"Thank you so much for your help this time, Master Radeus, Master Rudeus, Miss Eris!"
Holding Aisha's hand, Lilia bowed deeply to everyone, her manner impeccably respectful.
But this gesture of Lilia's displeased both Radeus and Rudeus.
"What are you saying?"
"We're family!"
Radeus frowned, speaking in a somewhat angry tone.
"Exactly, exactly!"
Rudeus nodded in agreement.
"There's no need for such formalities between family. Or have we grown a little distant after so long apart?"
Then Rudeus and Radeus exchanged a glance and called out to Lilia together.
"Mom Lilia!"
Hearing this, Lilia looked at the two in disbelief. The hand covering her mouth trembled slightly, and tears kept welling in her eyes.
Even as Lilia kept trying to restrain herself, her tears still fell. She covered her mouth and sobbed loudly.
No one knew better than she did how hard her journey had been.
After the Teleportation Incident, she had been transported into the wilderness and had even nearly been captured as a slave. Only thanks to the bracelet Radeus had given her had she avoided that fate.
Raising Aisha alone, sleeping rough and eating on the road, she had finally reached the capital of the Shirone Kingdom, intending to ask the people there for help.
Instead, she had run into that fool of a seventh prince, who had simply imprisoned mother and daughter.
Later, a letter from Paul had reached the palace, and only then had their treatment improved. But those good days had not lasted long before that fool of a seventh prince had started causing trouble again.
Yet beneath the two boys' gentle words, all that suffering seemed less important.
Looking at the sobbing Lilia, Radeus and Rudeus walked up and gently embraced her, one on either side.
Seeing this, Aisha also drew close and