“Get out! Cursed princess!”

“The bloodline of that mad divine beast must be cut off!”

Quite a lot had apparently happened while I was unconscious. The front of the lodgings was already in chaos, crowded with journalists, civic groups, and onlookers.

Father and Lewian had long been notorious for their cruelty, so the news that Lewian was not only alive but gathering followers seemed to have stirred the public into a fury.

I barely managed to push through the crowd surging toward me and the soldiers throwing themselves in the way to protect me, and when I finally made it back inside, Hanna greeted me with hollow, sunken eyes.

“Are you all right?”

Her fair cheeks were dry, but the dark hollows carved beneath her eyes told me she had no tears left to shed. The blue eyes that had once shone with such brightness looked dull and drained of all life.

“Of course. I’m fine.”

I put on a bright smile on purpose and pulled Hanna’s shoulders into an embrace. Those already small shoulders had grown even more slight. She had been worrying about me.

“The house looks cleaner than usual.”

Hanna and Lucinda were attentive maids at the best of times, but today the cleanliness was especially striking. The gleaming floors and walls seemed to reflect their determination not to allow so much as a speck of dust.

Hanna stayed quietly in my arms without answering, but I knew the reason for this brightness. Whenever her heart was uneasy, especially after a letter arrived from her family home, Hanna’s hands were always wrapped around a cleaning cloth.

“I really am fine. I walked in here on my own two feet. You know I’m not that fragile. I was just exhausted and fainted for a bit.”

Hanna still did not stir, holding onto me tightly, the way someone holds on for fear of losing their grip.

Come to think of it, where was Lucinda? Elren was outside handling things, and Hanna was here, but where had Lucinda gone?

Lucinda usually came out to greet me alongside Hanna, and her absence gave me a sudden uneasy feeling.

“Where’s Lucinda? And Nora?”

At my question, Hanna finally peeked up, still not letting go, and answered in a small, dry voice.

“Nora is making soup. She said she was going to cook something nourishing.”

Right. The kitchen was her domain, so of course she would be there.

“And Lucinda…”

Hanna paused and dropped her gaze. Why? What had happened? Had there been some kind of accident?

My unease grew, and I pressed Hanna with a look. She reluctantly parted her lips, but Elren, who had just come back inside, answered in her place.

“I dismissed her.”

“Pardon?”

“Her work was not up to standard. I dismissed her.”

Elren answered with a firm composure that might have seemed cold, and for a moment I thought something had happened to Lucinda and started to raise my voice, but I caught on to something and closed my mouth.

When I fell silent without pressing further, Elren gave a small nod and returned to his usual gentle smile to put me at ease.

“We have decided not to take on any new staff for the time being. The three of us will manage the house for a while.”

I felt sorry for myself. In the courtroom, as sharp insults and heavy criticism rained down on me, self-reproach and self-pity had washed over me together, the feeling that I deserved everything I was getting.

Where was my place in the world? Could I ever simply live in peace? Would calm ever find its way to me?

I had been so caught up in these thoughts that I had lost sight of the people around me.

Unsettling news had arrived before the wounds of war had even finished healing. I was born into the Rodencian royal family, with a family like mine, so I had no choice but to bear all of this without escape. But what had the household staff done to deserve any of it?

They had no reason whatsoever to be trapped in a place surrounded by hatred and fury.

It was not just Lucinda. They all needed to leave. I had to start looking after myself.

Fortunately, two years of managing the house alongside Hanna had given me a reasonable grasp of household work. I could take care of myself. Whatever happened, I could handle it alone.

But I would be alone again. Habit is a frightening thing. How long had I even gone without being alone, that something as small as this could bring even a fleeting, weak thought of whether it would be better to die? Get a hold of yourself. You’re fine. You survived even when there was no one to worry about you. Even if you end up alone in body, knowing what warmth feels like now means you can endure it better.

“Come sit down. I want to talk. You too, Hanna.”

At my call, Elren and Hanna gathered in the sitting room.

“Hanna, go home to your family. Elren, please return to the palace. Nora is dismissed as well.”

There was no telling what would happen from here. Now that Lewian’s survival was known, things would not end at thrown letters and dead animals left at the gate.

Heliones was protecting me for now, but given his political position, it was shameless of me to keep relying on his goodwill.

At my firm announcement, Hanna’s face fell into an expression of despair for a moment, but Elren simply adjusted his monocle and blinked once, as though he had seen this coming.

“No! I’m staying!”

I knew it. Of course you would say that, kind as you are.

“You’re dismissed. How do you plan to stay when you’ve been dismissed?”

I pushed Hanna away with a deliberately cool manner. It was unavoidable, for her own sake, but watching that already worn face crumble further because of me was not a pleasant thing for me either.

“Liar!!”

“??”

Hanna suddenly shot to her feet and shouted at me.

“Was everything you said about being family a lie?”

“What?”

“Did you feel sorry for me and answer without meaning it, just to say something?”

That could not be right. I had thought she was the one who felt sorry for me when she said it.

“It wasn’t a lie. But the situation right now is too dangerous…”

“What about family!”

Hanna caught her breath and raised her voice even louder than before.

“That has nothing to do with the situation! Family means being together when things are painful, when things are unhappy, when things are dangerous! Even if Miss Lucian didn’t mean it, I did! It was not a lie!!”

Her words did not so much move me as strike me. It felt like a heavy hammer landing squarely on my head.

So that was it. Family means being together when things are painful, when things are unhappy, when things are dangerous.

The family I was born into had tortured and cursed me freely, saying I would bring the kingdom to ruin. The family I gained later was bound together only for political purposes, and once that purpose was spent, they became complete strangers without a second thought.

Because of that, I knew the word family, but I did not truly understand what it meant. Since it was a question I could never answer no matter how hard I thought about it, I had made a habit of not thinking about it at all.

Even when Hanna used the word family with me, I had simply felt grateful for her kindness. So I had answered yes in a light, careless way that fell far short of her sincerity. But now.

“I wasn’t lying either. That’s exactly why I want you to be safe.”

I could bear being hurt myself, but the thought of Hanna being hurt frightened me. Just the thought of it made my whole body tremble. The word family carried quite a weight.

“I’m not going anywhere! Dismiss me, do whatever you like! Even if you send soldiers to drive me out, I’ll come back!”

That determined look in her eyes told me she meant every word. If she was going to come back regardless, it was safer to keep her close.

Ah, I shouldn’t be getting attached, Hanna might be in danger, so why did I keep wanting to laugh.

Tears and laughter broke through at the same time. What a strange feeling. So this is what it means to be happy enough to cry.

When I started crying, Hanna ran over and pulled me into her arms, and as though her tears had refilled in the meantime, she began crying with me. We held each other and cried for a long while, and when I finally looked up, Elren was watching us in his usual composed and unruffled posture.

“I was never employed by Miss Lucian to begin with.”

I smiled through eyes still brimming with tears, and for just a moment, faint lines appeared at the corners of the elderly gentleman’s eyes before fading away.

“I’ve arrived just in time it seems! Come to the kitchen! A nourishing meal is ready!”

Nora appeared out of nowhere, apparently unbothered by whether we were crying or not, and announced dinner at full volume. Her tone left no room for argument, and when we made our way to the kitchen, a soup that could stir even a missing appetite was waiting for us.

The warm soup, neither too hot nor too cold, slid smoothly down my swollen throat. I knew from the very first sip. How long it had been simmered, and with how much care.

Ah. I’m glad I’m alive.