Chapter 126

“Yes, Princess.”

“...Squeak?”

A moment later, maids arrived pushing a trolley loaded with every kind of cheese imaginable.

Squeaky inhaled the scent as though drifting through a dream, then immediately went into full eating mode.

“Good job. Eat everything there today, okay?”

“Squeeeak!”

They really do eat deliciously. Makes you want to keep feeding them!

It might be fun to have a nut party with Squeaky next time, too.

Anyway, now that Squeaky had been rewarded, it was time to read the message that had been my original objective.

Hmm...

As expected, there was the usual single message from Knox.

And there was Kyle’s.

I did not need Knox’s.

What I wanted to know was whether Kyle might have forgotten about me.

But that worry melted away like snow the moment I saw the first line written in his handwriting.

[I miss you.]

His very first sentence was that he missed me.

Of course Kyle had not forgotten me.

And the message was incredibly long.

“...Father has been reading letters Kyle put this much effort into all by himself this whole time?”

I had felt a little guilty about making him receive that mountain of marriage proposals.

That guilt vanished completely.

I muttered irritably and kept reading.

[I know you’re busy and can’t reply, but I’m still going to keep sending messages. Because I miss you.

Could you send me a portrait? I’ve grown a lot, and I’m curious how much you’ve grown too, Aisha.]

Knox had said Kyle had grown enough that trousers too long for Knox fit him perfectly.

I was just about to smile fondly at the thought of how well Kyle must have grown when the next lines made me furrow my brow.

[By the way, I have some bad news. I can control my magical energy now, so I was getting ready to return, but some strange monsters were spotted in the snowfield not long ago.

There’s a lot more to report besides that, so I’ll be returning to the ducal castle soon.

Of course, I’ll only stay for a few days before going back to the snowfield.]

“......?”

Unable to believe it, I reread the last sentence.

For a moment, I had been thrilled by the words that he would be coming back to the ducal castle soon.

But Kyle would be returning to the snowfield almost immediately.

It felt as though my thoughts stopped working for a moment.

When I thought about it, it really had been an unrealistic assumption.

Whether it took five years or ten, I had firmly believed that someday Kyle would come home.

That was exactly why his message hit me so hard.

He was only going to stay for a few days, then go back to the snowfield?

Why?

Because of those strange monsters they had discovered?

Knox’s message would probably explain the details.

I immediately picked up the other sheet of paper.

[We have located the exact settlement of the civilized monsters. I will return to the ducal castle first and provide a detailed report.

You also informed me that the completion ceremony for the monster training center will be held soon, so we should arrive before then.]

As expected, Knox’s message was also about those monsters.

It sounds like they’ll at least be here before the monster training center’s completion ceremony... but this doesn’t seem like something that can be resolved quickly.

And Kyle was probably the only person who could make things even slightly easier by helping monsters and humans communicate.

Which meant there was only one conclusion.

Kyle’s home would not be the ducal castle.

It would be the snowfield.

He was a demon in the first place. Living in the snowfield, where he could freely use his abilities, would probably suit him better than living in the human world.

And if Kyle himself agreed with that...

Is that a good thing?

I asked myself.

And answered almost immediately.

...It is.

Because Kyle would be able to live freely without hiding what he was.

People’s attitudes were slowly changing, but monsters were still regarded with suspicion among humans.

In a way, it was no different from treating an injured animal and then returning it to the place where it belonged.

I should be happy to see him going back where he could live properly.

...Then why do I feel so miserable?

It felt as though there were a hole somewhere inside me, with cold wind whistling straight through it.

For the past ten years, at least I had been able to hold on to anticipation.

But now I had to accept that Kyle and I could never spend our days together the way we had as children.

“...Squeak?”

“I’m fine, Squeaky. Finish your cheese.”

I forced a smile at Squeaky, who tilted their head at me, then headed toward Father’s office.

“I clearly said I wouldn’t accept marriage proposals, and yet they dare pursue my daughter...”

“Father?”

“Aisha?”

