OHNIR – Chapter 83
Chapter 83: The Meeting
The Amirium family’s estate was a bit far, requiring about a half-hour carriage ride from the Holy Light Magic Academy in the center of the capital.
Oliver, adhering strictly to etiquette, did not remain in the carriage, leaving Kelusta to sit alone inside.
Her hands, which rarely wore gloves that matched her dress, were folded in her lap. A faint ripple of emotion stirred in her golden eyes as she quietly watched the scenery recede swiftly outside the window.
She had to admit that no matter how outwardly calm she appeared, she was undeniably a little nervous.
—Even though she hadn't decided whether to formally rejoin the family, she still wanted to present her best self to her grandmother, her only remaining close relative.
Kelusta sighed imperceptibly, her gaze unfocused, and she involuntarily began to silently recite the rules of noble etiquette Gloria had once taught her.
In any case, she couldn't afford to neglect any preparations, lest she falter at a critical moment.
She didn't know how long she had been lost in thought, but when Oliver gently tapped on the carriage window, Kelusta was startled awake. She turned to see the butler offering a warm smile as he respectfully opened the door for her.
“Young Miss, if you please.”
Kelusta pressed her lips together, lifted the hem of her skirt, and rose. She took Oliver's thoughtfully offered hand and, with his firm support, slowly descended the carriage steps.
The moment her high-heeled shoes touched the ground, she lifted her gaze and, as expected, looked past the exquisitely wrought-iron gates to the castle-like edifice beyond.
It looked ancient; both its architectural style and the brownish-gray color of its outer walls exuded a profound and dignified air. Tall spires soared upward, forming a sharp, triangular roof—a classic and ancient design that lent the estate an immediate sense of solemnity and austerity.
Kelusta took a deep breath, feeling the knot of tension in her heart tighten.
“Young Miss?” Seeing her gaze fixed on the ducal estate, not even blinking, Oliver smiled with a hint of satisfaction and gently reminded her, “We can go in now.”
“Oh, right.” Realizing she had lingered outside the gate for too long, Kelusta turned to the kindly butler, offered a small smile, and nodded. “Let's go.”
Oliver beamed and made an inviting gesture, then took a half-step forward to lead the way for Kelusta.
As they approached the main gate, the butler gave a slight wave of his hand. The two sturdy gates suddenly swung inward with a series of clanks, opening wide in a welcoming gesture.
Kelusta blinked and, at Oliver's prompting, was the first to step inside, her foot landing on the stone path that stretched from the gate to the mansion across the lawn—
“Welcome home, Young Miss!”
A perfectly synchronized chorus erupted, startling Kelusta. Her head snapped up, her eyes wide with alarm as she stared at the crowd that had suddenly emerged from the flowerbeds lining the path.
They were smiling, dressed in servants' uniforms, and had swiftly and with great discipline formed two lines along the path, clearly arranged to welcome their newly returned young mistress.
As Kelusta's gaze met theirs, the servants' faces lit up with joy. They bowed to her in unison and once again shouted enthusiastically, “Welcome home, Young Miss—!”
Kelusta: “…”
She stared at them blankly before turning to look at Oliver, who was clearly in on the surprise. He looked thoroughly pleased with the servants' performance, his face a picture of satisfaction, and he even managed to offer Kelusta a benevolent smile.
“Young Miss, please go on,” said the butler, who had clearly orchestrated the entire welcome, chuckling. “The Duchess is waiting for you inside.”
Kelusta managed a strained, startled smile.
She could only think that the Amirium family… had a truly peculiar style. What had happened to the “ancient ducal family, always dignified and solemn, with the most rigid standards of etiquette” she had heard about?
—It seemed all that etiquette she had just been reciting could be thrown out the window.
Kelusta walked cautiously along the stone path. Though a little embarrassed, she felt a warmth spreading through her heart. With a faint smile on her face, she made sure to turn and offer a quiet greeting to each pair of servants she passed.
Oliver, walking behind her, was visibly moved. The servants she greeted also looked thrilled, so much so that they began whispering audaciously among themselves, heedless of their supervisor's presence.
