A Send-off and a Sense of Unease

Translated by: ME

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*****

「Thank you so much for joining us today. Please, have a safe journey home.」

Magnolia gave her thanks to each guest, handing them a gift box as they departed. The territory was small enough that one could travel from one end to the other by carriage in less than a day.

Normally, this palace was only used to receive the rare foreign dignitary; it was beautifully repaired and maintained, kept in such pristine condition that it felt as if it were being preserved under glass.

Notice had been sent out regarding dinner and overnight accommodations for those traveling from afar or those who would be late returning, but perhaps because the local nobility understood and respected the Margrave's consideration for the "Grand Duchy of Azenda," not a single noble from within the territory requested to stay. Most could make it home within a few hours if they hurried their carriages, though some likely sought lodging elsewhere or stayed at a friend’s house as a precaution.

The guests staying the night were those from the Ascald Kingdom. However, since Colette’s estate was in the neighboring territory, she also prepared to head home. Iris, being close friends with Colette and wanting a chance to catch up properly, had arranged to stay at the Colette estate as well.

「Thank you both so much for coming. Please, do visit again.」

「You must come to our territory as well, Lady Magnolia. We would welcome you with open arms,」 Colette replied with a smile. Having warmed up to the girl, her earlier scrutinizing air had completely vanished as she took her leave. Iris also waved with a bright grin.

「...Lady Colette.」

Magnolia called out to her and handed over a damp towel she had taken from a maid. Curious, Colette leaned down, only for Magnolia to whisper secretly into her ear.

「Are you not in pain? I'm sorry for keeping you so long. Please, go home to them quickly.」

Colette’s blue eyes widened in shock. She looked at Magnolia, who placed a tiny finger over her own small lips.

Colette cast a subtle glance toward Servas and Claude, but they only looked back with puzzled expressions.

(…When on earth did she realize?)

Colette let out a sigh, feeling a deep pang of regret that she hadn't listened more closely to her brother-in-law's stories. She gave one final greeting and headed for the carriage.

「What did Lady Magnolia say?」 Iris asked, tilting her head curiously as she looked at the damp towel Colette had been given.

「...My chest. It seems she noticed that my milk ducts are swollen and feverish.」

「What!?」

Surprised, Iris stared at Colette’s chest. It was rare for a noblewoman, but Colette was raising her children on her own breast milk. She had been blessed with her third child about six months ago.

Iris, being more agile, hopped into the carriage after helping the noble Colette inside.

「...I haven't given them any milk all day today...」

「I had no idea... I mean, does a six-year-old girl normally notice things like that?」

「Normally? Not a chance.」

The two shared a wry laugh, their voices a mixture of exasperation and genuine admiration.

***

「So, Countess Daphne, you are leaving as well...」

「Yes. I have a cousin who married into a family about two hours from here. Since I’ve come all this way, I thought I would stop by for a long-overdue visit.」

「I see. I pray you have a joyful reunion. Thank you truly for coming today... Please be careful on the road.」

Magnolia smiled, trying to shake off the loneliness of the departure. Daphne nodded with a smile of her own.

「Thank you. I look forward to supporting your future endeavors with great interest.」

Magnolia watched Countess Daphne’s carriage—the last of the departing guests—until it was out of sight. Meanwhile, her mind was already turning toward a certain problem.

There was one group of invited guests remaining.

...Apparently, Wisteria had wanted to leave, but that simply wouldn't be acceptable. Originally, given their volatile relationship, they hadn't planned on staying the night... but because it was expected that their discussions would run long, the stay had been arranged at the last minute.

Setting aside the furious Servas and Claude, there were several things bothering Magnolia.

The biggest one was her father, Gerald.

When Magnolia first woke up in this world and found herself thrown into an impossible situation without her knowledge, she was, honestly, half-mad with rage.

...Logic aside, she felt keenly that her emotions were those of a child, just like her body.

Now that two years had passed since she left that house—and having lived apart from them—she realized that her perspective and thoughts at the time had been heavily swayed by her own resentment. She had been dragged down by her anger, unable to look at things calmly; she had been far too emotional.

...Thinking about it coolly now, the image of Gerald as described by others and his handling of Magnolia's situation were far too inconsistently different.

It was unnatural for a man who had built up the family since his youth to simply let go of the position of Prime Minister.

The same went for the distance he kept from the Royal Family. A man like him should have known how to navigate those waters smoothly. It would likely have been easier for him to play along rather than to resist so strangely.

