(This voice…?)

He hurriedly opened the oak door and stepped outside. There, struggling with the guards, was the person he remembered.

“Eurydice!?”

It was unmistakably his younger sister, who was supposed to have died five years ago.

“You… how…?”

“Brother!”

After five years, she ran straight into his arms.

“Brother, I’m so glad! I heard you were well, but…”

“I’m fine, but… you…”

“I escaped. I’ve been in hiding all this time because it would be terrible if I were found…”

Tears glistened in her eyes as she looked up at him, and he embraced her with a mix of relief and emotion.

“I’m glad. At least you are safe…”

“It’s not just me. Others survived too. I wanted to see you sooner, but your position is difficult, and you’re preoccupied with your duties. They told me to wait until things settled down—”

As he listened to his sister’s words, something clicked in Silvio’s mind. Like fireworks illuminating the night, a sudden burst of clarity struck him.

“Who told you that?”

“By the way, you seem different, brother?”

“Answer me! Who told you to wait to see me? Who is ensuring the safety of the Fontana remnants?”

Even as he asked, he already knew the answer. His sister’s reply was just a confirmation.

“Of course, it was Idyllia. But promise me you won’t blame her for keeping it a secret? She had no choice—”

“That day five years ago… Mother had given me an errand, so I left the mansion. On the way, I realised something was wrong and fled with my maid to a nearby church. But we were discovered, and while desperately trying to escape, Idyllia happened to pass by and saved me. She took me into her carriage and even hid me at the Leveaux mansion for about a month…”

Afterward, Idyllia secretly purchased an inconspicuous mansion on the outskirts of the capital and moved Eurydice there. Eurydice, pleading to save other survivors of the Fontana family, was given the mansion as a base. Most of the survivors had been exploited for profit, sold to mines, brothels, or foreign lands. To rescue these people, Idyllia devised a bold plan.

“First, she sold everything she owned to gather a substantial amount of money, then she joined a convent run by an acquaintance.”

“That convent?”

“Yes. The abbess there is a distant relative.” Moreover, the abbess sympathised with the Fontana family’s plight. Thus, Idyllia, having joined the convent, gained significantly more freedom to act than when she had lived at home, and she devotedly took care of Eurydice and others who couldn’t leave. She also collected information during her church errands and secretly rescued those sold off, bringing them to the mansion. Eventually, volunteers from the rescued Fontana remnants formed an organisation to save others and smuggle them abroad.

“Idyllia did all that?”

“Yes.” Eurydice explained that Idyllia’s father and sister eventually found out, but she threatened to expose the conspiracy to the public if they interfered. By then, many Fontana survivors had already been smuggled abroad, so the Leveaux family kept silent to avoid repercussions from the king. Silvio, listening to the explanation, buried his head in his hands.

“No way, such a thing…”

(Idyllia sold everything she had to save the Fontana people?)

Meanwhile, what had he been doing? And what had he done when they reunited? And last night—reflecting back to that moment, Silvio realised something.

“Why did you suddenly come to see me today?”

Eurydice shrugged casually. “Just like I said. I wanted to see you for a while, but the situation was complicated, so I was told to wait. If it became known that we were alive, everyone might be captured and killed, and you said you didn’t want to see any Fontana survivors, right?”

“──That’s true…” He had indeed said that when asked if he wanted to meet any Fontana survivors, not knowing the full situation. Feeling a pang of guilt, Silvio covered his mouth with his hand.

“I’m sorry. But I had so many things I needed to do…”

“I’m not blaming you. Anyway, because of that, Idyllia and I always met secretly to update each other. But this morning, she didn’t show up for our scheduled meeting.”

“──Scheduled…?” He suddenly realised. “Was the person you were meeting in the carriage you?”

Silvio’s subordinates had reported that Idyllia sometimes left the palace to meet someone. When they checked the carriage, they found a beautiful, strong-willed woman inside.

(Idyllia had said it was a maid and foster sister—)

“Yes,” Eurydice admitted readily. “Recently, Queen Beatrice has been harassing Idyllia to get her to obey, making things difficult. I needed to discuss something urgently with her today—”

She stuck out her tongue slightly. “So I tried to sneak into the palace, thinking I could manage it alone… but I failed. But I’m glad I got to see you.”

She threw her arms around him again, hugging him tightly. “I missed you… Hearing that you were alive made me so happy…!”

“Eurydice, tell me.”

“What?”

“Do you know where Idyllia might have gone?”

She lifted her face from his embrace, tilting her head. “Isn’t she here?”

“No, actually—” It was difficult to explain, but time was of the essence. Silvio recounted the events of the previous night honestly. Eurydice’s face turned pale as she listened, the colour draining from her cheeks.

“I can’t believe it…”

The tears welling up in her large eyes pierced his heart.

“She’s our benefactor! It’s not just me—many from the Fontana family owe their lives to her…”

Eurydice pulled away and clutched her brother’s clothing, pleading desperately.

“Find her immediately. Please, Brother… Reassure us both…”

“You don’t need to tell me.”

Silvio ordered a subordinate to summon a carriage for his sister, then turned on his heel and left with determined strides.