“Oh my heavens, by the Light Goddess, that's our Young Miss! She's so beautiful, and she actually spoke to us. Have you ever seen a noble lady be so polite to servants?”
“I was worried the Young Miss might not be an easygoing mistress… Looks like I was overthinking it. She's so kind!”
“I never expected the Young Miss to be so gentle and poised. She doesn't seem like a commoner at all; she's just like any other noble lady.”
“Susan, look! Mr. Oliver is smiling so wide his eyes have practically disappeared. I've never seen him so happy. It seems the head butler is very pleased with the Young Miss, too!”
Kelusta overheard bits of their conversation, and even her thick skin couldn't prevent a faint blush from rising to her cheeks. She gave a light cough and glanced back at Oliver, only to find the butler beaming with a smile so wide it made his eyes disappear.
She turned her head back, her expression complicated.
“In the version I heard, didn't Mother run away because Grandfather was too old-fashioned and obsessed with propriety?” Kelusta asked the System, bewildered. “So why is the Amirium family completely different from what I imagined?”
The System replied, even more bewildered: “If you don't know, how could I? …But frankly, a cheerful and easygoing family atmosphere, aside from feeling a bit dissonant, isn't a bad thing. It's much better than one so austere it feels like they might eat you alive.”
“…Alright, you have a point.”
Kelusta sighed softly. The atmosphere had indeed lifted a great deal of weight from her shoulders, and the nervousness she had cultivated before arriving had completely vanished.
At the end of the stone path was a short flight of stairs leading to the mansion's closed main doors. Kelusta lifted her gaze, gathered her long skirt, and ascended step by step. With the eyes of the butler and all the servants on her, she raised her hand, preparing to knock on the solid brown wood.
However, before her bent knuckles could touch the surface, the doors swung open as if by magic. To Kelusta's renewed astonishment, an elderly woman with a full head of white hair, leaning on a cane, appeared in the doorway, capturing her entire attention.
—A voice in Kelusta's heart whispered, This is my grandmother.
Just as Kelusta broke into a smile, ready to step forward for an embrace, the old woman—her face deeply etched with smile lines, her eyes brimming with tears—suddenly dropped her exquisite cane with a clatter. In a few quick strides, she closed the distance with the speed of a sprinter and, as the girl's smile froze on her face, pulled Kelusta into her arms, weeping and sighing.
“My Ruth, you're finally home! It's all been Grandmother's fault these past years, letting you suffer so much for nothing!”
Kelusta, who hadn't suffered so much as just been a little poor: “…”
So was the cane just for show?
She was held tightly in the old woman's protective embrace, her cheek pressed against the silk of her grandmother's attire. Her golden eyes shifted upward just in time to see a tear roll down the old woman's face and land with a soft plop on the crown of her head.
The embrace was warm and strong, filled with the longing of more than a decade apart, yet as careful as if holding a priceless, recovered treasure.
It was brimming with a sincerity and emotion that could not be ignored.
Kelusta froze for a moment.
After a long moment, the brown-haired girl offered a faint smile. She raised her arms and returned the old woman's tight embrace, saying softly, “I'm home, Grandmother.”
The moment Duchess Amirium began to cry, the voice in Kelusta's heart told her solemnly—
This was not the reunion she had anticipated, a scene feigned by the duchess and driven by cold self-interest.
It was the real, sincere, and profound longing of a grandmother for her deceased daughter and for the granddaughter she was meeting for the very first time.
After the two had embraced for some time, Oliver finally stepped forward and gently advised Duchess Amirium to bring Kelusta inside to continue their conversation.
The old woman seemed to start as if from a dream. She took Kelusta's hand carefully and asked with some hesitation, “Ruth… Grandmother got too excited. I was impolite for a moment. Did I frighten you?”
Looking into Duchess Amirium's worried eyes, Kelusta gave her a genuine smile. She gently patted the back of the older woman's hand and said softly, “Of course you didn't frighten me, Grandmother. In fact, though I might not have shown it, I was probably even more excited than you.”
Duchess Amirium gazed at her with relief, her eyes soft. She smiled and sighed. “You dear child, how did you become so sensible…”
She turned to Oliver and waved a hand. “Go and prepare a place, Oliver, so my little Ruth and I can have a quiet place to talk.”
