Chapter 2: Reunion with Parents

“Huh!? You mean that man was a kidnapper!?”

“That is correct. I regret that I could not condemn him with my own hands.”

According to the story I heard from Tanya inside the carriage, the man who hit me three years ago was not my father or anything of the sort; on the contrary, he was the criminal who kidnapped me. Apparently, three years ago, my parents took me to visit my maternal grandfather’s territory. I was kidnapped during that visit. One of the maids employed at my grandfather’s house was the mistress of the kidnapper, and it seems she guided him in committing the crime. Handed over from the maid to the man, I was made to change into tattered clothes to avoid standing out and was taken to those Slums. That was where I was beaten and regained the memories of my previous life.

“A ransom note arrived, and we headed to the exchange location. However, hours passed past the designated time, yet there was no contact from the culprit. Eventually, the maid’s crime came to light, and when we went to the Slums to apprehend the kidnapper, the man was already dead on the street. Lady Sakuraile’s  trail went completely cold there.”

If I recall correctly… after that, I was picked up by the pharmacist granny and immediately taken out of the country. I spent the next year traveling here and there on a wandering journey, so… Since I was in a foreign country, it makes sense that I wasn’t found. I eventually returned to this country, but I lived in that border town, not the capital city where I was snatched. They never imagined I had already left the country, so it seems they conducted a thorough search in my grandfather’s territorial capital. And a top-secret one at that. A daughter of a ducal house connected to the royal family being kidnapped is a scandal of the highest order. There are political enemies to consider, and publicizing the information could have created further danger for me. I understand their desire to keep it secret. Big cities have reasonable inspections when entering, but they are lax when leaving. Unless there are special orders. It seems we just had bad timing and left without being found. At that time, I was exhausted and lying down inside the covered wagon the whole time… Maybe the gatekeepers of the territorial capital just let us through. …Wait a minute. Does that mean… back then, if I had just waited there after the man died, would someone have come for me right away? Did I end up living in the Slums for three years because I ran away…? Even before that, if I hadn’t run away from the man, I might have been rescued normally and returned home safely… Whaaaaaat, what was I doing! Me! …No, no. There is no point in discussing hypotheticals. What is important is what I do from now on.

“Um, well, I… I don’t have any memories from before I was in the Slums…”

“That appears to be the case… However, you might remember if you meet your parents. Please do not lose heart.”

The carriage is traveling straight toward the Royal Capital. It apparently takes about five days by carriage from the border town where I lived. I never thought I would be going to the Royal Capital. One of the knights rode ahead on a horse as a herald to the Royal Capital. They said he is going to inform the Duke and Duchess as soon as possible. Hmm, but me, a Duke’s daughter, huh… It doesn’t feel real at all. My previous life was as a commoner, and a poor student at that. Ignoring my feelings, the attendants properly groomed my clothes and hair in the towns we passed before entering the Royal Capital. I was surprised when I looked in the mirror. I never thought I would end up doing the “Is this really me…?” trope. Sigh… when dressed up, I suppose I do look like a Duke’s daughter. Is this what they mean by clothes make the man? But this face… I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere. No, not in a mirror, but somewhere in my previous life… Where was it again…? Well, whatever. And five days later, the carriage finally entered the Royal Capital and is heading toward the Le Philharmonie ducal residence. The Royal Capital was huge and everything I saw was rare, but my state of mind was too occupied for that.

“I’m getting kind of nervous…”

Will it be okay? I have absolutely no memories of my parents. Even if I was three, I think my personality would have been somewhat formed. Won’t they think I’m a different person because my personality is too different? Well, my memories up to age three disappeared and my past life memories revived, so I am practically a different person, though.

“It will be fine. You are unmistakably Lady Sakuraile, after all. Look, we have arrived.”

The carriage comes to a quiet stop. Led by the hand by Tanya, I stepped down from the carriage, and before my eyes was a surprisingly large mansion. Huuuge…! It really lives up to the name of a Duke’s house. There’s a garden and even a fountain. There’s something like a rose garden over there. How many acres is this property…? While I was thinking such pointless things, someone ran toward me from the front entrance. It was a woman. Ah, she tripped. While I was flustered by the woman who fell, she immediately stood up, ran toward me at full speed, and hugged me powerfully just like that.

“Ah, Sakuraile…! You did well to survive…!”

“Ah…”

I knew immediately. This person is my mother. She looks quite young, in her early twenties, but I am six, so it’s not impossible. Mom lifted her face, which was messy with tears, and gently cupped my face with both hands.

“Let me look at your face more closely? Fufu, you haven’t changed. Do you remember? It’s Mom.”

“U-Um, I’m sorry. I… don’t remember anything from before I was three…”

“I heard. It must have been hard. But you are unmistakably my daughter. Sakuraile Le Philharmonie.”

Declaring so, Mom smiled while shedding tears again. Pale cherry blossom-colored hair, just like mine. Her eye color is blue, which is different, but I certainly seem to have inherited this person’s blood.

“Hey now, Ashley. She is my daughter as well, not just yours, you know? It’s not good to hog her.”

“Wa!?”

Suddenly, big hands reached out from the side and lifted me up. Before my eyes was the figure of a man, wet with tears just like Mom.

