TRL 32

Chapter 32

Rita inferred from the conversation that after she had disappeared, the Raskyle family had withdrawn into seclusion and had not shown themselves at all during the social season.

At the same time, she thought of the “Lilieta’s dresses” that the duchess had been making and collecting every year—dresses she hadn’t been able to properly examine because of the patchouli scent.

“A debut… Lili’s debut… my goodness, I thought I’d never get to see it. What do I do? Just thinking about having a debutante dress made for you makes me so excited… ah.”

The duchess clutched both cheeks in flustered delight, but then suddenly froze and turned to Rita with concern.

“Lili, will you be all right? It’s just a suggestion—if it feels too hard, you don’t have to do this. Just having you back makes Mother more than happy, so don’t push yourself, okay?”

“Yeah. Hey, you don’t have to participate in the social season if you don’t want to. There are other ways to announce your return besides a society debut.”

Reinhardt quickly chimed in after the duchess. The whole family who had gone to the dress atelier together was watching her.

Because I showed weakness…

She was grateful for their concern, but also felt sorry and a little embarrassed, so Rita gave a bitter smile.

“No. I really do want to do it—the debutante ball.”

Just as she did not deny having lived as Rita Pascal, she also had no intention of denying that she was Lilieta del Nysa Raskyle, the one and only daughter of House Raskyle.

I don’t remember it clearly… but the social season must have been incredibly important among nobles. If they didn’t even participate after I disappeared…

There must have been all kinds of rumors. If they wanted to show that the family was still strong, participating would be better. It was time for Raskyle to come out of seclusion.

I hope everything can recover to how it was before I disappeared. My family, the house… and me, too.

This was not the Ashen World. If she was going to live here, she also had to grow accustomed to life here.

In that world, it was right to be wary of everyone and treat anyone who wasn’t an ally as an enemy. But that wasn’t how things worked here. She had to abandon the battlefield mindset and melt into peaceful society.

I do intend to go back someday… but until I find a way back—or even if I do, until everyone has recovered—I’ll stay here.

She might never find a way back. Even if she followed the clues Pascal left behind, there might be no way to cross into another world. She might never see her companions again.

Crossing between worlds wouldn’t be easy. I might not be able to return. Yes… that could happen.

Facing that possibility, which she had deliberately been avoiding, left her feeling painfully lonely and hollow.

If I can never see Oli, Sister Sera, Senior Is, Luca, Ethan… and Gide… again…

Even so, she would have to accept it. She had fired the star prepared to die. Just surviving and reuniting with her family was already incredible luck. And she was already used to partings.

Repeating that to herself, she forcibly turned her gaze away from the hole in her heart that was threatening to grow deeper.

…Anyway, I have to readjust to this world first. For my family’s sake, too.

Using the debutante ball as a symbol of that adjustment—and proof of recovery—didn’t seem bad.

To someone used to missions, having a clear and concrete goal like this was better. Filled with motivation, Rita nodded.

“If it starts in April, that means there’s a whole month left, right? I can do it. I really want to do the debutante ball.”

Nothing could be harder than fighting demonic beasts while pushing through ruins, or holding the final defensive line while playing mind games with headquarters.

She was confident.

It was confidence born of not knowing what preparing for a society debut in a single month actually meant. People are always braver when they know less.

* * *

“So with the social season and the debutante ball to prepare for, not just the young lady but everyone’s been busy nonstop. That’s why they even hired new footmen.”

“Mm-hm, I see.”

“Are you even listening? You were hired because we’re short-handed. And you’re just loafing around like this?”

The maid Hannah glared at the man standing beside her. The man, leaning against the well, just smiled with his eyes half-closed.

“Hm. It’s taking longer than I thought.”

“What is?”

“Your return.”

“What are you even talking about?”

“Ha ha.”

Hannah stared at the man, who only laughed and dodged the question, as if he were crazy. Then her cheeks reddened slightly.

He’s strange… but honestly, he is handsome.

The man was a newly hired footman who had arrived a few days ago.