There had to be something—something he either couldn't do, or something he absolutely didn't want to do.

"The Gilmore among Gilmores..."
The boy who was called that.

He was a man who placed great importance on "protection." Protecting someone else over himself.
—Yes, like a knight among knights.

A man called deeply compassionate by his school friends, a man adored by a much younger brother-in-law. A boy who risked danger to go save his father on the battlefield.

—Was it because he wanted praise? Did he want military merit? Did he want his father’s recognition?

Of course, those weren't zero. But they weren't the main reason... she thought. It was something purer.

Risking one's life is terrifying. It should be even more terrifying for the young. Death is something far off, something that comes "someday." It’s not supposed to descend upon you right this second. Even with talk of knighthood and honor, it's not something one can easily swallow and accept.

Would a man capable of overcoming those fears to fulfill his duty neglect his own child in the *true* sense of the word?

Perhaps noble parent-child relationships felt thinner to Magnolia—to a modern Japanese person—than they actually were. It was a common trope in trivia books. When people are busy, their attitudes can become perfunctory.

But would he intentionally try to inflict a flaw upon his own child?

(Is this just wishful thinking because I can't accept reality?)

...It just didn't sit right.

Observing the two of them during today’s debutante party, it was a fact that she felt Gerald's effort to raise Brian properly. She didn't know what their private family time was like, but she suspected that even in his busyness, he had done his fair share of teaching and guiding.

She had even asked a hesitant Countess Daphne about it. Daphne mentioned that perhaps Brian had taken things to heart, as he had been working very hard lately, showing significant improvement in both his studies and his temperament.

The boy who admired knights like his grandfather and uncle had reached twelve years of age; he no longer took his frustrations out on the maids, and he was becoming a boy full of chivalrous spirit. That was why his actions today were so unbelievable.

Such a change must be due to the support and education of those around him as much as his own effort.

Why would such a father come up with a plan for Magnolia that was so obviously destined for failure? It would have been many times easier to debut her while she was still very small. If he wanted to send her to a convent, he could have done it before she was old enough to remember anything.

Why leave her be? Why not love her? Why not guide her?

Was it because she didn't show enough talent for Gerald? Was he a sociopath? Was he actually just stupid?
...It felt like nothing but a series of contradictions.

(Was there something... a reason why people act so unnaturally?)

She had been thinking about it this entire time. There had to be an extraordinary reason for such irrational behavior. This was a world where Magnolia could be reincarnated or transported. Anything was possible.

「Anything... is possible?」
(...Magnolia... my reincarnation.)

In that moment.

As if something had snapped inside her mind, a ridiculous hypothesis began to swirl through Magnolia’s head at high speed.
The reason for acting differently than one should—avoidance?

The feeling she had when she realized this was an otherworldly realm: "It’s like a light novel."
These events were supposed to be fictional, things that could never actually happen.
—When those things happen within a story, what was the world like for the one reincarnated?

What if this was a "light novel world," or a "game world" with a *very common setting*?

A daughter of a prestigious Marquis.
A difficult home environment (or the alternative: overindulgence), a brother she's on bad terms with who is a (future) aide to the Prince.
A Prince of the same age. Betrothal issues, rival ladies... a candidate for Crown Princess.

「A template...? A Villainess?」

(Is the old man a reincarnator too? A regressor? A time-leaper?)

—No, that’s not it. If he were, he would handle things much better.

The boy who always put his family first, sacrificing his own desires, had become a parent.
He was keeping his distance from the Royal Family. He refused and threw away promotion and status.
And for some reason, he was making foolish choices... because he had a reason he was *forced* to?

The middle name she was supposed to have. The debutante party. Clothes befitting a lady. Education. Affection.
The things missing... it's not that he's *refusing* to give them, but that he *cannot* give them.

If he cannot give them, is it because of some grave circumstance?
Or is it because by doing so, he is trying to avoid something?
She didn't know...

「What could a 'grave circumstance' be...?」

「What’s wrong, Magnolia?」

Claude, unable to watch his niece's strange behavior any longer, spoke up. He thought the commotion during the day might have shocked her, but on the other hand, she was a girl who usually seemed unfazed by such things.

Magnolia asked with a sudden, desperate intensity.

「Grandfather! Father... what was the thing my father used to treasure most?」

「...The lives of others and his family.」 Servas said with a grim expression.

"Lives" and "Family."

Magnolia felt a chill unlike any she had ever experienced. Something terrifyingly cold crawled up her spine, and she felt as if her heart were being crushed in a vise.

*****

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