Princess Sails felt much as Annan had when she first saw Montreal Mountain, though her feelings held a little more reverence and kinship.
To the Montreal family, Montreal Mountain was sacred, the place where their family began. Only their ancestral lands in Wilhelm mattered more.
A rare trace of fear crossed Princess Sails's face. She had no right to return here.
"I..."
"Don't worry. Everyone here is friendly. I've met the emperor. He talks a lot," Annan boasted, pushing the homesick Princess Sails toward the Manor in the Outskirts.
In the quiet, Princess Sails said softly, "Clo was a boy who always pushed himself..."
It took Annan a moment to remember that she meant the Betrayer who had sold out his country and its people.
The Dean slowed down, gradually falling behind Annan and Princess Sails.
"When Clo was little, our father kept telling him he had to surpass the Golden Families. Father shaped and controlled every part of his life. That obsession changed him forever..."
As Princess Sails spoke, Annan began to picture someone pitiable and hateful in equal measure. But he didn't care.
Everyone had a story of their own, whether sad, happy, or angry. But some things should be done, and others shouldn't.
"I know a story much like yours."
When the Manor gates came into view, Annan told her the story of the Mad Dog Duke and Claire.
"...In the end, Claire exploited a loophole in the Blood of Madness and sent both her soul and Younger Brother's to Hell."
Claire had been truly kind. She had not merely sacrificed herself. After saving Younger Brother, she had not selfishly forgiven him on behalf of the dead, but sent him to Hell to face punishment.
"I'm not that good..." Princess Sails's eyes dimmed.
"That's all right. There's