The imperial palace’s gallery doubled as a long hallway, tucked away in one of its smaller annexes further away. It was a place rarely frequented by visitors, much less the members of the royal family themselves. No matter how many servants were brought in to clean the area, the large amount of dust would make one sneeze and cough incessantly. Or perhaps it was because of the long line of portraits down the hallway, detailing centuries of the Karagon Empire’s royal family members. Even if they were only paintings, it still felt unnerving to walk past them. As if all those eyes were looking down at you.

Still, none of that mattered to the man who stood beneath the last portrait down that hallway.

“Your Majesty.”

The woman in the painting wore a magnificent white gown. Although in the man’s memories she was often in her horseback riding clothes brandishing a whip, this time she simply had her hands folded over each other on her lap. She certainly looked beautiful in her crown as well–the one only the empresses of the empire wore. In this painting, the woman’s bejeweled, dainty demeanor and soft gaze was immortalized. It was for the best.

“Forgive me for not coming sooner, Your Maje–no, Aunt Tersica,” the man spoke to the portrait of the late empress again. The only thing about her she had passed down to her biological son, Hyasar, was her appearance. He would be lying if he said that he did not feel great resentment towards the former Crown Prince. “I need some answers only you know.”

The man slowly knelt down to the carpeted ground on one knee, bowing his head in respect. If a servant or anyone else entered now, it would be a sight to behold, but it wasn’t something he cared about. “Please, Aunt Tersica. Do you see the state of your sons right now? What would you have me do?”

‘Are you proud of what your family has become despite the flaws you so tried to subdue?’

Of course, Empress Tersica was not there to respond to him.

…

“You’re still here?” Ellowyn blinked in surprise. She had been summoned to the barracks a few days later during the sunny afternoon. Perched on one of the weapon racks was the same hawk that had sent that odd letter from the capital.

“My Lady, it comes and goes as it pleases,” Oren informed her from the side. “When a knight does something it remotely doesn’t like, it even tries to swoop at their heads! Nevermind that they’re holding dangerous weapons or not.”

She laughed in amusement. Glad that it wasn’t something worse, she approached the hawk. It seemed to recognize her as it cried once while fluffing up its feathers slightly. Without needing to be beckoned, it flew into the air and promptly landed on her shoulder. Its sharp talons dug into her skin, and she became glad she wasn’t wearing a dress with a low neckline.

“Don’t you have a home to go back to?” She asked the hawk. It wasn’t like it could tell her its name, but she found herself still a bit disappointed. It cocked its head, beady black eyes puzzled. “The Vestein estate can’t be your home.” She sighed and reached up to ruffle its wing’s feathers. When it seemed to get enough of her touch, it hopped to land on the back of her hand instead. She decided to bring the great bird along with her as she treaded out of the barracks.

“Caw!” It seemed to enjoy being carried around the estate. She also noticed how it positioned itself carefully so as not to accidentally wound her with its talons.

Ellowyn smiled. “You’re a smart little pet, aren’t you? But that can only mean one thing.” She halted in her steps and gazed out at the sky. “You don’t actually have a home, or you don’t want to go back to wherever you came from.”

‘I understand. The home I was born in was nothing more than hell. This estate is my true home–the people inside it are those who love me and who I’ve sworn to protect.’

When she reached the manor’s garden, she nodded at the bird and stretched out her arm. It cawed again, this time in dismay as it realized it was being held further from her unwillingly. “I’m sorry, little hawk,” she told it sincerely. “You can visit Whydstell anytime, but you must go back to the owner who cares about you.”

The hawk was groomed and cared for. Instead of being sanded down, its talons were sharpened instead. It definitely had an owner someplace far away to go back to.

As if it understood her, it spread its wings and landed on the garden’s entrance arch above her head. It cawed one last time and flew back up again, this time without stopping. Its figure became smaller and smaller until no bigger than a dot in the sky.

She waved once as a goodbye.

‘Come back again, if you really think of this place as your home,’ she thought. In her heart and soul, the Duchy of Vestein would always remain no matter what came to be in the future.

And there was nothing else that made her content in that moment.

…

“Ah. Look, Sherene. It’s my sweet Ellowyn,” said the Duchess of the Vestein Duchy, Helda Vestein. She was sitting by the window overlooking the picturesque garden as her lady-in-waiting poured her a cup of fresh tea.

“So it is.” Sherene smiled while finishing pouring the tea. She glanced outside the window, spotting the adopted daughter of the Duke and Duchess standing at the archway. As usual, the lady looked stunning standing so proudly even wearing only breeches and a white blouse. “Will you be dining with your family today, Your Grace?”

“I think I must try. I miss my daughters greatly.” Helda took a single sip out of her teacup and set it down.

Her lady-in-waiting bowed her head. “Do not worry, Your Grace. I shall be on standby in the dining hall should you need any help.”

Although she appreciated Sherene’s concern, she shook her head and waved her off. “No need. I’m not as weak as the Emperor yet.” If anyone had heard her say that, she would be accused of heresy. Fortunately, Sherene was all-too used to the Duchess’ bluntness. She looked back outside again. It seemed Ellowyn had decided to take a repose by sitting down on one of the benches. Her facial expression went back to one of relaxation. “Sherene, what do you think will happen to the duchy if Florencia’s marriage with the second prince successfully goes through?”

“I–” The Lady-in-Waiting sputtered out in surprise at the unexpected question. She stopped herself before she would mistakenly say anything wrong. It didn’t seem to matter to the duchess though, as she continued speaking.

“Ellowyn is a few months older than Florencia, anyways. She’s more than capable of being the next ruler of the East Province.”

Sherene steadfastly remained silent. She would never say it out loud, but now that they were on the topic, she couldn’t help but imagine Lady Ellowyn becoming the next Duchess of Whydstell. It wasn’t very hard at all.

It seemed Helda herself thought similarly as she grinned cheerfully. “Isn’t it great? One of my daughters will become the future princess, and the other the next duchess. Their futures are set in stone to happiness. It’s all a mother like me can ask for.”

‘Isn’t that right, Tersica?’