I knocked quietly and opened the door.

Calypse, who had been grumbling with a murderous glare, turned when he noticed me.

Marriage proposals were stacked around him like towers.

Father had been checking them one by one and throwing them into the fireplace.

“Don’t look. It’ll hurt your eyes.”

He sighed and tossed the proposal in his hand into the flames.

“Look at what?”

“Marriage...”

When I innocently pretended not to know, he squeezed his eyes shut as if even saying the word disgusted him.

“You still look like a newborn baby to me. Why are they proposing marriage to a little thing like you... Never mind. You don’t need to know. Father will take care of all of it.”

“The marriage proposals?”

His eyes widened in surprise.

“How did you know?”

“You said ‘marriage’ twice.”

And...

Obviously I know. I’m the one who made them send all those proposals.

I glanced at the fireplace, which had practically turned into a bonfire from all the paper.

This would not do.

Judging from Father’s current state, he looked ready to wipe out every family that had sent a proposal.

I had to tell him the truth before that happened.

“Father.”

“What?”

I scampered over and pressed myself against his side.

He tilted his head with a sullen expression, but the corners of his mouth still lifted.

He might get angry when he found out I had secretly stolen Kyle’s message.

Of course, this whole thing had happened because he had hidden it from me in the first place.

Still, he had done it because he was worried about me.

“Those marriage proposals... I’m actually the reason they came.”

“What?”

“I thought you were hiding Kyle’s letters, so I deliberately used all those proposals to distract everyone and stole his letter.”

At my sudden confession, he fell silent for a moment.

His expression looked both dumbfounded and impressed.

“You’ve got skill.”

“Thank you.”

“...Hmm. If you read the letter, then you know. About...”

Calypse made a low sound as though considering what to say, then placed a hand on my shoulder.

He did not look angry.

Nor did he look particularly apologetic for hiding the letters.

Mostly, he just looked awkward.

Judging by the way Kyle had written his letter, Calypse must have known for some time that Kyle and Knox intended to remain in the snowfield.

Now that I had read this letter, I knew Kyle planned to continue living there too.

Father seemed to be wondering how he was supposed to comfort me.

But I was Father’s rapidly growing golden sprout.

“Kyle said he’s going back to the snowfield to research monsters, right? I think that’s the right choice too.”

Naturally, I had no intention of throwing a tantrum over that.

“Kyle seems freer in the snowfield than he would be living in the human world. I want him to do something he’s good at too.”

That was what I said, but without thinking, I nudged the floor with the toe of my flat shoe.

Calypse did not notice.

He simply stopped moving and stared at me.

His red eyes widened as though he were genuinely shocked.

“...This is the first time I’ve ever felt grateful that you matured early.”

“I’m the best, right?”

“Don’t you miss Kyle?”

His voice was worried.

It seemed he was checking whether I was forcing myself to swallow my feelings.

I shook my head vigorously.

“I do miss him, but not enough to throw a tantrum over it. Kyle isn’t my only friend.”

“It’s not as though you’ll never see that brat again. You just won’t be able to spend every waking moment together like when you were children.”

“I know.”

Kyle and I could not go back to our childhood.

We had both grown up.

Kyle would become the leader of the monsters in the snowfield and protect humanity.

And I would...

What am I going to do?

My thoughts suddenly veered in another direction.

At some point, I had sat down beside Father, and while he burned the remaining marriage proposals, I sank into thought.

I might have gone through every kind of hardship imaginable when I was young, but ever since becoming the daughter of a ducal family, I had basically just been living comfortably.

Father opposed political marriage, so I had no plans to marry yet...

And frankly, even if I spent the rest of my life doing absolutely nothing, Father and my brothers would probably approve.

After all, I had already suffered more than enough.

...Maybe I really can just live as a rich woman with no job?

For a moment, the idea was extremely tempting.

But I still could not afford to let my guard down.

The matter with Avin and Ariana still hasn’t been resolved.

And neither had the matter of the eldest Young Lord.