I was momentarily stiff, but after a brief pause, I barely managed to take a step toward my grandfather. He hadn’t even realized I had entered the room—there wasn’t a hint of a reaction from him.

“…….”

My grandfather’s excessively pale hand was hanging off the side of the bed.

Before I could even control my trembling lips, I brought my ear close to his chest.

But all I could hear near my ear was the sound of my own heart, pounding with fear, and nothing else.

“W-what do I…”

Only when I hurriedly brought my finger to the tip of his nose did I feel a warm breath.

At that moment, the strength in my legs gave out.

Thud!

A wave of relief rushed over me and I plopped down on the floor.

‘T-that’s a relief…….’

My pitch-black vision slowly began to clear.

……Not yet.

I hadn’t even had the chance to thank Grandfather.

There was so much I had received from him that I didn’t even know how I could begin to repay it.

“Grandfather…….”

I clumsily grabbed his hand. Fortunately, his warm body temperature enveloped me.

“……Could you please wait just a little longer, just a tiny bit?”

This wasn’t what I wanted to say.

But my lips, full of anxiety, could only mutter childlike whining. I felt so pathetic that I bowed my head deeply.

“There’s still so much I want to do with you, Grandfather.”

I didn’t want to say goodbye. It truly felt like the end was near.

“Do you remember back then? When you said you’d teach me how to ride a horse?”

…….

“But I was so scared that you promised you’d ride with me whenever I did.”

I bit my lip tightly.

“You said that once I was no longer afraid, you’d teach me horseback riding again.”

A lot of time had passed.

The young girl who couldn’t even place her foot properly in the stirrup could now climb onto a horse without hesitation.

She, who used to be terrified of the outside world, could now gather her courage and step out of the room.

“You still think of me as a coward, Grandfather, but I’m not scared anymore.”

What I feared most back then was the thought of never being able to return to where I once lived.

But ironically, what I feared most now was parting with Grandfather.

“There’s still so much I want to tell you. I haven’t even thanked you yet. So please, wait for me to come back.”

Worried that my coldness might transfer to him, I tried to pull my hand away, but I felt a faint grip holding onto me.

“……!”

Grandfather’s eyes twitched for a moment. Just as my lips trembled, I heard the voices of the servants outside the door bringing food.

Only then did I barely manage to speak.

“……I won’t do anything that would make Grandfather hate me.”

At the very least, I hoped that the last scenery he would see was peaceful.

* * *

[To my dear Bianca,

Bianca, it seems I won’t be able to make time for a while. So first, I’ll let you know the address where my father is staying.

If you tell him you’re my friend, he’ll welcome you warmly!

He’s always been concerned about my friendships, so he might treat you with overwhelming hospitality—don’t be too surprised.

I should have gone with you, and I feel terribly regretful that I couldn’t.

Please kindly forgive my rudeness.

-Your forever friend, Idette

P.S. Actually, Bianca, you’re the very first friend I’ve introduced to my father.]

I hope Bianca, too, can feel how happy this makes me!]

I headed straight to the address with the letter Idette had sent.

But my mind was still in turmoil, and as I kept biting my lips in frustration, Arkan gave me a strange look.

[My lady, is something not going well for you?]

He was asking if things weren’t going well for me…?

It was a relatively simple question, but I couldn’t even come up with an answer. So I threw the question back at him.

“What do you think?”

[That is truly a difficult question! I am but a guide to your path, and the judgment that follows must come from you alone to be accurate.]

He stared at me intently for a moment before quietly continuing.

[Is the reason for that expression perhaps because you fear what lies at the end of the path we are heading toward?]

[My lady, steps without a destination are bound to hit a dead end someday. If that happens, the path I guide you on loses its meaning.]

“No, my purpose was clear from the beginning.”

Having received such unconditional and immense love, I was determined to cure Grandfather’s illness no matter what.

Since I had received the love that was originally meant for the original Bianca, I had to at least repay it.

[Then that’s a relief! It makes me very happy to know I’ve been of great help to you, my lady.]

Normally, Arkan would’ve disappeared after finishing what he had to say.

But for some reason today, he kept writing and erasing his words over and over, unlike his usual self.

[But then, why do you wear such an expression, my lady?]

I froze at the words that finally appeared.

[The path you’re walking now is perfect! So, if your desire remains the same, your expression should be like that of a conqueror on the brink of victory. But it’s so different from what I expected every time that it’s quite bewildering.]

[The adventurers who journeyed with me always acted like well-fed predators. They would even praise me, saying I was amazing, and that would lift my spirits.]

[That was my only joy, but seeing you never make an excited face is making me a little down……]

[Actually, not just a little—a lot……]

I smiled and responded to Arkan’s words.

“You don’t have to be discouraged. I’m just not used to showing my emotions.”

At that, he once again wrote and erased several times.

……What on earth is he trying to say?

Just as I was waiting for him to speak again, I finally arrived at the address Idette had mentioned.

I tucked Arkan into my bag and carefully knocked on the door.

Knock, knock.

‘I hope he has the item Arkan mentioned……’

If he wasn’t the one, it would’ve all been for nothing, and the uncertainty made me anxious.

“Is this the residence of Mr. Leonard, by any chance?”

No sooner had I asked than I heard a commotion inside. A loud crashing sound followed, startling me into flinching.

A moment later—

Bang!

“Ah, the rent is due at the end of the month……”

Scratching the back of his head awkwardly, Leonard opened the door. His eyes widened when he saw me standing there. Tilting his head, he muttered to himself.

“Did the landlord change or something?”

He looked just like Idette, with the same appearance and her unique warmth written all over his face.

‘……No matter how you look at it, they’re clearly father and daughter.’

I paused for a moment, taken aback by the resemblance, but quickly opened my mouth.

“No! I’m Idette’s friend……”

Just as I was about to continue, Leonard’s mouth fell open.

“O-our Idette actually had a friend?”

Was it really that surprising?

There wasn’t a single lie in Idette’s letter.

“Oh my, wait a second. Then you must be Bianca, right? Am I correct?”

“……Oh? How did you know?”

“That’s the only girl’s name I’ve ever heard from that child.”

Good thing Idette had set things up beforehand.

‘That should make things go more smoothly.’

Breathing a sigh of relief, I hurriedly explained the situation, but he didn’t seem to be paying much attention to my words.

……How should I put this?

It felt like he was half-listening, half-not, just staring at me with a proud look on his face, like he was touched to death by Idette being such a fine young lady.

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