I Can Move Forward Because I Believe in You, Not Myself

After that, the military police rushed in, revealing that there had been contact between Creed and the Eyes of Dawn, and after confiscating all related documents, the case was virtually closed.

Hecate, a member of the Eyes of Dawn whom Kyle had captured the day before, was also handed over to them.

Naturally, as it was something that he, the head of the Eleanor family, had committed as the main culprit, Marian and Sylvia were also placed on the list of quasi-suspects and investigated, but their innocence was quickly revealed.

Above all, the biggest reason they could claim innocence was that the two had cooperated with Kyle to reveal Creed’s misdeeds.

As a result, the practical management rights of the Eleanor family were virtually transferred to his wife, Marian, but Marian herself had no desire for the management rights she had obtained by abandoning her husband, even though he had committed misdeeds, so she gave them up.

Thanks to this, the authority naturally passed to her eldest daughter, Sylvia, who was in a complicated state in many ways even after neatly finishing the case.

“You seem very troubled, Princess.”

“Ah, Duke Lyaird….”

She was sitting on a chair in the garden, lost in thought for a moment, and turned her head at the voice from behind.

There, she saw Kyle handing her a mug.

Wondering what it was, she carefully took it and drank it, and her eyes widened at the sour taste that filled her mouth.

“It’s lemon tea. My wife told me to bring it to you.”

“Hehe, thank you. When I was scolded by my father and locked myself in my room, my mother often brought me this tea.”

“There was such a story hidden.”

Kyle also thought it was a bit random, wondering what lemon tea was, but it turned out that it was a tea Sylvia enjoyed drinking when she was upset.

He also realized anew that there was still a lot he didn’t know about her, and carefully approached and stood next to her.

Sylvia’s expression changed to a pout.

“At times like this, you could at least sit next to me and comfort me.”

“I thought you wouldn’t want to show your face right now, so I did that.”

“Tch.”

Usually, she would have clicked her tongue, meaning ‘You’re good with words,’ but now it didn’t have that meaning.

Why is it that he knows my heart so well only at times like this?

That’s the feeling with which she clicked her tongue.

In fact, she didn’t really want to see his face right now.

Of course, his presence is a source of strength, but Sylvia wanted to show only a bright and cheerful side of herself in front of him if possible.

She didn’t want to show her helpless side, struggling with even a small worry, in front of him, who had virtually solved this major incident alone.

“…Anyway, thank you, Duke Lyaird. Come to think of it, I haven’t even thanked you yet.”

“It’s nothing to be thanked for. When you think about it, I’m the one who ousted the Princess’s father.”

“Still. Thanks to you, I was able to fix a lot of things before it was too late. My mother was sad, but she didn’t resent Duke Lyaird. Rather, she was grateful.”

“That’s a relief.”

To be honest, Kyle inwardly thought that Marian or Sylvia would resent him a little.

Even if Sylvia was less likely to do so, he expected that Marian, who had tried to trust her husband until the end, would have a high enough possibility.

So he was a little surprised to hear Sylvia’s words.

He was relieved to think that at least he hadn’t done anything to be hated by the people of this castle.

It’s not important not to be hated.

What’s important is that they recognized it as an act that gave them not just painful memories, but ultimately an opportunity to heal and move forward.

“You seem to have a lot of worries because of the head of the family position.”

“…Yes, a little. Although it’s true that my father committed wrongdoings, I’m the one who’s pulling him down and taking his place. It’s just a strange feeling as a daughter.”

“I think it’s understandable that you feel that way. That’s probably why your wife tried to give up her management rights.”

Kyle nodded in agreement, expecting that the two mothers and daughters would have similar feelings.

That’s how parents and children are.

Even if the parents didn’t give the child good memories, or even if the parents had a troublemaking child who only caused trouble outside.

Everyone feels unfamiliar when they cut ties with that existence and live on.

It must be a strange feeling for a child to cut off that tie with their own hands and enter the position that their parents had built.

That’s why Kyle thought she didn’t need to make a choice right away.

But that doesn’t mean she has a lot of time to spare.

Anyway, because of yesterday’s major incident, the earldom is currently in a rather turbulent state.

In order to quickly restore public sentiment, a new ruler has no choice but to step forward.

“And actually, I’m also scared. Even if I inherit the position of head of the family and rule the family, will the people of the family and the residents of the earldom recognize me?”

“Are you still afraid of the fact that you’re a witch?”

“I’m not afraid of the fact that I’m a witch. I’m just afraid of facing those who will be afraid of me.”

It may seem like a play on words, but as soon as Kyle heard her words, he grasped the essence of what she meant.

In other words, Sylvia is not unable to step forward because her self-esteem is being eroded.

It’s just that she’s so afraid because of the fear of the unknown, of how the world will see her.

Then the answer is simple.

Even if it breaks, there’s no choice but to find out by directly confronting it.

“…Princess, do you have some time later?”

“Yes? Ah, I have plenty of time. But why…?”

“Then I’ll buy some of the Princess’s time. Come with me.”

“Wait a minute…! Duke Lyaird!”

Sylvia had to follow him like a cow being dragged to the slaughterhouse, as he grabbed her hand roughly, something he would never do normally, and abruptly left the castle.

