Even though he must have clearly noticed that I was deliberately avoiding eye contact, Dad still spoke with a gentle and casual tone.

“Clare, do you need anything?”

“…I’m okay.”

He generally showed equal attention to both of us.

When I was reading a book, he would glance at it and then put similar books next to me.

When Eciel looked ecstatic after seeing a shiny ceramic doll, several more similar ones would arrive the next day.

When I hesitated to say ‘thank you,’ he would smile lightly, and when the touched Eciel clung to him, he would hug her back.

Even that seemed like enough repayment.

It seemed like he was determined to convey to us with his whole body, ‘You are not lacking anything.’

Now that he knew about us, he seemed to want to give us everything he couldn’t give us in the past.

Even Mom noticed his efforts.

—

“Ashel, let’s have some  tea in the garden for a moment.”

Charlotte spoke in a calm voice just after lunch. It was the result of a week-long deliberation.

Unlike her, there was a vague tension in the man’s face, but he nodded quietly.

Eciel, who didn’t notice the tension, enthusiastically chimed in.

“Let’s go to the garden instead of the playroom!”

Parents might not know the heart of a child who always wanted to be with them.

Anyway, the garden was spacious, and as long as Eciel was there, the children would play far away, so Charlotte readily nodded her head.

As Charlotte’s gaze swept over the two children again, she commented.

“…They seem happier the more they go out?”

Charlotte hadn’t ignored the kids all this time.

But finding differences in kids who were more familiar to her than anyone else was not an easy task.

Until she saw the calm complexion, lively smiles, blushing cheeks, and above all, the unhesitant attitude towards Ashel.

The man who knew that responded with a strangely proud voice.

“I’ve taken care of them well.”

Charlotte’s gaze turned back to the children. It was an implicit question as to whether she could trust those words.

The children nodded in agreement.

A gentle warmth spread over the man’s face as he earned the recognition of his daughters.

Under the cold light of winter, the gentle warmth of spring settled in, creating a tenderly beautiful countenance.

Charlotte couldn’t help but smile and ask.

“Are you getting along now?”

“Not quite yet.”

“You’re always tagging along with the kids. Is it okay for you to always play?”

“It’s fine for now. Charlotte, did you enjoy your stay?”

He opened the door to the garden himself and ushered Charlotte and his daughters out.

Seamless everyday conversation.

His time and affection poured out without any hesitation.

As she thought about that, a bright and sweet scent wafted in.

 Flowers blooming together under the winter light were endlessly splendid, and fragmented clouds lazily drifted above.

It was an exceptionally bright and pleasant day.

A sparkling butterfly fluttered by, coming close before darting away. Eciel, noticing it, suddenly grabbed Clare’s hand.

“Clare, look! A butterfly!”

Eciel ran after the butterfly, and Claire followed her sister. The soft hem of their clothes disappeared into the vibrant garden in an instant.

Charlotte, finally laughing aloud at the familiar yet unfamiliar scenery, stepped into the gazebo.

But when she met Ashel’s eyes … her laughter inevitably faded away.

Every time she saw those eyes, she felt at loss, as always.

I might like you, Ashel.

What should I do with you?

Sometimes she wanted to ask that question.

Treating a living person like this was unjustifiable, but wasn’t that man acting as if every moment of his life belonged to her?

The blind trust without a shred of doubt always deeply troubled her.

Charlotte gathered her courage and whispered.

“Let’s do this. I’ll go back with you. For now, for a year.”

” … Why a year?”

“So that I can apologize and be apologized to.”

Charlotte continued, her voice was trembling more than ever, unstable, and weak.

“There are many others besides you whom I’ve wronged. If I go back, I’ll apologize to each and every one of them… even if they don’t forgive me, it’s okay.”

The man was silent for a moment. Then he asked cautiously.

“I understand that you want to apologize. But what about receiving an apology…?”

“You must have remembered them now.”

The clear silence played a positive role.

“The Pope, the Cardinals, your aunt Princess Isana… let’s see if they come to apologize on their own feet. Not by your coercion, but on their own.”

After a while, the man’s flowing voice was almost contemptuous.

“If they have any decency, they shouldn’t ever appear before you again for the rest of their lives.”

“I understand. But I might be that kind of person to someone else.”

