Then, the day of Andres’s coming-of-age ceremony came.

  Since you were there, you should already know about it. Although it was intended for only a small ‘family’ ceremony, many nobles from all factions came to witness his coming-of-age ceremony. Those nobles even brought their daughters with them. That was why it took too long. Long enough to cause you to miss ‘it.’

  With you and Aria standing behind me, I personally administer his ceremony. Then, after Paul gave him a set of clothes, I also presented him with a pair of shoes. Thereafter, everyone flooded in and gave him their ‘gifts’ to congratulate him. I still remember how unhappy you were to see that. You really didn’t like seeing your brother become popular.

  I have to mention it. Not only you, but I also began to get fed up with them. It was long past afternoon when they finished it. And it was late evening when we could start that ‘party.’

  Then, after we wrapped up that party, it was almost midnight, so we sent you, who was asleep, to your room with your nanny.

  That was when we thought, ‘That was it.’ However, I noticed that, instead of heading to her chamber, Aria went to that garden. She walked into that garden alone in the middle of the night. Although it was a full moon and it was bright enough for you to see, it was not advised to venture to that place alone.

  At first, I tried to brush it aside. Since that garden was built, Aria has been frequenting that place with you all the time. After all, it was her favorite place. Yet, I felt something was off at that time. My instinct told me to follow her.

  So, Paul and I began to follow her. Then, as I was about to call out to her, we were stopped by Bishop Theo. Then he led us to the Great Tower. On top of that tower, many people were already there. It made me feel like we were played by those people. And Paul looked at Bishop Theo in displeasure. Yet, that guy did not flinch. He even gave a smirking face at us. That uncle of yours, he really did not feel fear.

  When we looked down, we saw Aria quietly sitting on the bench under the great tree, looking at the full moon.

  Without any artificial lighting, Aria was surrounded by only the moonlight and the fireflies that had been living in that garden. So, we just silently observed her. After a short while, we heard a voice.

  “Your Holiness.” It was your brother’s voice.

  Upon hearing him calling her, Aria turned her head from the moon to him. Then, she slowly stood up. With a warm smile, she said. “Thank you very much for coming.”

  “Please don’t say that, Your Holiness.” In a panic, he replied to her. Then he added, “Ah, I apologize for making you wait.”

  However, receiving his apology, Aria shook her head in denial. “No, it should be me who needs to apologize. It was a sudden request. I am sorry.”

  “No, please don’t say that, Your Holiness. I am always ready for your command. Please feel free to summon me anytime you want.” Yes, that was his response, Lucy. Your brother tends to lose his cool around Aria.

  At that time, seeing him panic, Aria let out a soft laugh, then, as if reminiscing about a good memory, she said. “I am glad. Seeing you like that brings me back to the time during my pilgrimage.”

  “Your Holiness.” Although your brother stood with his back to us, I knew that he would be embarrassed at that time. After all, his voice told me so.

  Then Aria looked up at the full moon. With a voice full of nostalgia, Aria said. “It has been a long time since then.”

  Andres, too, looked at the moon as he replied. “Yes, Your Holiness.” Then he shifted his gaze to Aria. “Do you miss those times?”

  Hearing his question, Aria turned to look at him, and with a soft smile, she said. “It would be a lie if I said I did not miss those times. It was truly a good time.”

  At that time, as she talked about those times, her voice underlined her happiness. Then Aria shifted her to the moon again as she added. “I got to meet Lucy. I got to meet my teacher. I got to meet you. I got to do those things. I got to save those people. It made me happy just to think about it.”

  This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.

  Facing Aria’s honest thought, your brother asked Aria in a calm tone. “Then, shall we do it again? Your pilgrimage?”

  Then, without looking back at him, with her gaze fixed on the moon, Aria calmly said. “Thank you, Andres. … However, it is not the time yet.”

  Then, as if to shift the mood, Aria suddenly turned to him. With a cheerful voice, she said to him. “Come to think of it, you have really grown taller.”

  Upon hearing her bring up an unexpected topic, we noticed his body stiffen. Then, as if to show us her ignorance again, we saw Aria closing the distance, and then she tiptoed to him. “You were shorter than me when we first met. Now, you have outgrown me. See? I could not measure up to you.”

  She even extended her hand up as if she were trying to measure his height.

  Upon seeing this, everyone became excited, yet I saw Paul move his hand toward his sword.

  Then, we could hear your brother call Aria in confusion, “Your Holiness?”

