a scratch, really. I’m fine now. I’ve fully recovered.”

Worried they’d fret more, Diana swung her arms energetically to show she was healthy.

Truthfully, there was something else on her mind now… Ah.

“Mom, do you know what my brother’s been up to lately?”

Having come home in such a rush, Diana finally remembered to ask her parents about Dian’s whereabouts. Ben and Sarah looked puzzled.

“Hm? Dian?”

“Yes. I was just curious what he’s been doing lately….”

“Dian’s at home right now, didn’t you know?”

“…What?”

Sarah continued, and Ben added,

“Now that you mention it, we were so happy to see you, we forgot we had another child. What’s Dian doing, not coming down when his sister’s arrived?”

“He’s probably sleeping. He was at the training hall just a little while ago.”

Hearing Sarah and Ben’s casual conversation, Diana dropped her spoon in surprise.

“Wait, wait. So my brother is here at home right now?”

“Hm? That’s right. He’s been here a while. He came from the capital… Oh, there he is now.”

At Sarah’s words, Diana’s eyes darted around. Then she saw Dian, who’d just woken up, hair tousled, entering the dining room.

“Who’s here, making all this noise… Oh?”

At last, Dian and Diana’s eyes met.