A Mother Who Is Easy to Read and a Father Who Is Hard to Read

I was eyed suspiciously by the guards standing on either side of the gate as I stepped down in front of the mansion.

They were unfamiliar faces who had not been there three years ago. They probably did not recognize me. It had also been a problem that I had used the cheapest carriage available to save money.

The Graham family was a count's house with close ties to the royal family. Our visitors were all influential people, and we did not even grant audiences to anyone below a certain rank.

Besides, I was currently wearing commoners' clothes so as not to attract attention. I was dressed in no way like a count's daughter. It was only natural that they would have no idea who I was.

Even if I introduced myself, they probably would not believe me, and there was no need to deliberately cause trouble. I would get through this with a little social tact.

Excuse me. I believe this is Graham-sama's residence, but is there someone named Kairo-san here?

At my polite inquiry, the guard nodded at the name Kairo.

Oh, what, are you an acquaintance of old lady Kairo?

Yes, we are quite close.

Nanny Kairo had served as a caretaker here for many years. To me, she was someone I felt closer to than my own mother.

I came to visit after three years. I'm sorry to trouble you, but could you give her a message?

Sure. What's your name?

If you tell her my name is Rome, she'll understand. I'm sorry, and thank you.

The guard's expression suggested that he had realized something when he heard my name. But then he laughed softly, as though that could not possibly be true, and went inside to announce my arrival.

After the guard had been inside for some time, a cry like a shriek came from the mansion, and an elderly woman burst out through the front door.

Lady Romeeeee!

Nanny Kairo had grown considerably older over the past three years, and her hair had gone much whiter. Despite her age, she came running toward me.

I caught her in my arms as she nearly collapsed.

My lady, is it truly you?

Yes, Nanny. I made you worry. I'm home.

Oh, thank goodness. I'm so glad you have come home. Kairo is overjoyed to see your face, my lady!

Nanny Kairo burst into tears, sobbing as they streamed down her deeply wrinkled face.

The two guards looked on in astonishment as we cried and embraced, so while I waited for Nanny to calm down, I let them in on the truth.

Ah, my name is Romelia von Graham. I am the daughter of the master of this house. I have returned after three years.

The two guards realized that the person they had been eyeing suspiciously was their employer's daughter, and they straightened their backs and went pale.

Oh, it's all right. Don't worry about it. Just keep doing your work as before. Come now, Nanny, you're about ready to stop crying, aren't you?

Yes, but—but I am so happy to see you.

Nanny kept repeating that, but I realized how much worry I had caused her and felt remorse.

Once Nanny had finally stopped crying, we went inside the mansion together.

Inside, I saw the butler and maids. Many of the faces were unfamiliar.

There are quite a few unfamiliar faces now that I've been away from home for a while.

I hesitate to say it, but the Graham family was an old and prestigious house. As a result, few workplaces offered better conditions than ours, so butlers and maids generally stayed for many years. Even though I had been away for three years, I was a little surprised that so many had been replaced.

Well, about that, my lady... A lot has happened.

Nanny looked reluctant to say more, but that could wait. First, I should meet Father and Mother.

Nanny, we'll discuss that at length later. Father and Mother are here, aren't they? Are my brothers still overseas?

I had two much older half-brothers. Three years ago, both had been studying abroad, and they were not supposed to return for some time yet.

Yes, they still have not returned from overseas. The master and mistress are in the sitting room.

I see. Then I'll speak with them first.

I headed toward the sitting room where my parents were.

When I entered the sitting room, I heard a woman crying. A tall, older man and a plump woman stood there. They were my father and mother.

Father, Mother. I'm home.

My father had more wrinkles and white hair than he had three years ago. He also looked a little thinner.

Mother, on the other hand, had put on weight. Her handkerchief was soaked with tears, and the moment she saw me, she began sobbing and wailing even more loudly.

Oh, how could this happen? To have your engagement to the prince broken off—how miserable for you!

Calm yourself.

Father tried to soothe her, but Mother did not stop crying; she simply continued lamenting and sobbing.

It's terrible. It's simply outrageous. How could they treat our family this way after all our years of loyalty to the royal family?

As I listened to her crying, my irritation steadily grew.

