IPWDP 27

Chapter 27

“It’s been a while, Princess.”

The one who greeted her was Tail. She felt a little glad to see him, but at the same time, not entirely happy.

“It’s been a while, Tail.”

“You really are the Princess… really… alive…”

Tail trailed off, unusually at a loss for words. He hadn’t expected her to be alive. He couldn’t understand why she hadn’t returned, but just knowing she was alive filled him with relief.

He should have been her guard that day. He hadn’t stayed by her side when it seemed she had an important matter to discuss with someone. That omission weighed on Tail like a mountain of guilt, though now, that guilt was slightly eased.

“I’m so glad you’re alive. I truly…”

“Stop whining and guard me.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

They climbed into the carriage, heading toward Ephelia’s home. Regios insisted on accompanying her, despite Ephelia’s attempts to go alone.

“Do you really have to come?”

“Why?”

“I can go alone.”

“That won’t do.”

“Why not?”

Regios tilted his head, a mesmerizingly beautiful smile on his face—but somehow, it felt ominous. His perfectly shaped, rose-colored lips answered in an elegant, flawless voice.

“If you run away again, where would I even find you?”

“I’m not leaving my parents behind.”

“There’s always the option of running away together.”

“It’s obvious we’d be caught soon. Why would I do that?”

Tail couldn’t deny Regios’ words. If he hadn’t come, she might have cried, begged him to run away with her.

The carriage couldn’t go further than the forest’s edge; the path beyond wasn’t wide enough. Yet Regios insisted on following her along the forest trail, which stretched for quite a distance before they reached their destination.

“How far are we going?”

“We’re here.”

Ahead, she could see her home. She wanted to run to it, yet didn’t want to. Arriving would mean parting. Right now, Ephelia was about to say goodbye to her family.

“Surely you’re not living here?”

“What do you mean?”

“You must have another house. Is this a storage shed or something? You can’t really live in a place like this.”

Ephelia’s home, where Ena, Joi, and she lived, was small. Living in the forest meant they couldn’t reside in the village, so jobs were scarce, and their livelihood came from chopping firewood or selling gathered herbs in the market.

On rare occasions when they ate meat, it was because Joi had hunted a rabbit. Naturally, their house was small and worn.

“Don’t say it like that.”

“You’re saying living here was better than being with the Duke or returning to the palace?”

Tail unconsciously looked at his lord. Why would she say such unpleasant things? He had been the only one who didn’t give up on her, the one who had found her until the very end. And yet, now that he had, why did she speak like that?

“Yes. Much better than there.”

Ephelia answered, glaring at Regios. Her cold, clipped tone made his face harden. She turned her gaze to her home. Mom… Dad.

Her steps slowed without her realizing it. Naturally. Once she arrived and everything was settled, she would never return to this house. This would be her final homecoming.

Standing in front of her house, Ephelia took a deep breath. Then, in a familiar voice, she called for Ena.

“Mom, I’m home.”

“Senaren, you’re back?”

A bright voice answered from inside. It was Ena. The same Ena who had seen her off in the morning opened the door and welcomed Ephelia with a wide smile—just like her biological mother, Elcia, used to do. She barely remembered her mother’s face, but that warm and kind smile was just the same.

“Did you have fun? …And who is this gentleman?”

Seeing Ephelia arrive with a strikingly beautiful man of noble bearing, Ena asked with a frightened expression.

“Come inside first.”

“O-okay.”

Ena’s voice trembled as she spoke. The dazzlingly handsome man and the knight who seemed his attendant followed Ephelia. It could not be a pleasant sight.

“P-please, come in.”

Her daughter, although a bit disheveled when first found, was dressed in a beautiful gown now. Truly, she was their daughter returned.

“Please, sit.”

There were only three chairs inside. Ena did not sit, giving them the chairs instead.

“I’ll stand, so please sit, ma’am.”

“B-but…”

“I must protect my lord, so I cannot sit.”

“Sit, Mom.”

“…Alright.”

“And Dad?”

“He went to chop some wood.”

Even a brief delay was the only comfort.

“He’ll be back soon, then.”

“Yes… sorry, we have nothing to offer.”

“That’s alright.”

Shortly after, rustling came at the door. The steps told her it was Joi.

“Honey, Senaren, look what I brought!”

Joi opened the door and, seeing the two unfamiliar men inside, dropped the rabbit in shock and stood protectively in front of Ena and Ephelia.

“W-who are you!”

“Dad, it’s okay. Sit down.”

Ephelia stood and gestured for Joi to sit. Ena and Joi’s gaze turned to her.

“Mom, Dad.”

Their second daughter’s face was sadder than ever. They had never seen such a sorrowful expression. The sense of foreboding was intensified by the handsome man behind her. And the words that fell from Ephelia’s lips were the ones they had dreaded.

“This is His Highness, the Crown Prince.”

Ena and Joi turned pale. She had kept her regained memories secret, fearing that if they knew, she would no longer be their daughter but the Princess. She was afraid of being distanced from them. That was why, when someone remarked on the resemblance to the missing Princess, Ephelia laughed, saying her hair color was different.

When she awoke, her hair was no longer caramel but pure white. It had been fortunate. But the happy times were now over. Her destiny had come for her again.

Whether she wanted it or not. As always.

“I… I am the Princess.”

“Se-Senaren…”

She knew she had to say it, though the words wouldn’t come out.

“Mom, Dad! What’s wrong!”

Ephelia shouted in shock as Ena and Joi knelt and bowed. She also knelt, trying to lift them up.

“Stand up! Don’t do this! Why are you kneeling?”

They had done nothing wrong. They were the parents who had once saved her life. She couldn’t bear to see them kneel without cause.

“We’re sorry, Senaren. We… we were selfish… No, we were selfish for the Princess. We are sorry. We were wrong.”

Ephelia bit her inner cheek.

“Please, stand up. What are you doing?”

“I will allow you to rise.”

“B-but…”

“It doesn’t matter if you stay kneeling, but then Ephelia would have to stay kneeling too.”

Those words were cruel. Ephelia glared at Regios. He just shrugged. Only then did the two hesitate, rising from their positions.

“Y-Your Highness, we greet you.”

“The reward for saving and caring for her will be given, no less.”

“N-no, it’s not necessary. We didn’t expect anything.”

“Of course you didn’t.”

“Yes, we only cherished Senaren—or rather, the Princess—as if she were our own daughter.”

They took Regios’ words at face value. But Ephelia understood exactly what he meant. It was not a recognition of their selflessness—it meant they would be compensated for taking her, and that she should never be interfered with again.

“Then accept it.”

“We truly need nothing, Your Highness.”

Accepting it felt like selling their daughter, but it wasn’t that. They truly loved and cared for Senaren, the Princess Ephelia.

“You should accept it.”

“Otherwise, I might suspect your goodwill has some hidden motive.”

Ephelia gritted her teeth.

“Accept it, Mom, Dad. You must accept it.”

“Thank you.”

“Thank you for everything, Mom, Dad.”

Ephelia smiled as if nothing had happened. That way, their hearts would not feel heavy.

“Let’s go.”

“Sen… Senaren, Princess… Go, go and be happy.”

“Take care. Always.”

Ephelia bid farewell and left the house. This was now a sanctuary she could never return to. Her steps were slow, as though her feet wouldn’t lift.

“Sen… Senaren. Senaren…”

Behind her, she heard her mother, Ena, wailing. Even now, she wanted to run back, shout that she wanted to stay.

“My family is here. I want to live again here,” she wanted to say. But Ephelia couldn’t turn back. If she returned, who knew what Regios would do.

This was the only way to protect them—or her second parents.