CHAPTER 78…………………….
“Lady Linnegrim. Are you ready?”
“Yes. Sir Ivel, you’re coming along too? I’m sorry for taking up the time of such busy people.”
“Please don’t say that. I heard one of our knights acted like a fool last time and failed to escort you properly, so I volunteered to come myself!”
“That knightly fool is standing right here, you know.”
Rail ground his teeth, looking about ready to draw his sword. Watching him, Ivel smirked.
“What was that? I can’t hear what some hungover fool—who passed out before putting up a fight—has to say.”
“Guh…! I can’t even argue with that. How frustrating…!”
“You have nothing to worry about this trip, my lady! I, Ivel, will escort you properly!”
“I’ll be counting on you, Sir Ivel. And you too, Sir Rail….”
As Ivel closed the door and signaled the coachman, the carriage set off smoothly.
I leaned back against the seat, trying to calm my pounding, excited heart.
At last, I’ll be able to see Mother—healthy again—with my own eyes. I’ll be able to embrace her. I’ll be able to feel warmth that no letter could ever carry.
Humming a tune, I looked out the window at the scenery rushing past. I felt a little embarrassed at how giddy I was, but quickly shook my head.
“Of course I’m excited—it’s been so long since I’ve gone to see the family I love.”
Yes. Of course I should be excited.
So maybe I could allow myself to enjoy this feeling a little longer.
“…Family, huh? That makes me think….”
And it’s all because of that annoyingly perfect face.
It’s so ridiculously pretty that I can’t help but think of it!
I hadn’t seen Luce’s face since that day. He was probably off somewhere, doing whatever it is he does.
“…Wait, what does he even do most of the time?”
I tried to brush him from my mind, but the thought of that whimsical, unpredictable magician wouldn’t leave me.
“Should I introduce him to Mother someday?”
It wouldn’t be strange to at least have a friend greet my mother. And if he’s a friend as close as family, then shouldn’t he meet my family too?
Well, that was something for the future. Once I found a house in the capital to live with Mother, there’d be plenty of time.
I stared at my reflection in the carriage window, then shut my eyes to clear away the distracting thoughts.
After half a day’s ride, the carriage finally arrived at the Peahil estate.
“Is it just me, or does it look even cleaner than the last time I saw it…?”
The grand façade still felt unfamiliar.
There were even guards posted at the gate, but when they saw the imperial carriage and the uniforms of the holy knights, they opened the gates without delay.
The carriage slowed to a stop before the mansion. I couldn’t even wait for Ivel to help me down.
Throwing the door open, I leapt out and ran straight toward the house.
“Oh my! Lady Linnegrim, you’ve arrived!”
“Madam Luba! How have you been? Where’s my mother?”
“She’s in the garden. The weather’s been so lovely, she takes a walk there several times a day. Oh, my lady! Don’t run, you’ll fall!”
“Yes, ma’am!”
I waved over my shoulder and hurried toward the garden.
Colorful flowers were already in bloom. Spring had returned to Count Peahil’s estate. After so long in winter’s shadow, the desolate mansion was alive with spring once more!
“Linne?”
And in the heart of that spring stood the one person I had always longed to see.
“Mother….”
Just as I dreamed, she was standing tall on her own two feet, smiling at me.
“Linne, my darling girl!”
“Mother! Don’t run, you’ll trip!”
I echoed Madam Luba’s words, but Mother ran toward me effortlessly.
She threw her arms around me. Her embrace was no longer the frail touch of brittle branches.
Just as her letters had said—Mother had truly recovered her health.
“Linne, my dear… Life in the palace isn’t too hard, is it?”
“I’m fine. Everyone’s been so kind to me. Life in the palace is really, really wonderful.”
Even if I had brushed shoulders with death more than once.
“Oh, thank goodness, Linne… I’m so relieved.”
Tears welled up in her eyes, and mine too.
I must have been yearning to be a child again—to lean on her. Little Linnegrim, who had been forced to grow up too soon, had missed her mother’s arms.
“Sniff… I have so much I want to tell you, Mother.”
“And I want to hear every word, my sweet girl.”
“Don’t complain if you get tired of listening all night.”
“My darling, how could I ever tire of you?”
We wandered the garden, talking and laughing, until the sunset blazed and dusk settled in.
“That island is supposed to be so beautiful. Let’s go there together next time, Mother!”
“Yes. We’ll go together. I’ve never seen the sea either, so I look forward to it.”
After a late dinner, I lay beside her in bed, chattering endlessly. My throat ached, but Mother still listened with shining eyes, as if hungry to know all she had missed while she lay asleep.
“I’m glad you’re doing well, Linne. I always worried things might be dangerous for you.”
“Oh, come on! What danger? Nowhere in the Empire is safer than the imperial palace!”
