“Well then, open wide.”

A dessert spoon appeared before her eyes.

“Ahhh—”

Tie opened her mouth wide.

Ardiana placed the spoon into her mouth and smiled warmly.

“Our little one eats so well.”

Tie felt the cream melting inside her mouth, and her cheeks flushed pink.

‘So sweet.’

Both the cake.

And what she was feeling right now.

“You’ll choke, daughter. Drink some water.”

Right on cue, Tesetan returned from the kitchen carrying a glass of water.

Tie took the glass with both hands and drank from it in small gulps.

As though she had been waiting for exactly that moment, Ardiana offered her another spoonful.

And then—

“I have repeatedly expressed concern that the honey content in this cake exceeds the acceptable limit for children...”

In the corner, Marbas stared into the distance and muttered under his breath.

With square eyes full of indignation, he stubbornly continued while looking at Ardiana.

“Excessive amounts of honey are not only harmful to children’s dental health, but also—”

“There, there, that’s enough~”

At that moment, Lady Marshal appeared holding something in her hands.

“There isn’t a single drop of honey in the cake the Squad Leader is eating, you know?”

She shook a bottle filled with syrup.

“They were selling sugarcane at the market, so I made three bottles of syrup at once. I hadn’t had a chance to use it until now, but it finally came in handy. They say it’s healthier than honey.”

Marbas fell silent.

Lady Marshal grabbed him by the wrist.

“So our little gentleman is coming with me to the kitchen. And he’ll stop interrupting people while they enjoy their happy snack time.”

Marbas frowned.

“L, little gentleman? Excuse me. I am Mistress’s—”

“I know, I know. Anyone could tell just from how much you talk. You’re that little piece of wood that used to lie around on the floor all the time, right?”

“A, a piece of wood?!”

“Well, now the pieces of wood are talking too. The world really has become a better place. But that still doesn’t give you permission to interrupt the Squad Leader’s happy snack time.”

Lady Marshal winked at Ardiana.

A smile appeared on Ardiana’s lips.

“...Lady Marshal really hasn’t changed at all.”

This was Agavert’s base now, but originally the building had belonged to Ardiana.

She had received it from the Empress, and Lady Marshal had once worked at the Empress’s palace.

‘Because of her background, she couldn’t become a court maid, but Mother trusted her more than anyone.’

When the Empress died, she left this mansion to Ardiana.

And asked Lady Marshal to look after it.

But several years ago—

Ardiana had decided to hand the mansion over to Adeline.

At the time, she had already half given up on life, and even the last thing left behind by her mother no longer meant anything to her.

Especially since, if Ardiana were eliminated, Rosevebel No. 89 would have fallen into the Emperor’s or Fides’s hands anyway.

“Mama, Tie finished everything.”

Tie spoke just then.

With a faint smile, Ardiana looked at Tie, who had already opened her mouth wide again, obviously asking for more.

‘And yet this house found its true owner on its own and ended up in my daughter’s hands.’

Even though nobody had planned for that to happen.

“A miracle...”

“A miracle?”

Tie repeated Ardiana’s words.

Ardiana brushed the hair away from her face.

“Yes. A miracle.”

She set the spoon down.

Then she wrapped her arms tightly around Tie, who sat in her lap.

“To me, you are a miracle, little one.”

Tie’s eyes widened.

Near her ear, she could softly hear her mother’s heartbeat.

‘A miracle...’

Tie knew what a miracle was.

When something you desperately wished for and longed for with all your heart became real.

When something that existed only in your imagination suddenly happened right before your eyes.

‘To Mama... Tie is a miracle.’

Tie pressed her lips together tightly as happiness overflowed inside her.

It felt as though tears might spill from her eyes at any moment.

But at the same time, a shapeless fear suddenly washed over her.

‘What if Mama and Papa get hurt while fighting the bad Luciano...’

Or what if the World Tree ended up devouring Tie after all?

When you gained many precious things, you also gained many things you had to protect.

“Tie.”

At that moment, Ardiana noticed the child’s darkened expression and called out to her.

