ELND Chapter 77

Chapter 77

The Honor of Serving Her Highness‘All of a sudden… why has their attitude changed so drastically?’

Amid the heightened atmosphere, I could feel countless uneasy gazes on me.

I couldn’t hide the bewildered expression on my face as I looked at the servants of the Mansion of Light.

Seeing my reaction, the servants exchanged awkward coughs—then soon brightened their faces with broad smiles.

“Your Highness, you have no idea how long we’ve been waiting for this moment.”

“Indeed! We were so afraid that Your Highness would never forgive us for failing to understand your deep thoughts all this time…”

“We can’t afford to miss this opportunity now. We’ve all been preparing tirelessly to properly serve Your Highness this time!”

It seemed I wasn’t the only one surprised by the completely different atmosphere.

Unlike me—who could only look dumbfounded—Mina clicked her tongue loudly.

“Tsk, tsk… Our fine elite group, the servants of the Mansion of Light—what’s gotten into you all of a sudden? Weren’t you the ones who said you’d sooner die than believe that Her Highness had changed?”

She even gave a sharp snort for good measure.

The servants glared at her with obvious displeasure, but only for a moment—then turned back to me with sheepish smiles.

“Well, that’s because Her Highness established a welfare foundation for us half-blood demons…”

“And not only that! You even called back the people from Greyzone Village, who used to serve at the Mansion of Light!”

As everyone fidgeted, full of things left unsaid, the butler of the Mansion of Light finally stepped forward and bowed deeply.

“Your Highness… I offer my sincerest apologies for having failed to serve you faithfully all this time.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than every servant bowed in unison.

“We are truly sorry…”

“We beg your forgiveness, Your Highness.”

The servants—those who had endured Lady Rebecca’s cruelty yet never once stood by me—were now apologizing?

‘This feels… strangely undeserved.’

Awkward, I only rolled my eyes around.

Perhaps misunderstanding my silence, the servants’ faces fell with guilt.

“When you stayed with us in the Mansion of Light, we thought Your Highness acted that way because you despised us.”

The butler’s lips trembled before he continued, his voice low—like a confession.

“And so, truthfully, we too treated Your Highness coldly.”

He exhaled heavily, the sound almost like penance.

“But now that I think back, we should have realized it sooner… that Your Highness’s heart was deeply wounded. We should have paid closer attention, never allowing it to come to that.”

A self-deprecating smile touched his lips.

“But instead, we indulged in our arrogant elitism, forgetting the most important duty of all—understanding the heart of our mistress.”

He hesitated before adding quietly:

“And honestly… I think, deep down, we couldn’t accept Your Highness—who came alone from the South—as a true member of the Twins Ducal House.”

“I see…”

“Yes. To be frank, when you moved to the Mansion of Darkness, we even felt… relieved. But then…”

The butler sighed.

“After Your Highness left, you began to change. And from then on, guilt grew inside us. We stubbornly denied it, insisting that it couldn’t be true.”

He paused, then slowly met my eyes.

“But eventually… it became impossible not to believe it.”

“Believe what?”

“That Your Highness truly cares for us—your half-blood demons—as the mistress of the Twins Ducal House.”

He turned briefly to glance at Mina, then back at me, his tone careful but sincere.

“If only we had served you better when you lived with us, perhaps Your Highness would have smiled at us, spoken kindly to us… just as you now do with the servants of the Mansion of Darkness.”

The servants’ eyes dimmed with regret. Silence fell heavy in the hall.

Then the butler spoke again, softly yet clearly:

“We concede, Your Highness.”

A gentle smile curved his lips, mirrored by the servants behind him.

“We’ve lost—and most happily so.”

“You’ve shown us the true meaning of humility. For that, we sincerely thank you, Your Highness.”

Once more, the butler bowed deeply, and the servants followed suit.

“We are now ready to devote our lives to you, Your Highness—the mother of all half-blood demons, and mistress of the Twins Ducal House.”

When they raised their heads again, their eyes shone with steady resolve.

“So please, grant us once more the honor of serving Your Highness.”

Inside the Mansion of Light’s Banquet Hall

After the conversation with the servants, I entered the banquet hall, where Cedric, Bianca, and Anton were already seated.

As expected, Anton’s face was flushed with excitement.

“This feels like a dream! To think that I, Anton, have come to the Twins Ducal Castle—and even been invited to dine here!”

He couldn’t stop looking around the hall in wonder.

