After making sure Melioever was breathing easily in her sleep, Breti quietly stepped out of the room.
When she opened the door, an unexpected guest was standing there.

“…Your Highness.”

It was none other than Karsten. Judging by his pale complexion, he must have been deeply worried about Melioever.

“Is Mother… feeling any better?”

“Yes. Her breathing has steadied, so you needn’t worry too much. I’ll keep watch over her tonight. I’ll just go change my clothes and be right back.”

Breti moved to hurry past him, but as she brushed by, Karsten suddenly caught her by the wrist.

“No, there’s no need for that. I’m here tonight.”

“That won’t be necessary.”

“Listen to me.”

Karsten lifted his other hand and brushed her cheek.

“I heard you’ve been in Mother’s room all this time. Go in and rest for today.”

He was concerned because of her pale complexion. Startled by the sudden touch, however, Breti turned her head away.

“Then, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll return to my room.”

Avoiding his hand, she quickened her steps.

Once back in her room, Breti leaned against the door. Her hand rose to the cheek where Karsten’s fingers had touched, and she sank to the floor.

‘Why…’

Her feelings were already hard enough to manage, yet his small, intrusive gestures sent them swinging wildly.

‘Breti, get a hold of yourself.’

It was far too presumptuous. She couldn’t allow herself to carry these feelings any further.

Forcing her emotions back into order, Breti sprang to her feet.

💙💙💙 💙💙💙

A few days later, one morning. The moment she woke up, Breti headed straight to Melioever’s room.

“Mother, I’m coming in.”

“Come in.”

Contrary to Breti’s worry, her mother’s voice sounded steady and calm.

When Breti stepped into the room, she found Melioever sitting comfortably on the sofa.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Mother, are you feeling any better?”

Breti asked urgently as she approached.

Melioever gave a faint smile.

“My dear, even if you speak slowly, this mother of yours can still understand everything.”

“Mother…”

“I’m fine now, so there’s no need to worry.”

She reached out and stroked Breti’s hair, her gentle touch warming Breti’s heart.

“I wanted to show you the festival in the capital, but because I suddenly fell ill, you couldn’t even enjoy it properly before we had to come back.”

“That doesn’t matter. Your health is more important to me.”

“That’s why… how about going to the festival today with your brother?”

At the mention of Karsten’s name, Breti’s fingers stilled.

“…Brother must be busy with work. More than that, I don’t want to leave you alone.”

Shaking her head, Breti fussed with the blanket spread over Melioever’s lap.

Melioever clasped her hand firmly.

“Take the medicine I gave you on time, and walk around the area with Rosand for some exercise.”

“You could do that with me, Laterna. In fact, I want you to experience the festival in the capital.”

Breti should have simply replied that she didn’t need to go, but the earnestness in Melioever’s voice made her hesitate.

“But…”

“No buts. Today, listen to your mother.”

Melioever’s voice was resolute.

“I told your brother about it yesterday, too.”

“Yesterday?”

“Yes, your brother said he would take you to the festival.”

“Brother… will?”

Seeing the surprise on her face, Melioever gently caressed her cheek.

“Yes. So go and have a good time with him.”

She promptly ushered Breti out, telling her to get ready for the festival.

Still bewildered, Breti followed Bagi back to her room. Everything about this was unexpected, but the most surprising of all was the fact that she would be going to the festival with Karsten. Even more astonishing was that Karsten had actually agreed to it.

‘Still…’

Breti couldn’t help but feel a quiet sense of anticipation for the outing.

A short while later, Breti finished getting ready and came out with Bagi.

“My lady, the head maid said the festival in the capital is quite grand!”

“Is that so?”

“Yes! There will be so much food—I’m so excited!”

Bagi’s childlike enthusiasm made Breti smile faintly.

It was then that a familiar voice spoke.

“All ready?”

Her heart thudded at the sound. The fact that she could react this way to just his voice meant that this had to be a serious case.