Footmen were supposed to be the “face” of the estate, so they usually hired tall, handsome men. But even among them, this new footman was exceptional. When he had first introduced himself, all the maids had squealed.

Tall and lanky, with skin white like a marble statue, a straight nose, tousled golden-brown curls, and deep-set blue-gray eyes.

A fairy-tale prince… though with a slightly decadent air?

And for some reason, this handsome new footman kept hovering around Hannah. When there was nothing special to do, he followed her around like a puppy.

Why?

“Isn’t he into you?”
“Wow, he must like you!”

The other maids’ teasing words echoed in her head. She had denied it, saying there was no way… but still.

As Hannah scooped up water from the well, she stole a glance at his reflection in the surface—and startled when it suddenly came closer.

She squeezed her eyes shut without thinking. A low chuckle lingered in the air.

“This was stuck.”

The man plucked a leaf out of her hair and held it up, smiling faintly.

“Clumsy as ever. When it’s you, it’s kind of cute.”

“W-what? Cute…?”

Hannah couldn’t even finish her sentence, just opening and closing her mouth. The man pressed the leaf to his lips, smiling with his eyes.

“But still, I hope you come back soon.”

She didn’t really hear what he said. Her face had gone bright red at the sensation of his lips brushing her hair.

The man—the new footman of the Birchwood Castle, “Ethan”—looked down at the blushing Hannah and thought:

The face is similar, but… something’s off. Everything except the face feels wrong.

It must be because she was in the middle of returning. Once the return was fully complete, she would become the person he knew. Until then, he would stick close and be the first to welcome her back.

Smiling gently, Ethan easily lifted the water bucket Hannah had drawn.

“I’ll carry it for you.”

“H-huh?”

Hannah followed after him, stealing glances at his back as he walked briskly ahead.

Does this man really like me?

Her heart started pounding.

* * *

“Hannah, are you sick? Your face is red.”

“N-no! I’m not sick! I just, um… suddenly had to run somewhere…!”

Lilieta tilted her head at the flustered Hannah waving her hands, then let it go. If she wasn’t sick, it was fine. There were more urgent things right in front of her.

“Hm. Judging by how you’re spacing out, I suppose you’ve memorized everything up to here, Master?”

The woman with black hair tied tightly into a single strand crossed her arms as she spoke. She had an ordinary face, but a small mole beneath her narrow black eyes stood out.

Her name was Lindsey Dice. She belonged to the Amethyst Jewel Company and, as agreed earlier with Leonhardt, had become Lilieta’s “Amethyst.”

“Ah—no, not yet. I’ll look over it again.”

Rita hurriedly turned her eyes back to the complicated family tree spread out before her.

It was the imperial genealogy of the Empire of Kairam, to which House Raskyle belonged. Since it would be a disaster for a duke’s daughter to debut in society without knowing the imperial family and major nobles, she was studying with the help of her newly assigned Amethyst.

What kind of family tree is this? Is it this ridiculous because it’s the imperial family? It’s insanely complicated.

Hannah set down a teacup on her desk and carefully slipped out of the room. Lindsey glanced at the door Hannah had exited through and lowered her voice.

“Master.”

“Huh? I’m almost done—just a moment…”

“The investigation you requested is finished. May I report now?”

Rita took her eyes off the genealogy, confirmed that Hannah was completely gone, and then looked at Lindsey.

“The investigation into Hannah?”

“Yes.”

It was the investigation into Hannah’s family background and personal connections that she had originally asked Leonhardt for. That was the very reason an Amethyst had been assigned to her in the first place.

Lindsey Dice added quietly and quickly:

“We actually received the results from the Jewel Company this morning, but we prioritized your studies first because you would need some prior knowledge to understand them.”

“Prior knowledge?”

Now that she thought about it, her parents had said something similar. That Hannah had a complicated story, and it would be better to hear it later from her Amethyst.

Rita’s gaze drifted back to the imperial family tree she had been studying.

Yesterday it had been a noble almanac, and today suddenly the imperial genealogy… surely not—

“Hannah… is connected to the imperial family?”