  After that, as if she had just realized what she had done, Aria took a few steps back and said in panic. “Ah, sorry, I might have startled you.”

  “Ah, no, Your Holiness, not at all.” Then, your brother weakly replied. We could see that he could not recover from her surprise attacks.

  We did not know what kind of face he made, but we could see Aria giggling at him. “You really have not changed much. It really brings me back to our first meeting.” Then, with a slight smile, she muttered. “I am glad.”

  “Pardon?” Although we could hear her, perhaps he did not catch on to her last sentence because the psychological attack was too great for him to bear; he said that to Aria.

  Then Aria cheerfully said, “I am glad that you have grown up healthy. Seeing everyone accepting you, praising you like that, really made me happy.”

  Upon hearing that, Andres took a step forward. Then he said, “Your Holiness… It might be true that many people have accepted me. However, what mattered to me the most was you accepting me.”

  When we heard that, I could see many people’s faces turn sour. They might feel offended by his remark. Yet, they immediately looked at each other's faces and sighed. They even make a face as if it were something beyond their means. I felt that everyone came to a term that no one could rival Aria in your brother’s eyes.

  And Aria, when she heard him say that, let out a pout. Then she began to scold him.

  “Please don’t say that. It would disregard everyone's effort coming today. Didn’t you see that many people came to celebrate with you? Even this afternoon, didn’t you receive many congratulatory gifts from other people?”

  Then, as if remembering something, she took something out of her pocket.

  Then, she hesitantly said to him. “I was told that I don’t have to prepare any gift for you. However, I don’t feel comfortable about it. So, I prepared this small gift.”

  After she said that, she pushed out that ‘gift’ with both hands. Then, she looked up to him with a gentle smile and said. “Andres, congratulations on becoming an adult. May your future be filled with glory.”

  What Aria presented him was a small box. That was what we could catch a glimmer of. However, after Andres accepted her gift, we could no longer see it as his back hid it from us.

  At that moment, after he accepted it, he happily asked her permission to open that box. “Your holiness. Thank you. May I open it?”

  “Please.” With a warm smile, she replied to him.

  “This…”

  “Andres, …. Thank you for living with the light,” Areia said that with a smile. Lucy, you should have been there at that time. That smile… That was the closest to her ‘real’ smile.

  After she said that, she brought both of her hands to her chest as if she were praying. With that ‘smile’ still on her face, she continued.

  “I made a wish when I made this.”

  “I wish for you always to find your light.”

  “So, Andres, please continue to live with the light. May you always follow your light.”

  That last sentence of hers—she said it earnestly as if she was pleading with him.

  Then I responded. Andres resolutely replied. “I will, even without your command, I will. I will, Your Holiness.”

  Then, Aria also accepted it with her smile. “Thank you.”

  Do you know, Lucy? At that time, I could not help but think back to the time he confessed—ah, no, the time when he dedicated himself to her. He told her that she is his light. And then she told him to live with the light... to follow his light. Was she doing it on purpose?

  Did she accept the role as his light? Did she allow him to follow her, who was his light? Did she accept him?

  As you know, during his ‘dedication,’ he asked her for three permissions. One of which was her role as his saintess. After that day, she stopped correcting him when he called her ‘Your Holiness.’ It was as if she accepted her role as his saintess.

  Then, did it mean she also ‘accepted’ her role as his light? I was not sure, Lucy. If so, at that time, she told him to follow his ‘light.’ Did it mean she indirectly told him to follow her?

  I was not sure at that time.

  However, I scrapped that idea immediately when I heard Archbishop Henry’s comment at that time.

  After he witnessed that, he sighed and said weakly. “Didn’t I say Aria is a pure girl?”

  Hearing him say that, Paul, too, with a grim face, said. “Indeed, this is milady.”

  So, we arrived at the conclusion that it was just another episode of Aria’s innocence.

  Well, that was not the first time for your mother, and surely it will not be the last time.

  Yet, with a complicated expression, your grandpa said heavily as he looked at those two in the garden. “We have to ensure that he will never be alone with milady.”

  To which I immediately agreed. “I agree. He should never be alone with Aria.”

  Lucy, that is all the clues I can give you.

  We could only know that it was something she made herself. It was just a small thing. Yet. We could not know what exactly it was. I hope it can help you uncover this mystery.

  So, please also tell me when you found it. Paul and I really wanted to know what it was. Please, Lucy.