It was the next day. The doctor had finally given me the OK to go back home.

Father and I boarded our carriage. As always, it was opulent as hell. As soon as my back met the comfortable padded rest of the carriage seat, it was as if all the stress accumulated from the whole kidnapping and Fray’s antics were lifted in an instant.

Fighting off sleep, I peeked out the window to the sight of myself standing beside Fray, Mom, and Dad. They were all standing by the village gate, waving as my carriage set off.

Today was when I—Carine—returned home to the capital. I know Feyt was supposed to go to the capital to be trained in the Sareid Swordstyle school, but my birthdays were in a few weeks. I also wanted to spend some more time with my family before I left for the capital.

I pondered back to the reason I accepted Father’s offer to train me. At first, I wondered if that was a good choice, considering how “enthusiastic” Father seemed at the idea of training me. But, I decided that it was worth a shot.

This wasn’t the modern world. Death lurks everywhere you look. One small slip-up and I would lose one or both of my heads.

I could rely on Carine’s “muscle memories” of previous pieces of training to hold off a few bandits, but I clearly need to delve even deeper, especially as Feyt. Sure, Feyt’s body could copy some moves based on Carine’s understanding of them, but they were a bit weaker compared to Carine’s.

Feyt’s body, despite how more resilient it was compared to Carine’s, was inexperienced. I needed to drill in those moves if I ever wanted to use them efficiently.

Plus, anything that gets me off of Fray’s games would be a godsend.

I leaned back on the extremely soft carriage seat and enjoyed the view outside as Carine. At the same time, I also walked home with my family as Feyt, enjoying the sound of birds chirping on this beautiful day.

Things were so peaceful, it was as if I was never kidnapped.

Despite how soft this seat rest was, nothing could match the comforts of my canopy bed. I would do anything to just jump and dive right into my bed.

Ah, I guess I also missed Mother and Leila. I heard Father already explained the situation to them through a letter, they were probably worried sick back at the capital…

No, wait, did Leila even know how to worry about someone? I doubted it. She would probably greet me with a nod or a wave like she normally would, as if I’d just returned from a typical casual stroll.

Mother, on the other hand, well uh… worrying about what she would do when I get home wasn’t doing me any favors. I got a cold sweat the instant I tried imagining what she would say as soon as I got home. I decided to not think about it and just enjoy the breeze.

The carriage rumbled on, passing green fields of grass and flowers that swayed gently in the breeze. The sight was calming, but my impatience was growing. The capital wasn’t that far off, just a few hours, but it still felt like we were crawling.

How much longer ‘til I could flop on my canopy bed? I suppressed the urge to tap my foot in impatience, that would be unbefitting of Carine to do.

—

The sun was beginning to set over the hills when the capital came into view. It was through Carine’s eyes, of course, which meant the capital was still a bit far. But at least we were getting closer.

I noticed a long line at the main gate of the capital. The line moved rather quickly, but it didn’t stop the line from extending quite the distance. The line was so long that, even if we cut the line a few times, it would probably take hours just to get in.

I groaned internally. But then, as I looked over the main gate once more, I realized the gate we exited out of the capital from when we set out on our journey to the village, wasn’t this big. Could it be a different gate?

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

I opened my mouth, about to ask Father to answer my curiosity. Then, I realized he looked a bit unwell. At first, I was worried, but then I realized it was most likely a hangover from yesterday’s drinking “contest” orchestrated by Mom.

I wanted to feel bad for him, I really do, but he was the one who instigated the losing battle in the first place.

“Father,” I decided to ask anyway. “Do we go in and out of the capital through a special gate?”

Father looked up, his eyes looked a bit tired, but he seemed eager to answer my question. “Yes, it’s a gate meant for specific people only, since the main gate is always busy.”

“I see…”

It always surprises me how privileged my life as Carine was…

—

Like Father had said, we entered the capital through a special, smaller gate located to the east of the capital walls. The main gates were at the north and south, by the way, so the coachmen had to take a different route than the other carriages heading for the capital, but at least we didn’t have to wait for hours in line.