Looking at Tie with affection, she asked,

“Do you know what happens if the weather stays sunny all the time?”

Tie parted her lips slightly and shook her head.

But one thought still lingered in her mind.

‘Isn’t sunny weather a good thing?’

Tie did not like rain.

The loneliest and saddest days had always been rainy ones.

But Ardiana’s words were completely unexpected.

“If the weather is always sunny, that place becomes a desert.”

Without taking her eyes off Tie, she continued calmly,

“Little by little, everything dries ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) up. And eventually it becomes barren land where nothing can survive anymore. So.”

Ardiana squeezed Tie’s hand tightly.

“Let’s believe that the rain falling now will help our roots grow deeper and stronger.”

“...”

“When this rain ends, we’ll become stronger and sturdier.”

Ardiana smiled.

“And then I promise you—Mama will stay by your side.”

A quiet silence settled between them.

After a while, Tie gave a tiny nod.

“Mhm!”

And without needing to say anything, the two of them hugged each other tightly.

After that, they sat together for a long time, watching the moon shining outside the window.

Several days later.

“Fresh edition! Fresh edition! Buy your newspapers!”

A newsboy skillfully weaved through the noisy street.

“Her Highness the Princess has withdrawn from the campaign! Decision made to remain in the Imperial Palace!”

Hearing that, someone stopped a carriage by the roadside.

“Give me one.”

The boy wet his finger with saliva out of habit and pulled the top newspaper from the stack.

“Twenty irons.”

The man buying the newspaper casually took out a single gold coin from his pocket.

“Oh...!”

Startled, the boy’s gaze darted between the coin and the man.

“Thank you very much!”

The boy ran off shouting “Yahoo!” while the man inside the carriage opened the newspaper to the front page.

“The princess’s name has disappeared from the campaign roster. The Imperial Palace remains silent... Hah.”

“I told you. She really is a princess. Even if it’s only a formal title, who would dare pretend to be an imperial princess?”

Another face emerged from the shadows beside the man.

Silver hair styled like a noblewoman of the capital.

Sharp, beautiful eyes reminiscent of a cat.

It was Elanes, leader of the , now ranked fourth among the mercenary groups.

“Damn it, I still didn’t fully believe it on the way here, but it’s true?”

And the man beside her who had bought the newspaper was Ripper.

Leader of the third ranked mercenary group, .

“I, if she’s really a princess... I’m getting nervous...”

Sitting across from them was a thin man—Plum, leader of the sixth ranked group, .

Biting his nails, Plum placed the letter he had been holding onto the seat.

Ripper looked at him.

“Looks like we should read it again before arriving. Hand me your lett—”

But before he could reach for it, Plum nervously recited the contents from memory.

“The borders where you fought were the Empire’s frontiers. Yet you were abandoned at the edges, and some of your names were never even recorded.”

Ripper fell silent.

“I know of this injustice. That is why I call upon you as the ones who will create a new order.”

Elanes sighed and recited the final line in Plum’s place.

“If you wish to receive a worthy price for the blood you spilled—come alone... And every one of us received letters like this separately.”

Silence filled the carriage.

At that exact moment, the coachman shouted from outside.

“So, are we continuing on or not?!”

Ripper let out a heavy sigh and waved toward the window.

“...We’re going! For now, we just keep going!”

And some time later.

When they arrived at an abandoned warehouse near the northern station—

Elanes, Ripper, and Plum froze in place.

“Oh? Brother Ripper!”

“...What? Jackie?”

“Elanes! It’s been years!”

The warehouse was already overflowing with mercenary leaders.

From old groups that were no longer among the elite—

to those who had spent recent years operating solely on other continents.

“W, wait, what exactly is happen—”

Ripper looked around in confusion when—

Ding—

A clear bell chime rang out from somewhere.

Turning toward the sound, they saw someone standing atop a half collapsed platform, looking down at them.

The mercenary leaders erupted into noise.

The woman in the black dress silently observing them—

“Your Highness the Princess...?”

Without question, it was Ardiana.