Through Little Sirin's portal, Rita and Mia returned to the Imperial Capital once again.
As for Little Sirin, Rita did not have her follow along. It was inconvenient at the moment; at the very least, she would have to wait until Rita and Lady Bianka left the Imperial Capital together.
However, she did not force Little Sirin to go back either, merely telling her to go play somewhere else by herself.
With Little Sirin's current abilities, even the Demon Gods of this world could do nothing to her, so Rita was quite at ease.
After sending Little Sirin away, Mia finally could not suppress her curiosity any longer.
"Big Sister Rita, that Sister Sirin... is she really your daughter?"
Worry tinged Mia's voice. Little Sirin did not look much younger than her, perhaps even one or two years older. Yet Lady Rita looked to be under twenty.
Why did she have such a grown daughter?
Of course, Mia knew that this world possessed things that could preserve one's appearance. As a Hero, it would be perfectly normal for Rita to remain young forever.
"Yes! But she's only my adopted child..."
"Adopted... I see."
Only upon hearing that answer did Mia feel relieved. So she was only adopted, not what Mia had feared.
After returning to the princess's palace, Mia had barely parted ways with Rita when Freia's maid summoned her the very next second.
With unease in her heart, Mia considered how she could deal with Freia. After all, she had been gone for so long today. Without a good excuse, she would never get past Freia.
Fortunately, she only had to face Freia, not Norn.
She could still conceal things from Freia. If she had to face Princess Norn, she would not even have the courage to lie.