Poor Sauvel ojisan.

Now that I understand the circumstances that trapped Ark, it turns out he might’ve been confined like this for nearly three hundred years.

If he doesn’t even have enough strength to keep the cycle going… he might’ve been nearly asleep the whole time.

I remember Ark back then. He looked at me and didn’t say a single word begging for help. Instead, he asked why I was crying—worried about me.

How could he say that, even under the same curse that afflicts the royal family?

The mist of the royal curse, when it noticed me, reached out and screamed for help, sobbing uncontrollably.

I sniffled, and Mother pulled me close.

As she stroked my head and back, I said, “I want to help.”

“Kaa-sama, we’re having Van-kun check the surrounding traps. If we break them, will that free Ark-sama?”

“Hmph…”

I couldn’t help but ask, even as my mother tilted her head. “Is something wrong?”

“Elen-chan, could you… not break it?”

“Eh… but…”

“Actually, breaking it might be what *stops* us from helping.”

“…Why?”

“If we’re forcibly pulling magic from Ark, then the area around Ark is already a magic reservoir.”

“Ah…”

If we destroy the device releasing the magic, that magic’s got nowhere to go—just piles up in the church’s basement all at once.

If we call Mother to break Ark’s restraints, who knows what’ll happen with her power and that super-concentrated magic?

At best, a controlled collapse. At worst… an explosion. And the academy students’ll be dragged down with us.

“So, that device… don’t break it. Tell Van that, please.”

“Understood…”

"Elen. What’s wrong? You did wonderfully! Will you go down below with Papa? And then call for us. We’ll all come rushing at once."

"Yes…! Yes!"

If spirits appear in the courtyard, there’ll be a fuss. We’ll have to sneak into the castle’s church instead.

But unlike that dream, I’m not alone now. Papa and Mama are here. Just thinking about it gave me courage—no way they’d let me down.

"Let’s talk about this in detail tomorrow morning. And Elen, about Hume’s mother—"

Papa’s words snapped me back to focus.

"The headmaster wanted to know my medicine’s formula. That’s why he pushed so hard to get me into the academy."

Sauvel and the others groaned, rubbing their temples. “Even if we said no, he wouldn’t give up,” they sighed.

"He sent Hume over to extract the method. Hume was left with no choice but to comply, with Mother held as a shield."

"Is the headmaster his father…?"

"Ah, Hume and the headmaster aren’t related by blood."

"…So she’s a second wife, then?"

"More like a concubine, I’d say…"

"…Is that really how it is?"

Answering Sauvel’s questions one after another, I began to feel increasingly odd.

It was starting to feel suspiciously like a “gossip attack” — you know, the kind where you pry into someone’s personal details.

I tilted my head at the thoughtful Sauvel and cut in.

"…Uncle? Could we shift gears? Instead of talking about Liliana-sama… maybe we could talk about Hume instead?"

Sauvel snapped to attention at my question, cleared his throat like he was switching tracks, and said, “Of course.”

"Let’s get back to the point—Hume was forced to obey the headmaster in order to save Mother, who’d been cast aside. That’s why…"

"He brought her here, didn’t he?"

Father picked up the thread, and I nodded.

"Hume’s already skilled enough to hold a court physician’s license. But if the headmaster stays silent, the royal family will be condemned. And Hume and Liliana would be dragged into it too. So Hume made a deal with me. 'Work for my domain,' I said, 'and I’ll save your mother.'"

"So that’s how it was…"

"I told Hume about this, but the king said he’s watching over Hume. The condemnation can wait a little. But we should hurry up the divorce. Check whether she’s already married that man. We might need mediation, depending on the situation."

Understood...

It's all because we need to pull Hume out from that household and save her.

Sauvel groaned, muttering that he’d have to explain things to her. He was clearly struggling with how to bring it up to Liliana.

The others watching him stared with cool detachment.

Only Sauvel remained oblivious. But he seemed to finally realize that the way people were looking at him had changed.

"...What?"

"Sauvel, you..."

"What is it, elder brother?"

"Can't you see your own situation?"

"...What are you talking about?"

"Why do you have to explain directly to the lady? Isn't Mother here?"

...

Apparently only after his father said it did he finally notice. Still, he just tilted his head and said, "Ah, yes, you're right."

(Oh, Mama... could it be he hasn't noticed at all?)

(Not at all, no.)

Isabella looked at Sauvel with bright, sparkling eyes.

What’s on your mind? Leave it to me!! She’s oddly fired up.

(Oh, Mama… is this…?)

(This feels like a storm brewing, don’t you think…?)

Mother’s laughing it off, but I’m already sighing—here we go again.