Even in the midst of this embarrassment, she felt a bit of self-loathing when her face flushed for a moment at his thick hand grabbing her wrist, but what could she do?

That’s just how women in love are.

＊＊＊

The place Kyle abruptly dragged her to was none other than the market area, which was famous for being the most crowded place in the Eleanor earldom.

Sylvia, who had been dragged here out of nowhere without knowing why, got out of the carriage and looked around with a dazed expression.

“Isn’t that the Princess…?”

“I think so?”

“Something like that happened yesterday, why did she come all the way here?”

Thanks to the Eleanor family’s twin eagle crest engraved on the carriage, attention was naturally drawn early on.

Murmurs spread quickly among the people around who witnessed her getting out of the carriage, and Kyle, who was listening indifferently, looked down at Sylvia, who was hiding behind him, and said.

“We’ve come all the way to the market, what are you doing? Let’s take a look around.”

I thought he brought me here for some special reason, but what do you mean, take a look around?

At Kyle’s unexpected words, Sylvia puffed out her cheeks, looking up at him with her head barely sticking out like a frightened cat.

“Well, it’s just because I twisted my ankle. More than that, Duke Lyaird, isn’t your tone a bit prickly?”

“It’s your imagination.”

“…You’re not trying to take it out on me like this just because I joked around a bit, are you?”

“I don’t think so, maybe.”

“That’s too much…!”

As such a small banter went back and forth, Sylvia briefly looked around with frightened eyes before belatedly stepping out next to him.

To be honest, walking around this earldom where she was born and raised was much more nerve-wracking and trembling than walking around the Lyaird earldom, where fewer people recognized her.

But it seems that Kyle has his own thoughts, so I have no choice but to follow him now.

“Oh my, look how haggard she is. How much heartache must she have gone through…”

“I know, tsk.”

“That wicked bastard kept her locked up in a solitary room her whole life. How could he be so cruel?”

“Whether it’s a magic eye or something, anyone would think she was born wanting to have it. What’s so great about that eye, how could he treat his own flesh and blood so badly?”

As she walked through the market, Sylvia felt a little strange at the whispers coming from around her.

She had already expected that curses against her father, Creed, would come out of their mouths.

She guessed that there would be more people who would be happy that he had been struck by the hammer of justice, as it was revealed this time that he had been excessively imposing taxes on the earldom to fill his own pockets.

But what was really strange was that even in the midst of the story about that guy, voices of pity and sympathy for her were quite frequent.

It was quite an unexpected reaction for her, who had been guessing that people would be afraid and unable to approach her.

It wasn’t a look like looking at a wild beast, but a look like looking at an abandoned cat.

It was a type of gaze that she had hardly felt while living, so Sylvia looked around with a slightly dazed expression and continued to look around the market.

Then.

“Princess! Thank you! I heard the story this time!”

“Yes, yes…? What story…?”

Sylvia was extremely embarrassed when a plump-looking female store owner of a fruit store suddenly approached and bowed deeply to express her gratitude.

Did I do something?

No matter how much she racked her brain, she couldn’t think of anything.

To resolve her doubts, the woman continued to speak in an excited voice.

“I heard that you reduced the tax rate for us this time and even released wealth to help us…! Thank you so much. Thank you so much.”

“Yes? What is that… Ah!”

Sylvia didn’t know what she was talking about when she first heard the explanation, but she exclaimed when she suddenly remembered the conversation she had with her mother last night.

As a major investigation into Creed continued yesterday, solutions were discussed for the back pockets and excessive tax rates that he had been calling for.

So, as a result of the discussion between Marian and Sylvia, all the wealth in the back pockets that Creed had been calling for separately from the family was returned to where it should have been.

At the same time, it was decided to release the wealth in the family to relieve the commoners who had been suffering from excessive taxes, and to return the tax rate to its original level.

Sylvia didn’t know when the news would spread, but it turned out that Marian had spread it in the name of her daughter, who had become the next head of the family.

In other words, she took measures early on to direct public sentiment towards her daughter.

In fact, Kyle was going to deliver the news while bringing lemon tea earlier, but he happened to hear Sylvia’s worries and ended up delivering it in this way.

It’s a kind of shock therapy.

“Princess, you’ve suffered so much until now. Oh my…!”

“Hey, now you have to call her head of the family!”

“Please take good care of us in the future!”

Starting with the owner of the fruit store, people in the market who had wanted to talk to her at least once flocked in and quickly surrounded her.

“Ah, no. I haven’t decided to…”

In the meantime, Sylvia had never decided to inherit the position of head of the family, so she waved her hands and tried to quickly correct their words.

“……”

“Ah…”

Kyle, who happened to make eye contact, shook his head at her, and it was as if he was telling her with a gentle look that he didn’t usually show, ‘You can do it,’ so she just shut her mouth.

Anyway, he’s really a bad guy.

If you show me that kind of look at times like this, as if saying, ‘I believe in you,’ I can’t give up even if I didn’t intend to.

“…Yes, please take care of me.”

In the end, Sylvia nodded firmly as if to repay his faith, and somehow grabbed the sneaky guy who was trying to run away again with her hand and dragged him back.

Where are you trying to run away, you who created this situation?

You have to be by my side from now on.

Because he’s the one who gave me such a bright light.