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Chapter 31
At that moment,
Maybel was fast asleep.
“Haha! Look at this! Maybel! It’s a mullet!”
Kelic shouted from the riverbank, having rolled up his sleeves and pant legs.
In his hands, he held a fish as big as Maybel’s torso.
“Oh, that’s quite a big one! Shall we go check it out together?”
Aselt, sitting in the shade to escape the hot sun, asked.
Under the summer sunlight, the sunglasses Maybel had gifted fit her perfectly.
“Yeah! Let’s go quickly!”
Wearing a short-sleeved dress and fluffy pumpkin-colored shorts, Maybel responded excitedly.
As she carefully walked over the pebble-strewn riverbank, holding Aselt’s hand,
“Be careful near the water; you never know what’s there,”
“Watch out for moss-covered stones—they’re slippery!”
Zikmund and Dein, who were gathering firewood to light a bonfire, called out.
Maybel held Aselt’s hand tightly, turning back with a bright smile.
“Yes! Daddy!”
Huh? Daddy?
At that moment, Maybel’s eyes snapped open.
“Ah…”
Startled awake, her heart raced rapidly.
She didn’t know whether it was because of the fun she had in her dream or because of what she had called out at the end.
‘What kind of dream was that…’
Why did I just call His Grace “Daddy”?
As Maybel pressed her hand to her chest to calm her racing heart,
“Miss, you’re awake?”
Ella was kneeling by the bedside, looking worried.
It seemed she had noticed Maybel had been tossing and turning.
“Yes…”
But what could be happening at this hour?
She thought it might be morning, yet the sky outside the window was still pitch dark.
Maybel tilted her head in confusion.
Soon, she noticed the faint moonlight reflecting in Ella’s eyes.
“Sister…? Are you… crying?”
Startled, Maybel reached out, and Ella held her small hand, pressing her cheek against it.
“Ella…?”
Ella buried her face in Maybel’s hand and silently wept for a long while.
Maybel could feel her palm growing damp.
Not knowing why Ella was like this, Maybel didn’t know what to do, only moving her eyes anxiously.
Yet, perhaps instinctively, she sensed something.
Ella, clutching Maybel’s hand and sobbing quietly, spoke in a muffled, wet voice:
“Someone came from Ashilonia…”
“……”
“They’ve come to take you…”
Unlike Ella, who lowered her head as if she had said something she shouldn’t, Maybel’s expression remained calm.
“Then… thank you for everything.”
Maybel bowed her head slightly in front of the Ashilonia carriage that had arrived across the garden.
All the attendants on duty, and even those who had been asleep, had come outside.
“Miss…”
“Miss, you’re really leaving like this…”
“It’s too late today. Rest one more night and go tomorrow, okay?”
They clung to her, but the carriage driver was firm.
“That won’t do. The Duke of Ashilonia is extremely worried about you.”
“But it’s a long journey! If you depart without proper rest, it will be too hard on you!”
“Exactly! And it’s so late, you haven’t even eaten…”
The attendants protested, but the driver remained resolute.
“You can sleep in the carriage. Provisions are prepared, so do not worry!”
“But…”
“Enough! Why are you all so obsessed with our young lady? Are you trying to sneak her away during the night?!”
The driver not only refused their concerns but even scolded the attendants for worrying.
They could no longer say anything, fretting silently.
Maybel, not wanting to worry them further, forced a smile.
“It’s okay! Please don’t worry too much! I’m just…”
At that moment, words caught in her throat, as if something blocked her voice.
It felt strange.
Ashilonia was her home, and her name was Maybel Ashilonia—it should be right.
So why… can’t I say the word ‘home’?
Dragging out her words, the castle household’s expressions grew even gloomier.
‘No, no. I’m just causing them worry.’
Determined to regain her composure, Maybel lifted the corners of her mouth into a forced smile.
“I’m… just going… home!”
Her lips trembled slightly as she forced a bright smile.
Everyone could see it but no longer dared stop her.
The little one was trying so hard for their sake.
Aselt, who had been quiet until now, stepped forward.
He briefly held Maybel’s hand, which had become scratched from her nails, and whispered softly:
“Just hold on a little, Maybel. As soon as the Duke returns, he’ll come to get you.”
“…!”
“Okay?”
Hearing his gentle words, hope filled Maybel’s previously darkened eyes.
She wriggled her small hand in his and whispered:
“Will… you come back here?”
“Of course.”
Aselt gave her hand another reassuring squeeze.
“Home is where your family is. And your family is me. So where am I?”
She had been holding back her tears, but each of Aselt’s words shook her tear ducts to the limit.
Looking through the dark sunglasses, she saw Aselt’s kind eyes and closed her own tightly.
Then, clutching his hand, she answered:
“Here… here, at… home…”
The large tears that had gathered at the corners of her eyes fell, but that was all.
Aselt and Zikmund would come for her, so it was not a farewell.
If she waited just a little, she would see them all again.
There was no need to cry.
Struggling to suppress her tears, Maybel faced Aselt.
Seeing Maybel’s anxious expression, Aselt quickly changed his own expression.
He put on a trustworthy, solid look and spoke resolutely:
“Just hold on a little. I’ll be there soon.”
Not just a promise to her, but a promise to himself as well.
Shortly after, the carriage carrying Maybel left the Grand Duke’s garden.
Those who had seen her off could not leave even after the middle gate closed.
“They said they came to get her, yet there’s not even a cushion or blanket in the carriage…”
“Indeed. I didn’t see a child safety belt either.”
“Provisions? I hope it’s not just jerky or dried fruit…”
“Just in case, I put some food in her bag… sigh.”
Knowing how Maybel had been treated in Ashilonia, their worries did not easily fade.
Some attendants still believed Maybel might be Zikmund’s hidden illegitimate child, making them even more reluctant to leave.
But without Zikmund present, there was nothing they could do.
The attendants exchanged worried words and slowly returned to the castle one by one.
Eventually, only Ella remained.
Even after hearing that the drawbridge had long been closed, she could not leave.
The image of Maybel’s face while packing stayed in her mind.
The child’s eyes seemed hollow, as if the light had gone out.
Ella had never seen Maybel like this before.
‘Miss… please stay safe…’
She felt powerless, unable to do anything.
All she could do was watch the path Maybel had taken and silently wish for her health.
“Don’t worry too much. Soon, His Grace will return, and there will be a way.”
Unable to bear it any longer, Rundwell approached and draped a shawl over Ella’s shoulders, chilled by the early morning air.
Yet Rundwell knew the truth as well.
Even if Zikmund had been there, nothing would have changed.
Even when he returned, there was nothing that could be done.
Maybel, the princess of Ashilonia, was a stranger to Zikmund.
Perhaps she might never be seen again.
Thus, Rundwell did not tell Ella to go inside but stood with her.
As dawn approached, an ominous thought suddenly crossed Rundwell’s mind.
“But… where is Young Master Aselt?”
At Rundwell’s trembling voice, Ella, who had been quietly watching the horizon, widened her eyes.