“My, you’ve become heavy while I haven’t seen you! This looks like it will be tough on my arms. Hahaha, I need to work out a little!”

Long blond hair and jade eyes, the same as mine. A handsome man, also in his early twenties, was holding me up. Could this person be my father? He’s young!

“U-Um…”

“Our daughter has returned…! Nine Goddesses of Creation, I thank you…!”

Hugged by the man who appears to be my father, I became unable to say anything. For some reason, tears welled up in my eyes too. It was because I felt the earnest feelings of these parents who continued to search without abandoning a glimmer of hope, even in the despair of losing a child. I am sorry to say, but they are objective tears. The same as tears shed watching a moving movie or drama. However, I could understand that these two cherished me, and that they would never let me go through such an experience again. Seeing the three of us, the surrounding maids, the old butler, the members of the knight order, and even the other servants were shedding tears in the same way. Feeling somewhat embarrassed, I buried my face in my father’s shoulder.

◇　◇　◇

“Where is Sakuraile?”

“She went to sleep. Fufu, such a cute sleeping face. I wanted to watch her forever.”

Returning to the living room, Ashley smiles happily. Her husband, the head of the Le Philharmonie ducal house, Claude Le Philharmonie, dazzlingly gazed at his wife’s heartfelt smile, the first in three years. As if to escape that brilliance, Claude’s gaze turned toward Tanya and Yuan, who were waiting at the side.

“So, you buried that pharmacist woman respectfully?”

“Yes. I requested the priest to manage the grave in the name of the Ducal House. I am sure she will journey peacefully to the heavens.”

“Good. She is a benefactor who protected and raised my daughter until this day. Ordinarily, I would want to thank her family as well, but it seems her son is hopeless trash. Do not interfere with him at all.”

“Yes.”

This meant that in the unlikely event the pharmacist’s son learned about Sakuraile and came saying, “My mother is the benefactor of a Duke’s daughter. Give me a reward,” they were not to entertain him. Officially, Sakuraile has been recuperating from an illness in the territory for the past three years. The fact that she was kidnapped does not exist. Even if a scum commoner man who abandoned his mother’s corpse screams, no one would believe him.

“Even so, to think she has no memories from before three years ago…”

“It seems the man who kidnapped her persistently hit Lady Sakuraile on the head. Due to that shock, her memories…”

“…Damn him! I wanted to tear him apart with my own hands!”

Claude spits out his smoldering anger. However, the kidnapper is already dead. The maid who guided him was also executed. There is already no one to vent his anger on. Ashley gently placed her hand on Claude’s clenched fist.

“Let us rejoice that the child came home safely, darling. We must love her for those three years, no, even more than that.”

“…Ah, you’re right. That’s right, we must make that child happy from now on.”

Admonished by his wife, Claude regains his composure. Yes, it starts now. To regain those peaceful days, they must strive even harder.

“Did you inform Father-in-law?”

“Yes, via express mail. I think he will come here within a few days.”

The one who regretted Sakuraile’s kidnapping more than anyone was Ashley’s father and Sakuraile’s grandfather, the Margrave Zalbag On Einsatz. After all, his granddaughter was kidnapped while she was visiting his place. And by the guidance of a maid he had employed himself. The Margrave On Einsatz apologized to the Duke and Duchess Le Philharmonie countless times. The man once called the ‘Lion of the Empire’ and feared on the battlefield had aged rapidly, perhaps due to the mental strain. However, his daughter has returned safely. Hopefully, this will erase his guilt.

“I must inform my older brother and mother about this as well. I have to send a messenger immediately.”

“I am sure both of them will be pleased.”

Claude, the Duke Le Philharmonie, is the younger brother of the Emperor. His older brother, Windham Le Sinfonia, was the Emperor of this country, the Sinfonia Empire. He is a brother who, for the sake of his niece, helped both publicly and privately since Sakuraile was kidnapped. He will surely be happy. There is a mountain of things to do starting tomorrow. For a while, they will observe Sakuraile’s health, and after that, she must undergo the [Ceremony of Revelation] to receive a [Gift]. Normally, the [Ceremony of Revelation] is taken around age three, but Sakuraile was kidnapped without taking it. Considering she was in the Slums, Sakuraile probably has not taken the [Ceremony of Revelation]. Just that alone puts her three years behind others. The [Ceremony of Revelation] can be taken until age seven. It is still within the range where she can catch up. There is no problem. Claude tells himself that.

“I hope she receives a good [Gift]…”

Claude could not help but pray to the heavens for his daughter, who must have gone through painful experiences.

◇　◇　◇

“…Gah, I remembereeeeeed!”

Throwing off the covers with a start, I returned from the world of dreams. The room where the moonlight shines in is not a six-tatami mat apartment, nor the familiar dilapidated shack, but the room of the Duke’s daughter, Sakuraile Le Philharmonie. I jumped off the unnecessarily large bed and stood before the vanity in the dim light, staring intently at my own figure. It’s not vertical ringlets, but the resemblance is clear. There is no mistake.

“The Le Philharmonie family, the Sinfonia Empire, and Sakuraile … isn’t this the world of the otome game [Starlight Symphony]…!”

Inside the mirror, a child who looked exactly like one of the villainesses of that otome game, [Starlight Symphony], Sakuraile Le Philharmonie, stood in a daze.