Leticia bent her knee and spoke in a barely audible small voice. Her voice sounded hoarse and rough, immediately darkening the expressions of the palace people.

The child holding the princess’s hand watched carefully and then also bent their knee.

“By the name of the emperor of the Holy Petrion Empire, I command. Princess Leticia was married to the Grand Duke of Ern, but the Papal Office has acknowledged that the sacred promise of marriage was broken due to unjust treatment and the Grand Duke’s infidelity.”

Everyone remained silent while Victor read the decree.

“All responsibility for this matter lies with the Grand Duke of Ern, and I shall examine this issue in detail later and punish it fairly. Furthermore, as the divorce has been formally established, I hereby restore her status as princess and all positions that accompany it.”

Elia saw tears falling beneath the black veil.

“Princess Leticia has returned to the glorious embrace of the empire, so all shall follow this order and serve and attend to the princess.”

Rockfort’s affection was evident in this not-so-brief decree. For him to have sent such an official document from the battlefield was his best effort.

“Princess, you may rise now. Please receive this decree.”

Leticia stood and took the decree document that Victor handed her. Though it was spring, her hand, gloved in black, firmly gripped the document.

The young child didn’t seem to understand the situation, but was unusually calm for their age, without a single whimper.

“Princess, allow me to introduce Lady Elia, His Majesty the Emperor’s fiancée and the acting empress.”

Victor and Marienne knelt before Leticia.

Marienne was unusually emotional but trying hard to hide it. It was clear without saying that her heart was breaking at the sight of the princess who had changed so much.

“Hannah.”

At Elia’s whisper, Hannah pushed her chair, bringing her before Leticia.

“I greet the princess. Please forgive me for not standing to pay my respects due to my physical condition.”

The black veil was so thick that Leticia’s face and expression were completely invisible. There was no response.

“I am Elia, daughter of House Theon. I humbly apologize that I came to reside in the palace before the wedding and have been staying in the quarters where the princess used to reside.”

Elia continued in a calm voice. She could feel the small child holding Leticia’s hand glancing at her, who was at about the same eye level as the child.

“However, we have rearranged the space where the princess stayed…… I sincerely hope you rest comfortably. Also, if my presence here makes you uncomfortable, I can at any time……”

The hand in the black glove stopped Elia’s words. It was a rude gesture, even for a princess.

“La…… ter.”

The low voice mixed with something like a metallic sound was quite unsettling.

“I want to rest.”

Elia nodded. Marienne, after seeking Elia’s understanding with her eyes, immediately attended to Leticia as if supporting her.

Elia simply watched as the mother and child, dressed as if for a funeral, entered the palace.

“This is very different from what I expected.”

Hannah spoke softly after everyone had left and only Elia remained.

“It doesn’t even…… follow proper etiquette.”

Hannah was careful but clearly drew a line. Elia’s current position was the emperor’s fiancée and acting empress. This meant she was the highest authority in the imperial palace while the emperor was away.

Moreover, regardless of status, there was never a case where someone responded so rudely to someone who welcomed them with kindness.

“She must be overwhelmed.”

Elia spoke with a composed face.

“Everyone has difficult times. During such times, you can’t even see those closest to you.”

She had experienced such a time herself. Living as if dead, with no warmth in her heart, she had no smiles or kindness to show those around her.

“Moreover, she has endured hardship and traveled a long way. Hannah, make sure that you and the other palace people don’t harbor such thoughts…… do you understand my words?”

“Yes. I was shortsighted. I apologize.”

Elia nodded. The barren lilac branches seemed to overlap with the princess’s wretched appearance.

“Let’s go inside. Tell the palace people to be more careful and quiet for the time being…… and don’t assign Marienne any duties other than attending to the princess.”

Having served the princess since childhood, Marienne was the most suitable person to care for her.

“The wind is quite chilly.”

Hannah said as she slowly pushed the chair.

At the end of spring in the empire, it always rained and the wind turned cold. Then, as if it were a lie, summer would begin.

“Yes, it seems especially so today.”

There were many strange things, but now wasn’t the time to ask questions. Apart from the black dress, the woman who was a princess and a Grand Duchess appeared so shabby and impoverished that it was hard to believe.

The same was true for the small child, who looked so poorly cared for that, if not for the dress, even their gender would be hard to determine.

“Injured people need time.”

The injury could be physical or emotional. In any case, when one part breaks, the rest follows into ruin—that’s human nature.

