Just in case, Lelia examined the surroundings of the hut for a while. Fortunately, there was no one watching or observing.
'I spent too much time.'
Lelia clicked her tongue and quickly pushed open the hut's door.
Thud!
However, the door was locked.
'Emperor Perseus...!'
Bad man! Locking the door like that.
But she had somewhat expected this. Lelia eventually pulled out a thin iron rod from the bag she had brought.
Today of all days, she had to pick the lock and enter, even if by force. An opportunity like today wouldn't come again.
Click!
'It opened!'
After struggling a bit, Lelia succeeded in opening the door. After checking her surroundings, she quickly went inside.
Even though it must have been empty all this time, the air inside the hut was warm. Perhaps it felt that way to Lelia because this place was her mother's embrace.
Lelia savored the warmth inside like that, then belatedly came to her senses.
'Now's not the time for this.'
She first checked the places she had remembered thinking she should look there next time.
However, contrary to her expectations, there weren't any special items in those places.
In the vanity drawer, there were accessories and jewels, but nothing looked like magic stones containing special magic.
'It's not there....'
How is there nothing at all?
They said there were many mysterious magical tools....
'Did Emperor Perseus already take them?'
That might be the case. It was the most likely possibility. He always missed his wife, so he would try to soothe his longing while looking at those items.
'Too much time has passed.'
Lelia had to leave the hut empty-handed like that. After erasing the traces of her searching here and there, locking the door, and coming out of the hut, her legs lost all strength.
Feeling like tears might come out for some reason, Lelia deliberately walked more bravely toward the tower.
However, when she arrived near the tower.
'What?'
She felt traces of someone having come to the tower.
Lelia sensed a presence completely different from usual and quickly went inside. As expected, someone had invaded her sanctuary.
"...What, you?"
"Huh!"
"......."
The first things she discovered were Cedric and Damian, their faces deeply furrowed.
They were struggling to open the small door leading to the top of the tower. Perhaps they had come to see the stars.
And beyond them, the tips of Uriana's hair came into view.
'Cedric and Damian must have brought her to show her the stars?'
The thought of someone invading her safe space made her feel unpleasant. But before she could even feel that emotion.
'My doll...!'
She saw Uriana looking at the rabbit doll on the bed with a face full of curiosity.
When she thought the doll might be taken away, her body moved first.
"It's mine!"
Lelia quickly approached and forcefully snatched her doll from Uriana.
However, because of that....
"Are you crazy?!"
"Hey!"
She heard the angry voices of Cedric and Damian.
"......!"
Coming to her senses at those sounds... she saw her own hand tightly gripping the doll, and Uriana fallen on the floor.
"Ow, it hurts..."
Uriana frowned on one side and looked down at her palm.
Oh no. A small wound on one hand was dripping blood. Lelia's vision went dark.
"Ow..."
Uriana made a crying face and blew on her palm. She had gotten scratched from the wooden floor.
"My goodness! There's blood!"
"Are you okay, Uriana?"
The faces of Cedric and Damian turned pale upon discovering the red blood drops.
"I'm okay, brothers..."
Uriana spoke bravely and calmed the two who were worrying.
"Let's go to the physician right now! Get on my back!"
"I told you it's not that bad!"
Uriana pushed away Cedric who was showing his back, telling her to get on right away.
Then she slowly stood up and approached Lelia, who was hugging the doll and trembling.
"I'm sorry. I just thought the doll was cute and was only going to look at it..."
"......."
"But who are you? I think I saw you last time too."
Uriana asked with a bright face. At that attitude without a single trace of resentment, Lelia strangely felt herself becoming smaller.
In truth, Uriana had no intention of taking the doll, and having made a fuss on her own and treated her like a thief, guilt rushed in.
Moreover, she had hurt Uriana one way or another.
"......."
Just as Lelia hesitated and was about to answer.
"Who she is? She's the daughter of the woman who tormented our mother to death."
Cedric answered instead with a distorted expression.
"What?"
At those words, Uriana seemed taken aback, but Damian wrapped his arm around her shoulder.
"Uriana, you don't need to concern yourself. With the likes of that vile demon's bloodline."
"By the way... why are you here? I wondered who was staying here... so it was you?"
Cedric scoffed and looked around the interior again. Seeing the neatly made bed, anger seemed to rise.
He frowned deeply and shouted.
"Living comfortably, eating and sleeping, despite being the daughter of the murderer who killed our mother! Isn't that too unfair?"
"And you made Uriana get hurt? Do you know what punishment you'll face for harming an Imperial Princess of the empire?"
Cedric and Damian slowly walked toward Lelia.
Though still young, the two were much taller than Lelia. They felt sufficiently threatening to her.
"......."
Lelia felt her mind going completely blank.
More than those children's vicious words, anxiety that this space might be taken away washed over her.
And as expected.
"Anyway, from today this place is ours. We're going to turn it into a place to watch the constellations! We'll give it to Uriana as a birthday present. So get out right now!"
Cedric commanded with his chin raised.
Just as Uriana was about to step forward, Damian blocked her and added.
"Wait, she can't leave yet. She hasn't apologized to Uriana, has she? After treating an Imperial Princess like a thief and even hurting her."
"That's true, come to think of it."
"Brothers, I'm fine..."
Damian cut off Uriana's words and explained in a calm and kind tone.
"Uriana, I know you're kind, but you can't just let something like this go. You were so kind to the maids too.... Now you're an Imperial Princess of the empire."
"...Mm."
"Moreover, that girl is the daughter of the woman who tormented our mother, no, perhaps even killed her."
"......."