“Oh! That gold trim above the fireplace—that’s the Twins family crest, isn’t it? And the fireplace itself—‘The Hearth of Dwelt,’ named after the fourth Grand Duke! I read about it in a book! The craftsmanship, the color… It’s even more beautiful in person!”

Not even the tiniest decoration could escape his enthusiasm.

Bianca’s eyes sparkled too as she followed his gaze.

“That’s right! They say it’s named after the fourth Grand Duke! But—wait—are there really books about this in the human world?”

“Of course, Lady Bianca! My bookshelf at my boarding house in the capital is full of them!”

“Wow…!”

She looked thrilled. It must have been her first time meeting a human who genuinely admired half-blood demons.

Meanwhile, Cedric—sitting across from me—looked utterly drained.

He must’ve already endured a full storm of Anton’s excitement and endless questions before I arrived.

‘He’s probably holding back just because I told him Anton was a very important guest.’

A chuckle escaped my lips without meaning to.

Cedric caught it and smiled faintly.

“I heard the foundation’s opening ceremony was a success. I wish I could’ve been there till the end, but…”

His sharp gaze slid toward his aide.

“…It’s regrettable.”

He even clicked his tongue in mild annoyance.

The aide avoided his gaze desperately.

He had started urging Cedric to leave about thirty minutes after arriving at the event, saying work was piling up. Typical him—he couldn’t help but speak the truth, even at risk of his neck.

Cedric had clearly been unhappy about it, but as the ruler of the entire Twins Duchy, he had no choice.

“He was just doing his job,” I said. “You finished your work and I wrapped up the foundation’s ceremony well, so please stop glaring at him.”

Cedric reluctantly looked away from his aide.

The poor man finally exhaled in relief and gave me a discreet thumbs-up.

“Your Highness, I was so glad to attend the opening ceremony today!” Bianca chirped brightly.

“Really? What did you like most, sweetheart?”

As I gently stroked her hair, she smiled shyly.

“The building was so big and pretty! And I loved seeing all the half-blood demons so happy! But most of all, I loved that it was you, Your Highness, who built that wonderful foundation!”

“Truly?”

“Yes! From now on, every half-blood demon will respect Your Highness! Not just the servants here at the Twins Castle!”

Flushed with excitement, Bianca spoke breathlessly.

“That’s… good to hear,” I said softly.

Anton chimed in suddenly.

“Indeed. It’s a relief to hear that.”

I turned to him, puzzled by his tone.

Sensing my question, Anton scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

“Ah, well… Mina told me something on the way here.”

“What did she say?”

“That the reason Your Highness left the Mansion of Light was because the servants there didn’t treat you properly…”

Cedric and Bianca’s faces froze instantly.

While Cedric’s reaction was expected, Bianca’s fierce expression startled me.

“Is that true, Your Highness?” she demanded, eyes narrowing like an angry cub.

The servants in the banquet hall glanced at me pleadingly for rescue.

Alright, I got the message.

I quickly shook my head.

“Of course not, Bianca. Mina was just teasing Anton because he didn’t know the situation here very well.”

Then I gave Anton a quick wink—Let’s just go along with it for the kid’s sake.

He blinked, then nodded in understanding.

Thankfully, Bianca accepted it at once.

“Right! That couldn’t be true. The servants of the Mansion of Light are all waiting for Your Highness to return, just like I am!”

Her smile returned as bright as sunlight.

“So I hope you come back soon, Your Highness—so the three of us can live happily together forever!”

Her innocent wish pierced my heart.

There was only about a month left before the public announcement of our divorce.

Which meant our time as a “family” was almost over.

Guilt flooded me as I looked at Bianca, so full of hope. Cedric’s smile, too, carried the same quiet sorrow.

Just then, the aide who had stepped out earlier returned hurriedly.

“Your Grace, a letter has arrived from the Holy See.”

Cedric’s dark brows furrowed.

“From the Holy See?”

“Yes, it appears to be a personal letter from the Pope himself.”

A personal letter from the Pope?

In the Western Empire, the Pope’s authority rivaled that of the Emperor. His letters were regarded as sacred decrees—unchallengeable by anyone.

‘Please… let it be good news.’

But contrary to my prayer, Cedric’s expression darkened as he read.

“What is it?” I asked anxiously.

He didn’t answer right away. His eyes lingered on the letter, then slowly lifted to meet mine—filled with quiet sorrow.

“It’s an order,” he said softly. “For High Priest Diart to stay here… for the next month.”