All Elia could do for Leticia now was to stay quiet so her presence wouldn’t be a disturbance. Being a patient herself, this wasn’t a difficult task for her.

* * *

The evening banquet prepared for the princess was naturally canceled. Marienne hadn’t come out since she went in with Leticia, and Elia sent the composed Cyril to help Marienne.

“My lady, I’ve brought warm milk.”

Elia looked up from the book she was reading at Hannah’s voice. It was her bedtime routine.

“I added a little sugar, so it should be rich.”

“Do you still think I’m a child?”

Despite her words, Elia enjoyed the deliciously warmed milk. Then suddenly, she remembered that a real child had come to this palace.

“The princess’s child still looks…… very young, doesn’t she?”

“I couldn’t see well since they were so covered up, but judging by their size, they seem very young.”

“But I heard the princess’s child is about to turn three……”

Hannah tilted her head. Elia, who had never raised a child, didn’t know, but to Hannah, who had raised Elia herself, the princess’s child looked too small.

“It’s strange. A child that age should be much bigger.”

“Could it be because she’s a girl?”

“No. I’ve watched you since you were born, my lady, and even though you were small for your size…… I can’t believe the child is almost 3.”

The child was born to the princess and the Grand Duke. There was no reason or way to hide their birth date.

“Earlier…… when the decree was being read, I saw tears falling from beneath the princess’s veil.”

Hannah nodded. Elia wasn’t the only one who had held her breath at that sight.

“She must have been through so much hardship.”

She wasn’t just referring to this journey. Her entire life seemed full of hardship.

The way she desperately held the small child’s hand with her black glove kept lingering in Elia’s mind, weighing on her heart.

“Still, it’s fortunate that Marienne served the princess when she was young.”

“Yes. His Majesty probably couldn’t have anticipated this situation…… it’s truly fortunate.”

Having just sent a reply to Rockfort recently, it felt awkward to write another letter saying the princess had arrived. Nor would he, being on the battlefield, likely explain the whole story in a letter.

“Unnecessary interference would only be a hindrance.”

Elia decided on her approach. In the past, when she was living a difficult life, she didn’t want anyone’s attention.

Whether it was genuine kindness or cheap sympathy, she simply didn’t want her solitude disturbed.

“My lady, you’ve already become an adult.”

Hannah spoke with a sentimental expression. Before Cecilia’s incident, Elia still had a girlish charm and sometimes laughed like a child, but now she exuded the full dignity of a woman.

“It’s about time, isn’t it?”

It wasn’t just her appearance. Her inner strength and frighteningly calm demeanor made her seem much more virtuous than the former duchess.

All the worries she had when first ascending to the difficult position of empress now seemed pointless.

“Now…… spring is ending.”

This statement carried multiple meanings. The seasons of Elia’s life were flowing in the same way.

By the time Rockfort returned from the battlefield, Elia would celebrate her twentieth birthday. Since twenty was the age at which she had died in her previous life, this milestone held special significance.

“I didn’t want to turn twenty……”

More precisely, she didn’t want to turn twenty again.

“My lady, you are young and beautiful. Despite the unfortunate events, you have many more days of happiness ahead of you.”

Was that really true? In her past life, happiness and unhappiness were values that could never be equally exchanged.

Neither happiness nor unhappiness had a justifiable reason. Life was something that could only be accepted as fate.

Perhaps such thinking had bound Elia more tightly to unhappiness. She had never properly tried to escape her misfortune, fearing Rockfort’s cold gaze.

“Yes…… I’m trying.”

Some things still couldn’t be changed.

But she knew that some things had definitely changed through her choices and will.

* * *

The letter must have arrived properly this time, as Rockfort’s reply came right away.

〈To Elia.〉

By now, this phrase seemed not just familiar but engraved in her mind.

〈I am glad to hear that you are still well.〉

After much deliberation, Elia had ultimately finished her letter with the same mundane greetings as before.

〈The complete annihilation of the enemy might extend until winter, but my stay here should be sufficient until summer.〉

It was a quicker return than expected. A feeling of joy suddenly surged, but then worry about the awkwardness of facing him again immediately followed.

〈By the time you receive this letter, the princess will likely have arrived. I have issued a decree, so there should be no concerns about her status and future, but having experienced misfortune, I worry about her emotional wounds.

I believe you will understand generously even if she lacks proper manners or common sense.〉