Book 8: Chapter 5
“Welcome home, Onii-sama.”
When I got to the palace where I work, I came across Freya ,who happened to be leaving. She smiled when she saw me then bowed and greeted me.
“Ah, Freya. Long-time no see.”
Come to think of it. Freya was the calmest one when she saw me. It was as though I wasn’t in the desert fighting for a month, but just went to the elven side to pay Lucia a visit and brought some souvenirs back. I looked at Freya who was smiling and wanted to say something but couldn’t.
Freya looked at me and then said, “I am very sorry, Onii-sama, but due to the challenges with my identity, I could not welcome you with Her Majesty. I, therefore, hope that you will not reprimand me for not welcoming you. I actually wanted to see you, Onii-sama, after all…”
I watched Freya lower her head. Though Freya is my adopted-sister, few actually acknowledge her as my adopted-sister. As Her Majesty doesn’t make her stance on the matter clear, whenever members of the royal family make an appearance, Freya won’t be present if I’m not. I don’t think Freya got to see Her Majesty while I was gone.
‘I’m aware of it, but I can’t say anything, either. I do feel sorry for Freya, though. Freya is very loyal to me. It’s just that Elizabeth doesn’t want any other child other than me.’
I hugged Freya and then asked, “I won’t find fault with you. To the contrary, I’m a little worried. You weren’t present when I came back yesterday, were you? You didn’t come back at night, either. Have you been that busy with work recently?”
Freya raised her head up and leaned on my chest, seemingly reluctant to let go. She looked at me while she was leaning on my chest. Her expression was still very serious, nonetheless. She replied, “There have, indeed, been a lot of matters to take care of recently. Did you come to any agreements while in the desert, Onii-sama? Socina suddenly gave me a trading agreement that they wanted me to sign. Being clueless as to what happened, I did not dare to sign it, and therefore, it is still pending…”