After the two of them finished their coffee, Ellie and Flora headed straight back as the sky began to darken.
During the return trip, Ellie constantly showed interest outside of the carriage.
"Ellie, let's come back here again if you want to..." Flora said.
"Mmhmm!" Ellie replied while gazing out of the carriage window.
Ellie looked so adorable as she stood on the seat, her eyes sparkling as she stared outside.
Seeing this, Flora wished she could keep this moment forever, but she knew that was impossible.
She was well aware that nothing in this world lasts forever.
Not even the goddess she worshipped, 'Aphrodite.'
In the past, there was a scripture that mentioned, 'The goddess Aphrodite once descended to the human world.'
However, that scripture also stated, 'The goddess Aphrodite passed away.'
Even though that scripture didn't mention the countless other gods, the fact that it stated that Aphrodite had died led its to be destroyed by the Church.
Humans believed that gods were immortal. If the gods, whom humans believed to be immortal, could die, then what could possibly last forever?
Herself also believed that Aphrodite had passed away.
If she hadn't, why would she have disappeared from history, and why would all the scriptures mentioning the death of Aphrodite be destroyed?
But even though she believed that Aphrodite had died, the teachings and values that the goddess had imparted still remained to this day, which is why Flora continued to revere her.
'Goddess Aphrodite, please bless this child with a peaceful life,' Flora prayed silently while clasping her hands together.
"Flora, what are you doing?"
Ellie turned toward Flora, curious. She had seen Flora clasping her hands and closing her eyes but didn't know what she was doing.
"Oh... I'm praying for Ellie to have nothing but happiness!" Flora said with a smile.
"Ah... Mmhmm"
Ellie responded, stuttering a bit, before moving from her seat to sit beside Flora.
"J-Just being with you makes me happy."
"I'm not in pain, I'm not hungry, and I'm not afraid of anything."
"So right now, this is the happiest time for me."
Ellie spoke and leaned against Flora's arm before being pulled into a tight hug by Flora.
After some time, they arrived back at the mansion.
The carriage remained parked in front of the mansion for a while without any movement.
This made the butler, who was waiting to welcome them, knock on the carriage door out of curiosity.
"Shh~"
Flora shushed softly as she opened the carriage door.
"Ellie is sleeping."
After she said, she instructed the butler to go inside the mansion and prepare the bed.
Then she gently lifted Ellie, who was now sleeping on the seat, into her arms.
Earlier during the return trip, Ellie had asked Flora to wake her up when they arrived at the mansion.
However, seeing this little girl sleeping so soundly and clutching her tail tightly, who could bear to wake such a sweetly sleeping child?
Flora carried Ellie inside the mansion and went straight to her room.
She laid the little girl down and tucked her in to ensure she slept comfortably.
Knock~ Knock~
"Miss..."
After Flora had finished adjusting Ellie's sleeping position, a knock on the door was followed by the voice of a maid.
"What is it, Grace?"
Flora responded without turning around, though her tone was not cold like usual.
This was because this maid was someone Flora trusted, and this maid had always treated her with respect.
"The master is calling for you."
"I understand."
Flora glanced at the sleeping Ellie for a moment before sighing and leaving the room.
She walked straight, guided by Grace.
The dark corridor on the way to her father's room made her feel quite lonely.
Knock~ Knock~
"I've brought Miss Flora," Grace announced.
"Come in."
With permission granted, Grace bowed and opened the door for Flora.
Flora entered the room, where her father was sitting, reading documents in the dim light.
"What's the matter?"
Flora asked as she casually sat down on the sofa, not caring whether her father permitted it.
Grandolf stared at Flora before averting his gaze back to the documents in front of him.
"Tomorrow, we'll be going to the Astassec family."
"They want to discuss the engagement."
Grandolf spoke in a neutral tone while reading through the details in the document.
Flora remained silent for a moment
"Are they looking to hasten the engagement?"
"Maybe, and maybe not."
Grandolf replied before setting down the document in his hand.
"There's a possibility that they might want to cancel the engagement as well."
"But defying a royal decree isn't easy."
"Unless there's a very important reason, canceling the engagement is almost impossible."
Grandolf spoke while stroking his chin.
Hearing her father's speculation, Flora furrowed her brow.
"If they intend to defy a royal order from us who support the royal family..."
She paused for a moment.
"Could it be that they plan to rebel?"
The room fell silent for a moment after Flora mentioned 'rebellion.'
"...That's unlikely for them."
"Even now, liberal nobles are secretly trying to gather power in the shadows."
"A family like Astassec wouldn't align with the liberals unless they were certain of victory."
Flora was silent for a moment before shaking her head, as she didn't understand the reason for the sudden scheduled meeting with Astassec family.
"Understood. I'll be prepared to visit Astassec family tomorrow."
Grandolf nodded slightly in acknowledgment before returning his focus to the document in front of him.
Seeing that there was nothing more to discuss with her father, Flora immediately left the room.
She walked straight back to her room, and upon opening the door, she noticed that Ellie was now sitting at the foot of the bed, swinging her legs.
"Awake already? It's dark now, you can sleep a bit longer if you'd like."
Ellie shook her head.
"In that case, would you like something to eat?"
Flora sat down next to Ellie.
"Yes..." Ellie replied softly. Flora, noticing how subdued Ellie seemed, couldn't help but wonder what was troubling her, so she asked.
"Ellie, is something bothering you?"
"Yes..."
"In that case, can you tell your big sister about it?"
Flora gently spoke and stroked Ellie's small back.
"Flora sis, ever since I've been with you, everything feels like a dream."
"There's food to eat, so I don't get hungry. You talk to me, so I don't feel lonely, and there's a bed where I can sleep, don't even have to worry about wild boars."
"I don't want this to end, but I also don't want to trouble anyone."
Flora smiled at what Ellie said.
"Ellie, do you remember what I told you?"
"What was it?"
"When I said, 'Ellie can rely on me and make trouble as much as you want.'"
"Ah... Yes, I remember."
"I meant it. Do you want to stay with me from now on?"
Flora spoke with a smile, her eyes full of hope.
"Yes... I want to stay with Flora sis forever..."
Ellie replied softly. Flora's smile widened.
"In that case, I have a something to ask."
Flora stood up and knelt in front of Ellie.
She held Ellie's hands tightly.
"Ellie, would you to like to get adopt by me?"