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Chapter 88
The Grand Duke reined in his horse and came to a stop.
At last, they had reached their destination—a detached house with a modest garden. The red roof contrasted vividly with the green ivy climbing over the fence.
“This is the place.”
The Grand Duke dismounted first and extended his arm. I clutched it tightly as I set foot on the ground.
Through the chest-high fence, flowerpots by the window came into view. Purple violets, their gaze like a child’s eyes, bloomed within. It looked like a home lovingly tended long before the child arrived.
Now, I was about to face the child as Alisa Rasantia.
I closed my eyes briefly. A quiet tremor brushed against my heart, followed by a loud thud. Each time the wind blew, fragments of faded memories seemed to clatter inside my chest.
Would the princess recognize me? What if she didn’t recognize me at all?
I quickly shook my head to scatter those worries.
It’s fine. What if she doesn’t recognize me? I can just bring up the story of the Brim Forest first. If I brought the sign language primer and the fairy tale book, there’s no way she wouldn’t remember.
The Grand Duke opened the gate. Together, we stepped over the stone path and crossed the garden.
A sudden question rose to my lips.
“Tell me, Your Grace…”
“Yes?”
“Does your sister know… what family I’m from?”
“Yes, I’ve told her. Did you want me to keep it a secret?”
“No. Living in Blansk, she would have found out sooner or later anyway.”
I replied calmly, though I bit the inside of my cheek hard.
I was about to see the princess, but honestly, fear weighed heavier than expectation.
Still, the Grand Duke must have spoken well of me. After all, he did have feelings for me.
I felt his gaze linger gently on my profile. After a moment of silence, he asked me,
“Why don’t you resent me? I kept the truth from you all this time, even while keeping you by my side… and instead of coming to you first, I sought help from someone else.”
He seemed puzzled that I wasn’t reacting with anger, even after hearing everything.
Well… should I tell him it’s because the very first person he went to was me?
“Because earning someone’s trust is never easy. The fact that you confessed to me directly—even now—means something.”
My words seemed to sting, for he pressed his lips together and lowered his gaze.
“…Did my story not sound absurd to you?”
“Well. Whether Your Grace’s words are true or not, I can confirm that now with my own eyes.”
I answered calmly, staring at the door that grew closer with each step.
On the way here, riding together, the Grand Duke had whispered his story softly into my ear—as though afraid I might run away. He had held me tightly from behind all the while.
I already knew the story, but hearing it in his low voice made it feel new.
Yes, he had forced me with something like blackmail, holding my wedding trousseau hostage… but in the end, it was his choice to knock on my chamber door.
For that, I was truly grateful. His honest confession was what I had desperately wished for, so I could meet the princess.
We stood side by side before the front door. He pressed the bell.
Deng— The sound rang out. I gripped my trousers tightly, cold sweat seeping into the fabric.
Tap, tap, tap. Light footsteps approached from inside. I took a deep breath. Then came the click of the lock, and the door opened.
Through the wide-open doorway… stood Princess Melania, her long platinum hair braided neatly down her back.
Her eyes met mine. Those bright, expectant eyes made me flinch without realizing.
It was the face I had longed to see so badly that I’d lost sleep—but now, facing her, my whole body seemed to shrink. I wanted to turn and run at once. I didn’t want to see those clear eyes cloud with disappointment.
Inside, I began to chant frantically.
No, Alisa. Endure. You wanted to see her. That child of the forest you thought dead is alive and standing before you. She’s about to become your family. This is a miracle.
While I steadied my heart, the Grand Duke introduced us.
“This is my younger sister, Melania. And this is her nanny, Olenka.”
I tried to greet them, but no sound came out. I only bowed silently.
The Grand Duke then introduced me to them in sign language.
[It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Alisa!]
The princess bounced excitedly, replying in signs.
Perhaps because of her lively expression, it was almost as if I could hear her voice.
Exhaling, I removed my hat. The Grand Duke had tucked my hair inside when he helped me wear it—now it slipped free in a cascade.
I pulled down the cloth covering my face.
