She forgot as she was busy only telling Oscar not to call her âLeoâ.
How will she go inside the castle and explain to her family?
Her mind went blank as she thought about how she would explain Oscar.
Meanwhile, she showed the seal her grandfather had given to her to the gatekeeper. He bowed and straight away opened the gate.
Lelia nervously drove her horse to the castle building.
As she approached the entrance, Oscar first dismounted from the horse and reached out his hand to her.
Lelia hesitated for a moment, and then she took his hand and came down from the horse. The servant took the horse to the stable, and soon the door of the castle opened wide.
âBaby!â
âGrandfather!â
It was her grandfather who first greeted Lelia.
Maybe he didnât hear the news when she passed the boundary line and
only heard the news when she reached the castle gate.
The Duke of Superion was in no hurry to show off his excitement and happiness.
Thinking of her grandfather, who must have gone crazy on hearing news of her return, Lelia ran straight up a few low stairs one at a time.
âGrandfatherâŠâ
âYes, Lelia. My little child⊠youâre here! Youâre here right in front of meâŠ!â
The Duke of Superion grabbed Leliaâs cheek and patted them.
Lelia was moved to tears at her grandfatherâs attitude, which was more welcoming than she had expected. Her grandfatherâs response was astonishing and welcoming, as if someone he never thought would ever return has come back.
Tears welled up in Leliaâs eyes.
âOf course I returned. I took too long to come back, didnât I?â
âNo, itâs happened. I wished you would come soonâŠâ
While speaking in a weeping voice, he forgot that he was a duke, and held his granddaughter and stroked her hair.
Hot tears ran down his wrinkled cheeks.
It was then, over the dukeâs shoulder, someone ran out with a strange sound.
âLelia!â
Lelia, who had escaped from her grandfatherâs arms and turned her head, burst into tears.
âUncleâŠ!â
ââŠâŠâ
Uncle Carius, whom she met after six years, was still a wonderful person. His cheeks were slender as he lost some weight.
His expression looking at Lelia was a mess.
He distorted his expression to contain his crying, but tears crawled down his eyes.
Lelia ran to her uncle with her arms outstretched and sobbed in his arms. She sounded like a ten-year-old child.
Sheâs been like that since she was little. Lelia always pretended to be more mature in front of her grandfather and grandmother.
But in front of her uncle, her childlike side appropriate for her age would often pop out.
Lelia did not know that Carius or the Duke of Superion, knowing that, was even more heartbroken.
âMy niece, letâs see your face. When did you grow up to be an adult! You were this tiny!â
ââŠâŠâ
Lelia forced a smile.
Carius smiled strangely as he looked at Lelia, who had suddenly grown bigger. Yet a burning pain swept through his heart.
They met after six years, and now she looked exactly like his dead sister.
âEven when you were young, I thought that as you grew the more similar you would look, and I was sure you would grow up to look just like her.â
It was even more heartbreaking because he still couldnât forget his dead sister.
âShe should have seen this kid if she was aliveâŠâ
Karius bit his lip and stroked Leliaâs cheek. He returned from a hellish battlefield to see this child again. Instead of his dead sister, he wanted to keep this child safe and happy for the rest of his life.
But she did something strange. Lelia, whom he met again after six years and had an astonishing resemblance to Elizabeth, was dressed so differently from her past that it would be unrecognizable if they passed by each other outside.
What the hell is this outfit?
Carius asked, wiping the tears from his cheeks and blinking his eyes, âBut why is it like this?â
ââŠâŠâ
The Duke of Superion, who had been wiping away his tears, also looked at Leliaâs outfit at that moment.
As Carius said, she was dressed in an outfit that immediately brought up questions of why she appeared like this.
Leliaâs long hair, which had ran down her back, was now very short. She had short hair like that of a knight.
âWhatâŠ?â
Carius and the Duke of Superion looked down at the same time and looked at Leliaâs attire.
They both frowned together.
Lelia was wearing a cloak, but she was clearly dressed in male aristocratic attire.
âThat is⊠becauseâŠâ
Likewise, Lelia, who had stopped her tears, was embarrassed and tried to make excuses.
Thump thump
She heard the sound of low footsteps running up the stairs. Oscar, who had been watching their reunion for a long time, came up the stairs with a cold expression on his face.
He looked like he was suppressing something.
Duke Superionâs eyes narrowed when he saw Oscar.
On the other hand, Cariusâ pupils grew as large as a royal bell.
âYou, you!â
Carius, who recognized Oscar, could not continue his words, but pointed his sword at him instead.
Lelia walked over to Oscar as he was approaching her as an excuse, and she grabbed his arm.
She was thinking of introducing Oscar to her grandfather and her uncle.
Heâs a âfriendâ, she said.
Before she came here, she had asked Oscar to introduce himself that way.
However, the appearance of Lelia holding Oscarâs arm was enough to mislead both Carius and the Duke of Superion.
The Duke immediately grabbed the back of his neck.
At the same time, Carius went âAaggghhh!â and screamed as if he had seen a ghost.
âGrandpa, Uncle⊠Why, why do youâŠâ
âOh, no. Lelia! Bringing a man! Itâs too early to get engaged and get married! No!â
âLelia! Not that child! I canât do this! Uncle is against this!â
At the fierce opposition as the two misunderstood, Oscarâs eyebrows twitched subtly.