At those words, Uriana murmured as if she had no choice. Cedric beckoned to Lelia with his finger.
"Come here. Murderer's daughter."
Lelia blinked blankly. It was a situation similar to the scene she had seen in the original work.
Though the circumstances had changed, the result was the same.
"Come here, kneel and apologize. It would be right to punish you according to imperial law, but if you sincerely beg for forgiveness, I'll spare your life."
"......."
Lelia had a dazed face.
'It's just like the original work....'
She had tried to prevent this from happening... but perhaps things that are meant to happen will happen no matter what? Lelia's vision went pitch black.
"Hurry up and do it."
But that too was momentary.
At Cedric's shouting, Lelia resignedly approached Uriana. And slowly knelt.
Her eyes stung, but she didn't want to cry.
"I'm... sorry, Imperial Princess."
When Lelia apologized obediently, the expressions of Cedric and Damian seemed to soften a bit.
However, even if their anger had dissipated, nothing changed.
"Repeat that 100 times."
Eventually that day, Lelia found freedom only after reciting 'I'm sorry, Imperial Princess' 100 times just like in the original work.
Lelia felt unjust, but she didn't even have time to feel miserable.
By the time the apology was ending, attendants from the main building rushed in. This was because Cedric had called them through a magical tool.
They opened the door leading to the top of the tower and began cleaning the inside of the tower according to Cedric and Damian's orders.
"W-wait...! You can't do that!"
For Lelia, it was a situation where she instantly lost her entire sanctuary.
The attendants carefully pushed away Lelia who was clinging to them.
"N-no..."
Lelia stomped her feet as she watched her belongings being moved outside the tower like trash.
Meanwhile, Cedric, Damian, and Uriana had gone up to the top of the tower and were looking at the stars. They had brought Uriana out because she was nervous about the large-scale banquet she would be attending for the first time as an Imperial Princess.
It was a night when the full moon had risen and the stars were shining exceptionally brightly.
Eventually, Lelia had no choice but to start gathering her precious belongings at least.
The letters from friends she had hidden, the fountain pen, the doll, the robe, and so on.
They were all things related to her time living in the temple.
"Now that you've gathered everything, please leave. You're in the way of moving the luggage."
At the attendant's cold words, Lelia had to turn away.
"......."
When she came out of the tower, she saw the old bed and desk that had been moved in front of the building.
Those objects looked truly pitiful like trash. They were things she had been using until just a moment ago.
Honestly speaking, she was dumbfounded.
In the original work, another child had hurt Uriana and suffered misfortune, but eventually it became her own situation.
Not only that, but she was even robbed of the space that was her only sanctuary.
"...This doesn't make sense..."
Lelia slowly raised her head.
She heard laughter coming from the top of the tower.
It was the affectionate voices of the three siblings looking at the stars.
Uriana's laughter was lovely, and the voices of the two brothers treating her were kind.
"......."
Lelia clenched her fists. Her throat felt hot as if boiling water had been poured into it.
After standing for a while, Lelia slowly began to walk.
With exhausted steps, Lelia headed to Elizabeth's hut.
'Emperor Perseus might kill me if he finds out....'
Lelia laughed emptily.
'If that happens, there's really nothing I can do. I'll just have to accept the fate of death.'
She walked like someone who had given up on everything.
After arriving at the hut, she opened the door with the iron rod like before and locked it tightly behind her.
It was a cold space without a single light lit, but it still felt warm to Lelia.
Her mind was still blank like someone who had experienced a major accident.
As soon as she entered the hut, Lelia sank to the floor.
'Mom...'
It felt as if her dead mother was embracing her, saying she had come well.
'Right, it's rather better this way.'
Lelia wiped the tears streaming down her cheeks and decided to think positively.
That tower was too old anyway. Moreover, this place had her mother's touch remaining, and it seemed like it wouldn't be cold even at night, so it was actually a better sanctuary.
Of course, if Emperor Perseus found out, she might die... but if he heard it was because of his sons, there was a possibility he would assign her an even better quarters.
'But if that happens, I'll end up in a strange marriage after all.'
If that happened and someone was assigned to watch her, there would be no way to escape. If it came to that, it would be better to die.
Lelia opened her bag and took out the items she had brought.
The fountain pen with the magic stone removed, the letters, the cute rabbit doll.
Looking at the items related to her friends, her mood seemed to improve quickly.
However, separately, her nose stung and tears began to flow.
'I don't need to cry.'
Lelia comforted herself.
'It's okay, why would I cry over something like this? I'm not sad at all.'
Uriana has older brothers, but I have friends. The very protagonists who defeated the Dragon are my friends.
But strangely, the more she comforted herself, the tears wouldn't stop. Lelia eventually began to cry, shaking her shoulders.
Because she tried to hold back her voice, not wanting to cry like a child, only tears streamed down.
'Because I have friends... I'm not alone.'
To force herself to stop crying, Lelia read the letters she had exchanged with her friends.
Oscar: I can't sleep well these days. Are you all okay?
Calix: I fall asleep as soon as I lie down.
Griffith: I heard that thoughtless, stupid kids sleep well too.
Calix: Do you want to die?
Romeo: I can't sleep well either. I miss the times we stayed in the temple.
Looking at the letters exchanged before removing the magic stone, it felt like her heart was breaking in half.
The same was true for Lelia.
Every time night came, she couldn't fall deeply asleep.
Because the memories with her friends came to mind one by one.
'If I had known back then, I would have treated my friends even better....'
She didn't know back then.
That the memories with those children would become everything Lelia had.
Lelia buried her face in her knees and shook her shoulders for a long time.