The journey back to the mansion didn’t last long. Only a few minutes after entering the capital, the carriage reached our neighborhood. Cobblestone roads, luminite lanterns, and mansions everywhere you look.

Night had settled in when the carriage stopped at the front gate of our mansion. Father opened the door as I pulled out my briefcase from underneath the seat. We exited the carriage slowly without words. Father gave the coachman a tip before he and the carriage went off down the road.

Standing before the closed gate, Father took a deep breath and let a long breath out. “Fuuh… Okay.” It looked like he was steeling himself for something. I wondered what he was preparing himself for, then I realized what it was.

Right… Mother…

I joined Father and began steeling myself as well.

…

After a long walk down the garden, the moment we stepped onto the marbled porch, the main doors were opened from inside by a couple of maids.

Standing right there and center was none other than Mother. Her dark blue hair was as elegantly braided as always, her dress still looked like it belonged in a party or a ball, not a typical night dress.

Both Father and I stood silently, as well as Mother. We stared at each other, no words spoken. The silence was deafening. The atmosphere was thick.

The two maids holding the door open seemed to not know what to do as they looked at each other frantically, their hands still on the golden handle of the large doors.

After a long, awkward silence, Mother was the first one to act, taking slow steps towards us. The clicks of her heels were loud and dreadful. I couldn’t even imagine what she would do to me or Father.

Expecting something despair-inducing, both Father and I were surprised when we were met with a warm hug instead.

I froze for a moment, not sure if this was some sort of test or if I should just accept it. But when she pulled me closer, it dawned on me that this was genuine. Father, too, seemed caught off guard. His body was stiff, but I noticed his shoulders relax slightly as he returned the hug.

This was a side of her I hadn’t seen in a long time. I slowly returned the hug as well, allowing the tension to melt away.

“I was so worried,” she murmured, her voice unusually tender. “When I read about what happened… I thought I might lose both of you.”

Father patted Mother’s back. “We’re fine, Reina. We’re home.”

She let out a small sigh of relief and pulled back just enough to look at us both, her hands resting on our shoulders. “Good. I’m glad.”

It was a beautiful, tender moment—one I never thought I’d experience in this family. I almost believed this would be the tone for the rest of the evening.

Almost.

Without warning, her grip on Father’s shoulder tightened. Her expression shifted from one of relief to something far more menacing. The air on the front porch instantly changed.

“That said…” Her voice went cold, sending a chill down my spine. She paid full attention to Father, her fingers digging into his shoulders like an eagle with its prey. “Who told me that they’ll protect our daughter, huh?” Her tone was calm, but her intent was anything but.

Father winced. “I-I was caught off guard! I—”

“Oh, don’t you give any excuses! You said it yourself in the letter, you ‘underestimated’ those bandits. Weren’t you the one who taught the students to treat every battle as their last, huh?!”

Mother let go of Father’s shoulders, pinching his ears instead. She practically dragged him inside as he pleaded. “A-At least I was honest!!”

I was left stunned, along with the two maids holding the door. That was it for the tender moments, I guess…

With my briefcase in hand, I stepped inside my home, finally allowing the two maids to close the door.

I was about to head up the stairs, ready to just crash out on my bed after this whole ordeal. But then I noticed someone on the side. I turned my head to find a familiar face.

“Leila!”

“Lady Carine,” Leila responded with the usual professional bow. “Welcome home.”

As I expected, she was the usual dead-faced self—

—A hug.

Leila hugged me.

W-Well, that was unexpected, a lot more so than Mother’s tender words. The hug was a bit robotic though. She didn’t envelop me completely as Mother did, but… her hug comforted me all the same.

With a faint smile, I returned her hug. “I’m home, Leila.”

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image [https://i.imgur.com/RdC5Gde.png]