“First, there’s someone in this mansion whom you must greet.”

“Pardon?”

“Who is it?”

The faces of the gathered nobles on the first floor hall all wore identical expressions of confusion.

A person we must greet, they seemed utterly clueless as to who I could be referring to.

I glanced up at Alec, who was standing beside me. He sensed my gaze and lowered his eyes to meet mine.

How nervous must the boy be right now?

But I had no doubt that Prince Ridit would carry himself with composure.

I recalled the words I had whispered to Prince Ridit earlier as I gently held his hand.

“Everyone loves and supports you, Your Highness. You are the last remaining hope of the royal family. You are the only one worthy of being revered as the next emperor.”

“Do not fear anything. Everyone will bless your safe return.”

“……”

Now, it was the moment for Prince Ridit to make his first public appearance.

Once he ascends to the throne, it will be as if the final missing piece falls into place, and everything will return to where it belongs.

“Everything will be as it should be.”

I eagerly awaited that moment.

As I took a deep breath, Alec gave me a slight nod.

I reached out and took his hand before turning to face the people gathered there.

In a more solemn tone than before, I spoke.

“We can no longer hide such a precious person in this humble mansion. At last, they have returned home.”

“Pardon?”

“Who could it possibly be…?”

I turned toward where Jane stood.

Cautiously, Jane began approaching, holding the prince’s hand.

All eyes shifted immediately to Jane.

Behind her skirt, someone was concealed.

A small figure, with faintly visible blue hair, silver eyes gleaming with intelligence despite being cast downward.

“…?”

A young boy?

The nobles’ eyes were fixed on the boy, as if mesmerized.

Judging by their expressions, they had no idea who the boy was.

I could hear the nobles muttering quietly among themselves.

“Who could that child be…?”

“Doesn’t he look strangely familiar?”

“I don’t think so, not at all…”

Finally, Prince Ridit came to stand right beside Alec and me.

When Jane handed the prince’s hand to me, I took it and gently led him forward.

I could feel the prince swallowing nervously, trembling slightly.

I wrapped my arm around his shoulders and asked, “Are you alright?”

“…Yes.”

Prince Ridit nodded slightly in response to me.

After gazing warmly at him for a moment, I lifted my head and addressed the nobles.

“It is understandable that you may not recognize him right away. He left us four years ago. At the time, he was only three years old. Everyone believed him to be dead.”

“……”

I paused to observe the crowd.

At last, a strange sense of realization seemed to begin dawning on their faces.

“His father told him to escape, to survive no matter what, and to never forget who he was. And just as he promised his father… he has truly returned to us, alive.”

“……!”

The nobles’ eyes, gleaming in their various hues, widened in astonishment.

“Escape and survive no matter what.”

The disappearance four years ago.

“No way…”

“My goodness.”

“This can’t be…”

Exclamations of disbelief filled the room.

I even noticed someone fiercely pinching the side of the person who had gasped, “This can’t be.”

Finally, they seemed to be realizing who this boy truly was.

I gently patted Prince Ridit’s shoulder, taking a deep breath.

“To honor his father’s dying wish, he gave up speaking and hid his identity. To avoid being discovered by the emperor, who sought to destroy us all… he remained silent, enduring in that small body. He never forgot who he was, and he never gave up hope that one day he could reveal himself to the world.”

“……”

“I don’t think I’ll ever forget the first time I met Prince Ridit after he survived all that hardship. It felt as if the vague hope I had been clinging to had suddenly come to life before my eyes.”

“……”

“My hope—one I had never dared believe would come true because of the tyrant.”

“……!”

“The Prince”

“Prince Ridit?”

“Prince Ridit, of all people!”

Murmurs spread like a wave among the crowd.

Although Prince Ridit’s shoulders trembled slightly and his body stiffened a bit, I wasn’t worried about him at all.

It seemed he was now ready to be introduced.

“This is His Highness, Ridit Kaisley, the second son of the late emperor, who was murdered by the current emperor.”

“……!”

“No way!”

“He is the prince!”

“He’s alive, Prince Ridit!”

“It’s truly a miracle!”

“To think he’s safe—everyone thought he was dead!”

“This is unbelievable!”

“……”

A storm of awe and joy swept through the room.

Even without explicitly saying it, everyone could sense that Prince Ridit would soon ascend the throne.

I stifled the smile that was threatening to spread across my lips.

* * *

It was a month later when we returned to the northern fortress.

During our time in the capital, we witnessed Prince Ridit’s coronation as emperor, celebrated the reopening of the textile factory, and attended numerous social balls where nobles showered us with praise.

Everyone we met asked how we had found Prince Ridit and how Alec had acquired such extraordinary powers.

“Do you really have to go back to that cold, distant place?”

“Why don’t we all just stay here and live together like before? We’re free now.”

Both my mother-in-law and Eloise were reluctant to see us leave for the north.

Their reasoning was simple: with the tyrant dead, there was no longer any need to return to such a harsh land.

Eloise, in particular, wept bitterly until the day we left.

But Alec and I had no choice but to return to the north.

We had made promises to the people there.

It wasn’t just about that, though. I had a deep sense that the north was our destined home, where Alec and I would spend the rest of our lives.

The air at the top of Wiltsbrook Castle was as pure as the clearest spring water, and the sight of towering, snow-capped mountains was otherworldly, like something out of a fantasy novel.

How could one not fall in love with such a place?

Everywhere felt new, and every step I took left my first imprint on the land.

The exotic plants, as if plucked straight from a magical book, were awe-inspiring.

The children Alec and I would one day raise here would be born into a blessed land.

…Of course, it was bitterly cold, and not as bustling as the capital, but even so, I had fallen for it.

I knew I could never leave.

“Roar!”

“Give me your paw!”

I reached out to a baby polar bear.

We had stumbled upon the little cub while on a picnic at Mount Kalanysh.

It was only the size of my forearm.

“Roar!”

Instead of giving me its paw, the baby bear charged at me, waving its chubby front paws.

Its growl was meant to be threatening, but its cute round body was utterly endearing.

I dodged its tiny claws and pulled the cub into a hug.

“No, you can’t eat me. I’m not food.”

I wasn’t sure whether it wanted to play or was genuinely trying to eat me, but its antics made me burst into laughter.

‘Ah, I’m so happy.’

The fluffy little cub in my arms, and even the challenges of living in the north, all brought me joy.

“Isn’t it just adorable?” I asked, glancing toward Alec.

But Alec was nowhere to be seen.

Hmm? He was here just a moment ago. Where did he go?

“Alec?”

I released the baby bear and stood up.

I scanned the snowy landscape, but all I could see were snow-covered conifers and a pristine white field.

“……Louise.”

Suddenly, a deep voice softly called out from behind me.

At the same time, a gentle gust of snow swirled up around me.

Before I could even turn around, he wrapped his arms around me from behind with a tender embrace.

“I’m right here.”

TL NOTE: More advanced chapter of this story is already up to the site. Visit dusk blossoms for more advanced chapters and stories