Worried that her feelings might show on her face, Breti dipped her head slightly.

“Yes. I’m sorry for troubling you when you’re so busy.”

“It’s fine. It’s good to make time for things like this once in a while.”

“Thank you.”

“You look beautiful today.”

The sudden compliment made her cheeks flush, and she gave a small, shy smile.

He, too, seemed quietly relieved, meeting her smile with one of his own.

“Here.”

Karsten extended his hand to her.

Breti stared at it, her expression caught somewhere between hesitation and confusion. Karsten chuckled softly and took her hand.

“Since it’s your first time at the festival, we wouldn’t want you to get lost.”

With that, he led her forward. Her cheeks tinged pink as she let him guide her by his steady grip.

💙💙💙 💙💙💙

As they stepped out of the ducal estate, still hand in hand, Melioever stood at a short distance, watching them.

‘Was this truly the right choice?’

Ultimately, she decided to support them. Even if the world refused to accept their bond, she wanted to be the one person who understood. That was her conclusion.

“My lady, Tilda has returned.”

Rosand reported at that moment.

“Has she? Quickly—bring her to my room.”

Melioever’s face brightened with delight.

“She’s already waiting for you there.”

With Rosand’s support, Melioever quickened her pace.

When she reached her room, Tilda was standing by the door. Melioever clasped her hand warmly.

“Tilda, did your trip to the south go well?”

“Yes.”

“Let’s go inside and talk for a bit.”

Melioever personally opened the door and ushered Tilda in.

Once they were seated across from each other on the sofa, Tilda began her report without delay.

“I’ve gathered information on the Aurora Inn and the girl named Breti, just as you requested.”

“I see.”

“The inn itself no longer exists, so I couldn’t confirm things directly. However, I did track down people who had been forced to work there and heard their accounts.”

“Forced labor, you say?”

“The innkeeper had run an illegal moneylending scheme, binding children to her through debt. They worked long hours at hard labor without fair pay.”

“Oh, my…”

The thought of Breti having to endure such work made Melioever’s heart ache.

“It was His Highness himself who caught the innkeeper and handed her over to the city guard.”

“I see.”

From that, Melioever could roughly piece together how Breti and Karsten might have first crossed paths.

“And what about this girl, Breti?”

“She’s said to be around the same age as Lady Laterna. After her mother passed away, it wasn’t long before she began working at the inn—and she’s been there for over eleven years.”

The number alone was enough for Melioever to be certain Breti was not Laterna. She had already suspected as much, so she showed no surprise.

Still, as she listened to Tilda, her brow furrowed slightly.

‘That poor child must have suffered greatly.’

It pained her to imagine how long Breti had endured such hardship.

“But there was something rather strange I discovered.”

Tilda tilted her head slightly, a curious expression on her face.

“Strange? How so?”

“Do you recall, years ago, when Young Master suddenly went missing during a trip to the south?”

“Yes, I remember.”

Thinking of her son’s ordeal, Melioever’s expression darkened further.

Fortunately, Karsten had been found, but his condition at the time was beyond words. The scar on his left eyebrow was the kind that would remain for life, a wound far too deep to fade.

Melioever recalled what the physician, summoned in haste back then, had said:

“It appears someone treated the young master before I arrived. The emergency care was done well, so there are no critical injuries.”

The physician had remarked on how curious it was, adding only that rest would see him recover, before taking his leave.

Even now, Melioever felt that same drop in her chest as she had then.

It was in that moment that Tilda spoke again.

“The place where the young master was found wasn’t far from the Aurora Inn.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“The shed he was in was located on a hill just behind the Aurora Inn.”

As she listened, a vague unease crept over Melioever. She began to calculate the years in her head.

Then, suddenly, something Breti had said not long ago flashed in her mind:

“There was a boy that I treated for the first time. At the time, I didn’t know whether he had survived, but I later found out that he had.”

“How did you find out?”

“By chance… I happened to see him.”