Come to think of it, Mother had always been like this. She cried constantly, but she never shed tears for anyone else. Her tears were solely for the sake of feeling sorry for herself. The proof was that she had not said a single word to comfort me.

Go rest in your room. I'll handle everything.

Father comforted Mother and told her to return to her room, then had a maid escort her away.

Whenever Mother started crying, keeping her company was exhausting. The best thing was to let her cry as much as she wanted in her room.

Yes, please. There's nothing more I can do.

Mother left without speaking to me once, still crying. Even after she reached the corridor, she continued wailing; her voice carried all the way to the room.

As her cries faded into the distance, two sighs escaped at once. The two people who had sighed looked at each other.

For a moment, I waited for Father to say something, but he did not speak, so I decided to broach the subject again.

Father, I'm home again. I'm sorry for leaving without permission.

Looking back now, I can admit that I had been out of my mind when I ran away from home three years ago. I had thought of nothing but the prince setting out on his journey, with no thought for my family or Nanny Kairo left behind.

Honestly, I thought I deserved to be slapped. Even if no slap came, I was prepared for scolding and abuse to be hurled at me.

Yet none of that happened.

Father stared at me without moving a muscle. His small eyes were opened only slightly, and I could not tell what he was thinking.

Um... Also, I wrote this in my letter, and you have probably already heard, but various things happened between the prince and me during our journey, and he broke off our engagement.

Honestly, this was a serious blow to the family.

The Graham family had close ties to the royal family and was counted among the senior retainers supporting the crown. My marriage to the prince had been intended to demonstrate that bond both at home and abroad.

Having my engagement broken off was effectively equivalent to losing our power at court. We would probably be unable to remain in the royal capital and would have to return to our domain.

It was the sort of thing for which I could hardly have complained even if I had been disowned, but Father said nothing about this, either.

After a long silence, Father finally spoke and asked me a question.

Were you hurt?

Huh? No, I'm fine. I'm not hurt.

During the journey, I had suffered serious injuries several times. I had fallen from a cliff and broken my leg, and I had dislocated my arm in a riding accident. When an arrow fired by the demonfolk pierced my shoulder, I had truly thought I was going to die.

Thankfully, Elizabeth had already joined us by then and healed me. However, she had not treated minor scrapes and cuts, so several scars remained on my body. The harsh journey had also damaged my skin and left my hair badly worn.

Compared with how I had looked three years ago as a sheltered young lady, I was probably quite grubby. Still, I was not particularly attached to my appearance, so I had no regrets.

I see. You must be tired. Go rest for today.

I was somewhat at a loss over an attitude I did not know how to interpret, but I had no choice and took my leave. Outside, Nanny was waiting restlessly.

Oh, my lady. How did it go?

He only told me to rest. That's all.

That really was all. Mother was easy to understand, but Father was difficult to read.

Please don't be angry with the master. After you left, people said it was an elopement, and that you had seduced the prince.

Oh, I see.

Elopement is the stuff of romance novels. But that is true only for the two people who elope; those left behind see nothing but hell.

Parents are the ones who decide their children's marriages, and children are expected to obey them. If a child elopes against their parents' wishes, the parents and the entire family are seen as people who could not even raise their child properly, and others point fingers at them.

The family could not very well speak ill of the royal family, so the story became that I had seduced the prince.

That was probably why so many of the servants had quit at that time, which explained the turnover.

But surely you found out why the prince had set out on his journey along the way, didn't you?

To be honest, the prince's journey had been far from smooth. It had taken many twists and turns, and we had been forced to take a considerable detour.

The royal family had sent pursuers to bring the prince back, and we had run into trouble while passing through the territory of a hostile nation. As a result, we had moved from place to place, and rumors about the prince had spread everywhere. They must have known that he was on a journey to defeat the Demon King.

At the very least, once Saint Elizabeth joined us, the theory that the prince and I had eloped should have been disproven.

Yes, that rumor disappeared after a while, but then there was this broken engagement...

Because that bad impression remained, people decided I was a loose woman.

I must have been the subject of all sorts of gossip in high society. But if that was the case, it was even stranger that Father had said nothing to me.

What in the world was Father thinking?

I did not know, but I soon stopped thinking about it. There were other things I needed to do.