No need to mention how many times danger had nearly killed me there.
“Ahem. And, Mother, I made a new friend recently. But it’s not just an ordinary friendship—we decided we’re more like family. I’d like to introduce you someday. Oh, actually, you’ve already seen him! Back when you were ill—”
A steady breathing answered me. I turned my head—Mother had fallen asleep.
“…Good night, Mother.”
I pulled the blanket up to her neck and watched her sleeping face for a long time. I had seen her like this countless times before, but tonight it felt different.
“So peaceful….”
I hadn’t known how wonderful it would feel to see her sleeping peacefully—not in sickness, but in health.
“If not for him, I’d never have imagined this moment….”
Gratitude for Luce welled up inside me. A rare sense of safety and comfort wrapped around me, and sleepiness weighed on my eyes.
I didn’t resist. I let them close.
“Oh, right. That promise with Heli….”
Fingering the dagger under my pillow, I remembered the promise I’d made with Helion.
“I was supposed to keep practicing every day, even at home….”
Oh well. I’ll just ask Ivel or Rail tomorrow.
For tonight, I just wanted to sleep.
I steadied my breathing, and my consciousness faded.
I don’t know how much time passed, but suddenly my eyes flew open.
It wasn’t thirst or a trip to the bathroom that woke me. Something felt wrong.
The room was bathed only in pale moonlight through the window. My hand instinctively reached under the pillow and found cold steel.
Relieved, I quietly slid the dagger free, careful not to make a sound.
Step. Footsteps sounded behind me. So it wasn’t my imagination.
Someone had broken into this room.
What about Ivel and Rail? What about the guards outside?
I couldn’t think about them now. Mother was sleeping here.
Protecting her came first.
Stay calm. Please, stay calm.
I gripped the dagger tight, praying the intruder wouldn’t notice the trembling in my hand.
I’d strike the moment they got close. They thought I was asleep—they’d be off guard.
I shifted under the covers, feigning a sleepy toss. The footsteps grew nearer, slow but sure.
My head went white. I’d practiced this endlessly with Helion, but in real life, nerves wiped my mind blank.
Charge in close. Plant your weight in your left foot. Stab with all your strength!
I can do it. I must do it.
If I fall, Mother will be next.
Step. The footsteps stopped.
I could feel their presence, right beside me. I bolted upright.
No time to adjust my grip. I drove the dagger forward with all my strength at the shadowy figure.
It was a strike meant to kill.
When I saw those familiar violet eyes go wide, I froze.
My eyes recognized him, but my body didn’t stop. My dagger hand moved like a broken machine with no brakes.
Stab…!
I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for the horror.
Thud! My dagger pierced something solid. My hand shook uncontrollably.
“S-sob… Wh-what have I done…?”
Even as I wept with eyes clenched shut, a sigh—half exasperated, half amused—reached me.
“Why are you the one shutting your eyes? I’m the one who got stabbed.”
The voice was far too calm for someone who’d just been run through. Slowly, I opened my eyes.
It really was him. The intruder was Luce.
But why? Why was he here, instead of in the imperial palace?
“Y-you… why… why are you here…?”
I was so shocked I could barely speak.
“No—more importantly, where are you hurt?! Are you okay?!”
I squinted, feeling around his side in panic. His clothes were dry—no blood?
“Come here.”
I pulled him toward the moonlit window. He let me, following obediently.
And in the light, I saw the truth.
My dagger was buried deep in his abdomen—yet Luce’s expression was perfectly calm.
“Wh-what do we do?! If I pull it out, you’ll bleed too much! Right, okay—when I pull it, you cast a healing spell right away, understand? I’m going to pull it out now—hold on, it’ll hurt, but—”
“Leave it.”
“Leave it?! How can I leave it?! There’s a knife in you! Doesn’t it hurt?!”
His maddeningly relaxed tone made me shout. Tears welled as anger and fear for his safety boiled inside me. But he only smiled.
He smiled? Was he crazy?!
“This is no time to smile! Let me rip your shirt open—we need to see the wound first—”
“It’s flattering that you want to strip me, but let’s save that for another time. In this state, I can’t enjoy it.”
“Enjoy?! What are you—do you like being hurt or something, you pervert?!”
“I’m a doll.”
“…What?”
“This body. It’s a doll. Right now, I’m not really here.”
I blinked, baffled. Was he saying he was as pretty as a doll? Well, he wasn’t wrong, but…
He pointed past me, toward the garden.
“This body’s just a puppet I carved from some scrap wood lying around in the garden.”
So what I stabbed wasn’t…
“…Not you. Just wood?”
He nodded.
Luce—the doll in his likeness—nodded.
Would you like me to continue translating future chapters for you in this smooth style, or would you prefer a more literal word-for-word translation for closer study?