Lelia waved her hand in embarrassment.
âOh, no! Itâs not like that! Heâs my friend! Just friends!â
â⊠Friends?â
Duke Superionâs expression instantly softened.
But not Carius. He still shouted with a frown on his face.
âItâs unbelievable!! Why are you making friends with a guy like that?!â
ââŠâŠâ
Lelia glanced at Oscar.
Although there must be many questions, Oscar didnât look strange at all.
But it was confusing, it seemed like he might be acquainted with her uncleâŠ
[Are you talking about Oscar?]
Of course⊠It might be the case. In fact, Lelia had many similar thoughts while she came here.
But her childhood friend, Oscar, was an angel.
Her uncle should have met Oscar when he was a child, but even so, the word âangelâ seemed too far-fetched now.
Lelia calmed her uncle by telling him to go in and talk.
***
âMiss!â
As soon as they entered the castle, Becky, who came down the stairs in a hurry, ran to her crying.
âBecky!â
Lelia also wanted to share a big reunion hug with Becky.
She was startled by her appearance and she tried to look at Oscarâs face, but she couldnât because Becky came and hugged her tight.
Becky, who burst into tears, asked a question as soon as she pulled her out of her arms.
âBy the way, my lady. Whatâs with this outfit? So cool! You really look like a noble man!â
âBecky⊠that isâŠâ
She calmed Becky and looked at Oscar, but he had a calm expression on his face.
He didnât seem to be surprised at all.
Rather, it was Lelia who asked with her eyes, âWhatâs going on?â
Lelia looked at him with blinking eyes, but Oscar didnât say anything.
At that time, Becky asked as if urging, âBut why are you dressed like this, my lady?â
Carius and the Duke of Superion also looked at Lelia as if curious for an answer.
â⊠Just⊠I thought this outfit would be comfortable while coming to the estate.â
After making a rough excuse, Lelia asked something more important than that.
âWhere is Grandma?â
âAh⊠.â
As soon as she asked, the dukeâs expression became overshadowed. Lelia felt her heart pounding, and she asked, startled, âWhere is she now? Could it have gotten any worse?â
â⊠Now, she is going to a villa in the Terren area with Atias.â
Teren was a small town within the Superion Territory and was considered a resort.
[Has your condition gotten so much worse that you moved to a resort?]
When she grabbed her grandfatherâs arm and rushed him to answer, the duke replied with hesitation.
âNot much, just a little worse. Donât worry too much. Since you are here, you should contact Atias to bring her back to the castle right away.â
Lelia responded, holding her grandfatherâs hand, âIâve been gathering ingredients for grandmotherâs medicine.â
âIs that true?â
The Duke of Superion asked with a hopeful yet anticipatory look.
In fact, his wifeâs condition was serious. Her condition rapidly deteriorated after Lelia left for the capital.
Now her husband, his face, was often unrecognizable.
She was sent to a resort with Atias, but now Lelia said that she had found the cure.
In fact, he was dubious, but he wanted to believe Lelia.
But even if the cure was of no avail, he had no intention of resenting Lelia.
He has no choice but to accept that she is destiny.
âDo not worry.â
She held his hand tight as Lelia noticed the dukeâs anxious mind.
âWhen did she grow up to be able to speak reassuring words to her grandfather?â
Duke Superionâs eyes became moist again.
âWhat about Uncle Zenon?â
Lelia thought, asking nervously.
[Donât tell me thereâs already been a battle?]
In the original story, after Dragonâs death, her eldest uncle, Zenon, died in a battle against an army created by a pagan.
At this point, shortly after Dragonâs death, there was still no news that a pagan had appeared.
The battle couldnât have happened already, but she was nervous about it.
âOfficial letters have been sent down from the temple to the estate. Heâs at the temple with the flag. He will come tomorrow.â
At Grandfatherâs words, Lelia let out a sigh of relief.
After that, she held onto her uncle and grandfatherâs hands and led them to the drawing room and talked about a few more things.
It wasnât until much time had passed that the Duke said to Lelia, âLook at me.â
âYou must have had a hard time getting here, so go and rest. You should relieve your fatigue until dinner is ready.â
âYes, Grandpa.â
Lelia nodded without refusing because she desperately wanted to wash up with warm water.
The Duke of Superion urged the servants to give Oscar, who had been silent all along, a guest room.
After the two left the drawing room, the Duke of Superion squinted and asked his son.
âWhoâs that guy?â
Carius said, crumpling his face.
âThe Crown Prince of Hraesvelg. He has a broken mind.â
Carius then tapped his head with his fingertips and emphasized.
âBroken mind? Why?â
âHeâs cruel beyond description. Not long ago, I heard that the Emperor of Hraesvelg was half-maimed, and Iâm sure it was him.â
âWhat?â
When the Duke of Superion was startled and asked back, Carius whispered.
âHeâs a total nut job and piece of sh*t! We must never let him get along with her!â
âBut we donât know whatâs the truth⊠Not all parents are the sameâŠâ
âBut he maimed his parents! I wouldnât do that, even if my father were trash.â
âThis guy, by the wayâŠâ
The Duke of Superion asked with his eyes glued.
âSo if Lelia maimed Perseus, would you call her that?â