Long, thick red hair, silver-gray eyes, freckled cheeks, and a brown hunting vest.
I only wished that my appearance would feel familiar to the princess.
[It is an honor to meet you, Princess Melania.]
I spelled out her name letter by letter in sign language, then bent my knees in greeting.
Melania. A name I hadn’t known back then. The Grand Duke had murmured it alone with such longing—and now I could call her by it too.
“Oh my, even the Grand Duchess knows sign language… Hm?”
Olenka, the woman who had cared for me in the forest, was delighted at first by my signing—but then she froze. Her eyes widened as she stared at my face, scanning me from head to toe.
Her lips parted.
“I’m certain I’ve seen you somewhere before…”
Relief washed over me. She remembered me, at least vaguely.
I wanted to answer, Yes, it’s me. But something choked up from my throat, silencing me again.
I only nodded once.
My eyelids twitched nervously, and the corners of my lips trembled slightly.
I turned back to the princess.
Blink, blink. The princess stared up at me, blinking rapidly, rubbing her eyes as if something had gotten in them.
As if she were seeing a ghost.
The Grand Duke glanced between me, the princess, and Olenka. He sensed something unusual in the air surrounding us three.
[Do you two… know my wife?]
he asked.
The princess did not answer. Instead, she stepped closer.
Her vivid violet eyes locked on me. They were the same eyes that had peered into my fading vision when I lay half-dead in the forest long ago.
Slowly, she raised her hands.
She formed a fist with her left hand and set it upright. With her right palm placed on top, she drew small circles once, twice, thrice.
[Love.]
At that sign, I froze like a statue.
Love. It was the last sign I had taught her before our farewell. I had thought I would never again meet a child as precious as she was. That feeling had never changed.
Then the princess pointed with her right index finger, brushed it under her lips, bent the finger, and touched it to her chin, moving it side to side.
[Red.]
She stepped closer, lifting her hand to gently brush the hair that draped over my shoulder.
Her touch was soft, without the faintest hint of hostility.
She had recognized me instantly. She knew who I was, knew what family I came from—yet she did not reject me. Instead, she came to me first.
She had even brought with her to Blansk the old picture book I had read to her and the sign language primer I had left behind.
Realizing all of this, my eyes burned. A sharp ache stung beneath my nose, and tears swelled from my throat to my jaw. My vision blurred as if covered in mist.
“Hhh… hhic…”
The tears burst forth.
I threw my arms around the princess.
I’m sorry. Don’t forgive me. While you wore out that old picture book and studied the sign language guide until the leather binding frayed, remembering me all the while… I returned home and forgot you completely, living only for my honor, my glory, my pride.
It was only when I set foot in this land of death, Blansk, which my country had trampled mercilessly, that I remembered you. Only when I saw the ashes of the hut in the Brim Forest where you lived, did I realize—every step of my proud march had been stained with the blood of children like you.
The princess, nestled in my chest, patted my back gently.
Her warmth made my sobbing uncontrollable. I wept like a child, hiccupping miserably.
Even though I hadn’t said a word yet, I felt as if I had already been forgiven. The longing and sorrow that had weighed on my chest melted away like snow.
“H-how… how can this be…?”
Olenka covered her mouth with her apron as she approached me.
“Could it really be? Are you truly that young lady from back then? Your hair, your clothes… you haven’t changed a bit!”
I answered her question with a smile.
“Thank you for recognizing me.”
The Grand Duke, who had watched the entire scene, ran a hand through his hair with a conflicted expression.
“Forgive me, but I need an explanation… What exactly is going on here?”
He must have been the most bewildered of us all. I could not leave him out.
I released the princess from my arms and rose to my feet.
“…This princess here is that child.”
I placed a gentle hand on her small shoulder.
“That child?”
the Grand Duke repeated.
“You know this story too. Long ago, when I fell from my horse while hunting in the Brim Forest, the one who found me and saved me was none other than this princess and Olenka.”
“…”
The Grand Duke stared silently between me and the princess.
Her violet eyes quivered, and his throat bobbed as he swallowed hard.