“……”

“During this year, I will seek out and apologize to those who suffered because of my foolishness, like you. For the deceased, to their families, for the living, to the individuals affected.”

Charlotte took a short, deep breath.

“I’m not trying to make myself feel better, I genuinely want to express my remorse.”

“Charlotte, let’s…”

Shh. She gently interrupted the man and spoke soothingly.

“You’re the victim, so just stay quiet.”

“But I…”

“It’s okay. Just teach the kids well. Don’t live like me.”

With that, Charlotte couldn’t continue. It was only after a while that she slowly gathered the words buried inside her and spoke.

“I … I still think it’s better for me not to come back. Even if I received amnesty, the past wouldn’t disappear. You were just one of many victims.”

She spat out those words like unraveling a tangled knot.

“But if you want, fine. I suppose even my sins must be embraced, if that’s what you desire.”

Charlotte. A low, soft voice calling her.

Though the man’s voice seemed to push her into an abyss, it also seemed to envelop her in redemption.

Charlotte steadied her trembling voice.

“And… if they didn’t apologize even after I ask forgiveness from everyone.”

“…”

“As you said, I’m a selfish person, so I’ll stay by your side even if the victims curse me. They’re the ones who wish I’m gone from your side.”

Ashel’s face stiffened slightly.

But Charlotte firmly declared.

“That’s the deal for this year, Ashel. Got it? I’ll seek forgiveness and wait for them to come for it. I trust you to protect our children.”

“…Understood.”

Though it was a short conversation, afterwards, the two remained silent for a while as if drained of energy.

* * *

In the end, Eciel regretfully turned towards me after missing the butterfly.

“It was pretty.”

“There are many  flowers around, you’ll soon see another pretty butterfly.”

“Is that so?”

Eciel’s gaze momentarily shifted to the  flower next to her.

“Oh, this  flower is really pretty.”

While all the surrounding  flowers were beautiful, there was one particularly bright and vibrant rose in Eciel’s line of sight.

Its layers of blooming petals were a beautiful crimson. The fully bloomed flowers were so attractive that they naturally caught my eye.

My sister briefly touched the flower before looking at me.

“I want to give this to mom. Will I get scolded if I pick it?”

I silently looked at the faint worry on the child’s face and replied.

“It’ll be fine. If, by any chance, you get scolded for picking it, I’ll say I did it.”

I was confident enough to say that. Eciel’s eyes widened, then she shook her head.

“No, Claire. There’s no need for that.”

“Why? You’ll cry if you get scolded. I don’t.”

“I won’t cry, Claire. You also don’t like hearing those things, right?”

After saying that, Eciel carefully picked the  flower. Without even giving me a chance to intervene.

“Claire doesn’t like it when I cry either, right? I also dislike Claire getting scolded. If it’s not Claire’s fault, I dislike it even more.”

The child said so and once again held my hand.

With that soft hand, I was pulled back into the peaceful and ordinary world where she existed.

We began walking back to our parents.

Because we’d only been circling around to catch the butterfly in the same spot, we hadn’t walked far, and were still close enough to our parents.

Dad’s voice flowed quietly enough to be heard even without the wind.

“Then, I’ll consider it as going together and contact Evan. He wants to meet you personally before deciding on the reinstatement.”

“…I’ve barely seen Evan since childhood. Will he resent me?”

“No. Before, Evan was disguised as Lord Larnal …”

Before Dad could finish his sentence, Mom suddenly stood up and knocked over the teacup.

Clatter!

The sharp sound of shattering was piercing.

Eciel and I were close enough to see and hear it. We stopped in surprise and stared at the scene.

Dad took Mom’s hand with a bewildered expression.

“Charlotte?”

“He… He’s Evan?”

“Yes.”

“It might not be just a year. If I go to the capital, I might immediately be arrested because of lèse-majesté.”

Before Dad could say anything, Eciel, who could no longer contain her curiosity, let go of my hand and ran over.

“What’s lèse-majesté? Are we going to the capital? What happens if we go there? Why one year?”

Our parents, bewildered, struggled to answer various questions while I picked up the  flower Eciel had missed when running.

The recently picked roses were still fresh. Its smooth petals shimmered under the bright sunlight.

‘ …. Looks like we’re going to be in the capital for a year.’

The cut roses might not last even half a day… But all I wished for was that our family would be together in peace there for a long time.