Come to think of it, I haven’t seen Aria since that one time four years ago. Always stuck by Father’s side, that’s me.

Father’s been obsessed with Aria ever since. She was condemned by the goddesses.

He sees Aria and Agiel as one and the same—and despises her. Since he declared he’d never let me meet her, not even once.

Once Father hates someone, he never lets go. Agiel. Albert. Now Aria’s added to the list.

And since Aria was condemned by the goddesses, she can’t touch the Vanklyft Family’s business. Not that the verdict was anything more than a warning.

The sign carried another meaning too—that the area around Aria would only grow more turbulent from now on.

You couldn’t possibly involve someone like her in business. Especially not now, with medicine dominating the estate. Lives were at stake. Sauvel had made it clear to Lauren and the others: absolutely no contact with Aria.

(But… I wonder if I could catch even a glimpse of her?)

We’re in the same mansion, yet we’ve gone years without crossing paths once.

And Isabella’s strange behavior—her noticing Sauvel’s softness toward Liliana—was starting to nag at me.

(Perhaps…?)

The thought flickered through my mind, and once again, I exhaled.

＊＊＊

Then we moved to the guest rooms, joining Kai and Van, and Hume, who’d been waiting in a separate room.

We headed toward the guest room Liliana used, and relayed to her the conversation we’d just had.

“Is that so…”

Sauvel couldn’t help but mutter in response to Liliana’s quiet words.

If you truly loved that man...

No, that’s not true. …The only Hume I’ve ever loved is the father of a Hume.

Sauvel wore an expression that was impossible to describe, as Liliana smiled sweetly at him.

It carries a sadness, almost like a broken heart.

Hume said "mom" with a happy smile, and the two embraced.

Sauvel kept looking away, as if watching was too painful.

……Sauvel

Sauvel snapped to attention at his father’s exasperated call.

“What?”

"You... really don't have a clue what you're actually like?"

"…………?"

Sauvel tilted his head, utterly bewildered, and Father shrugged.

Now it was Father who stepped in to speak with Liliana, as if to say enough was enough.

"I'd prefer to proceed with divorce mediation as soon as possible. Has that man even had a wedding ceremony?"

"No, we haven’t... He wanted to, I think, but my lady refused..."

"I see. Just paperwork—perfect. I’ll arrange it right away. Lauren."

"Understood."

The conversation flowed along with unsettling ease, and despite her confusion, Liliana finally spoke up. All eyes turned to her as she hesitated, struggling to say it.

"He really is..."

"Give up on any plea for mercy. That man has made enemies of the royal family. And the spirits too."

"The spirits...?"

"Every last one of the Belundoor line will be condemned."

Liliana and Hume stood frozen, stunned by their father’s words. So that was what the headmaster had done—something of such grave consequence.

＊＊＊

Liliana, unused to such a lavish chamber, gently stroked Hume’s cheek, though she looked uneasy.

After that conversation, the Vanklyft Family took over completely, telling them they’d handle everything.

Before they could even process it, things just kept unfolding—one after another.

Liliana and Hume couldn’t interject. They knew this was the very act that had saved their lives.

"...It’s all so complicated, isn’t it?"

"Mom’s feeling that too? Actually, I am too..."

Mother and daughter exchanged glances. The past—the long struggle they’d endured together—flashed back. It was that man who’d picked them up from the wreckage.

Sure, there’d been years of enduring it all in silence. But now, in an instant, it was gone.

The gratitude for being rescued, the sting of past mistreatment—both kept swirling in their minds, turning into something they couldn’t quite digest.

...It’s the same feeling I had when I heard that person had died. Things change in an instant.

Hume listened to Liliana’s words.

“I never loved them, not really. But relationships… they can shift so completely in just a moment…”

“Mother…”

I get what she’s trying to say. Hume himself had been so stunned, so frozen in place, it felt like time had stopped.

“…Hey, let’s just stop clinging to the past, okay?”

“Hume…?”

“Here, we can start over. I really think we can. I’ll stand on my own, and you… you don’t have to carry it all anymore.”

Hume took Liliana’s hand and smiled.

“Find someone new, Mom. I want to cheer for your happiness.”

“Hume…?”

“Not because you’re trapped, not because you have to. I can’t say you should forget Father. But I think… I think it’s okay now. Even if you find a new path, Father would probably be the first to cheer you on.”

…………

I’m sorry… for binding your freedom, Mother…

What are you talking about? You’re my precious son, the one with him. You think I’d ever see you as bound?!

Yeah… thank you, Mother…

Hume was crying, buried in Liliana’s chest.

And Liliana, realizing how far she’d driven her beloved son, began to cry too.