Chapter 11
A suffocating silence filled the funeral hall.
No one dared to speak.
For a long time, the air remained still—until the one who finally broke it was Trisha’s mother, Rens.
“…What did you just say?”
The hand clutching her handkerchief turned ghostly pale.
Rens looked as though she might collapse at any moment, as if she couldn’t believe what she’d just heard.
Crown Prince Ales, seeing everyone’s disbelief, spoke again as if to confirm his words.
“I said I found her. Your daughter.”
“H-how, I mean—where is Trisha right now?”
In an instant, Rens ran up to the Crown Prince and grabbed both his arms.
To lay hands on a royal—normally, someone would have stopped her.
But no one dared to.
How could they?
She had just been told that her daughter—missing for three years—had been found.
And she heard it during her own daughter’s funeral.
Who could possibly fathom a parent’s heart at such a moment?
Rens couldn’t even think to wipe away her tears anymore.
Lato quietly approached his wife and wrapped an arm around her trembling shoulders. His face showed the effort it took to stay composed.
“…Let’s talk inside.”
“Yes, let’s do that.”
Ales remained calm and collected until the end, while Trisha’s parents followed him into the inner chamber under the priest’s guidance.
Left behind in the funeral hall were Asha, Ranife, the other mourners—and Trisha herself.
The hall was eerily still, as if a storm had just swept through.
The mourners looked at one another awkwardly.
The one whose soul they had just prayed for—was alive, it seemed.
It was an odd, impossible situation.
It felt strange to keep praying for her rest, but to leave without saying anything felt just as wrong.
They wished someone would step up and clear the confusion.
“…We should probably start wrapping things up.”
Fortunately, Ranife—who had been staring blankly at the door where the marquis couple and the prince had disappeared—quickly read the room and took control of the situation with practiced grace.
Asha helped her.
The mourners followed their lead.
Even the priests began cleaning up, so there was no reason for anyone else to linger.
As they filed out, however, their gazes kept drifting toward the adopted daughter who remained standing there alone.
The girl who stood frozen where she was—unable to go inside, yet unable to leave.
“What’s going to happen to her now?”
Some looked at her with pity.
Others smirked, thinking it only natural that the place she had usurped was being reclaimed by its rightful owner.
Trisha stood in silence, absorbing every gaze.
“They said they found Trisha Binz…?”
But I’m here.
Then who is the “me” they say they’ve found?
Her thoughts tangled and spun. She was deeply confused.
And then—someone placed a black veil over her head.
“Pull yourself together.”
Her unfocused eyes regained their light.
Standing before her was Reshi.
“You—how did you…?”
No one was supposed to be able to enter.
The hall was under strict restriction.
The sight of him—someone who couldn’t possibly be here—made everything feel even more unreal.
Her mind began to clear, just a little.
“Tired, aren’t you?”
Time felt strange, as if it was slowing down.
“Get some rest, Grand Magus.”
Trisha dreamed.
In her dream, she saw a man.
A man with long, jet-black hair sat alone upon a throne, his face etched with boredom.
He looked like someone who had grown utterly weary of everything in the world.
For some reason, even though it was a dream, the sight of him didn’t feel unfamiliar.
When she took a step toward him—
“Ishas.”
Her parents’ voices called to her, as though signaling it was time to wake up.
Trisha’s eyes fluttered open.
How… how did I get home?
The last thing she remembered was being left alone in the funeral hall, then Reshi appeared.
She’d been thinking about how he got in when—
Her half-lidded eyes caught the window.
It was already dark outside.
Her foster parents must have returned home only after sunset.
Now, both of them were standing beside her, their faces heavy with complicated emotion.
“I’m so sorry we left you like that.”
Rens’s voice trembled as she pulled Trisha into a tight embrace.
“We shouldn’t have left you there. We were just so shocked—there was no time to think. I’m truly sorry.”
“It’s all right.”
“Sir Forest said he escorted you back. We must thank him properly soon.”
Asha escorted me?
Then… what about Reshi?
Her thoughts drifted hazily, her eyes blinking blankly as questions came and went.
Only after several seconds passed did she finally regain focus.
This wasn’t the time to stay dazed.
She gently pushed Rens away—carefully, so as not to seem cold.
There was something she had to ask.
“…So, what happened?”
“…Hm?”
The subject was unspoken, yet everyone in the room understood.
Rens glanced toward her husband.
Should I tell her?
Lato read the worry and compassion in his wife’s eyes immediately.
After a brief hesitation, he gave a small nod.
Even then, Rens couldn’t bring herself to speak right away.
Trisha waited patiently.
“You probably heard earlier, but… they found our daughter.”
Trisha’s eyes trembled violently.
Seeing that, Rens’s heart ached even more.
“His Highness the Crown Prince has been taking good care of her.”
“Why… why didn’t they tell you until now?”
Her voice was trembling—and she knew it.
Seeing Rens struggle, Lato stepped in.
“I suppose His Highness worried we’d be overwhelmed with grief. Honestly, I think it would’ve been better if he’d told us right away.”
“…Yes, she still hasn’t regained her senses. But she’s alive. I saw her myself. She looked… as though she were simply asleep.”
Rens’s voice wavered; her eyes were red.
She quickly bowed her head so the girl wouldn’t see.
When she finally spoke again, she held Trisha’s shoulders tightly.
“Nothing changes, Ishas. You bear the Binz name now. You are our daughter—truly and rightfully. So hold your head high.”
Rens spoke gently but firmly, as if to preempt any fear of being cast aside.
Yet somewhere deep down, a different worry stirred.
What if this child is actually Trisha’s daughter?
When the real Trisha wakes, will she recognize her?
If she decides not to claim the girl, what then?
And if she does want to, will they have to annul the adoption and re-register her as Trisha’s child?
The world’s judgment didn’t matter.
Their only concern was how much pain all this might bring to the girl.
But those were questions for later. For now, the couple focused on comforting her.
“His Highness said she’ll likely wake soon. He’s been healing her in secret to keep her safe—since an unconscious Grand Magus would be too vulnerable to threats.”
Rens softly brushed Trisha’s hair back.
The girl still looked lost.
Of course she did.
I’m right here. I’m Trisha Binz.
And yet… there was another me?
Judging by her parents’ reactions, there really was someone who looked exactly like her.
As impossible as that sounded.
After a long silence, Trisha pressed her lips together tightly.
If there’s something I don’t know—then I’ll find out.
She lifted her head sharply.
The confidence in her expression startled her parents, who had expected her to crumble.
“I want to see her too.”