“Yes, Madam.” Oliver bowed respectfully, a gentle, amused look on his face as he watched the grandmother and granddaughter.
As early as last night, the Duchess had urged them to prepare everything. The drawing room and the bedroom set aside for Kelusta had already been cleaned until they were spotless. Even if he were ordered to tidy up now, he wouldn't find a single thing out of place.
But the Duchess was clearly giddy with joy, chattering away with the Young Miss, having apparently forgotten all about personally directing the servants' frantic preparations the night before.
But Oliver was a seasoned butler. He knew better than to say anything tactless. He simply accepted the order and instructed a personal maid to check the temperature and presentation of the drinks and refreshments for the fourth time.
He himself fussily rearranged the sofa cushions and fine-tuned the brightness of the chandelier before standing aside, respectfully awaiting the arrival of the family's mistress and its newly returned young lady.
Duchess Amirium clutched Kelusta's hand the entire way, unwilling to let go for even a second. Kelusta held it back cooperatively, her pure golden eyes filled with warmth. She answered every one of the old woman's questions without a trace of impatience, either on her face or in her heart.
The Duchess mostly asked about her life at the academy—whether her studies were difficult, how she had performed on her exams, and the like.
But any topic related to her past in Seaside Town seemed to be off-limits. Even when Kelusta tried to steer the conversation that way, her grandmother would deftly redirect it, her caution so pronounced it was almost painful, as if she were afraid to speak of it.
Kelusta understood. Just as her grandmother's first words had suggested, the old woman felt she had wronged her only granddaughter, that her failure to bring her home sooner had condemned her to years of hardship as a commoner.
—However, if that were the case, it meant Duchess Amirium must have known of Kelusta's existence for a long time.
But why had she remained silent for so many years, only to suddenly appear now and decide to acknowledge her as part of the family?
Harboring this question, Kelusta walked into the grand hall with her grandmother. Oliver respectfully guided her to a sofa, and Duchess Amirium sat diagonally across from her, her posture affable and her expression soft. She watched, unblinking, as the brown-haired girl accepted a cup of tea from the butler.
“We haven't been formally introduced, Ruth,” Duchess Amirium said after Kelusta had taken a delicate sip of tea. “I am the current head of the Amirium family, Ricana's mother—Isabella Amirium. And your only grandmother.”
“Yes, Grandmother,” Kelusta nodded slightly, smiling. “I am Kelusta Amirium Breviou… your granddaughter.”
Hearing the long name, Isabella smiled with relief. “I'm very glad you're willing to use our surname as your middle name. Does this mean you are willing to become a part of the Amirium family and to formally acknowledge me as your grandmother?”
“Blood ties and affection cannot be severed,” Kelusta said. “But frankly, before you embraced me, I hadn't decided whether to return to the family or accept the title of 'Young Miss'…”
Oliver, listening quietly from the side, held his breath, fearing Kelusta was about to change her tune.
But thankfully, the brown-haired girl simply gave the quietly listening Duchess Isabella a gentle smile and continued as they had hoped. “However, after meeting you, I sensed your feelings for me in your demeanor. It made me realize that you want a granddaughter, not merely a tool to inherit the family name.”
“You are a clever and assertive young woman,” Isabella said, not at all offended by her frankness. Instead, she praised her generously. “Vigilance and thoughtfulness are essential qualities for a noble. It seems your father raised you well, even better than I could have imagined.”
She had brought up Sogeta herself, which seemed to signal that she would no longer avoid topics related to “Kelusta's past.”
And so, Kelusta pressed her lips together and said tentatively, “I have a question for you, Grandmother.”
“Ask, my child,” Isabella said, gazing at her kindly. “Rest assured, I will tell you everything I know.”
“Then, I'd like to ask…”
Kelusta lifted her face, her tone insistent. “When did you learn of my existence?”
She stared intently at the duchess, certain the head of the ducal family would understand the implication of her question. But the other woman simply sighed softly and lowered her eyes as if to avoid Kelusta's gaze, giving an answer that caught her completely by surprise.
“When you were four years old, Ruth,” said Duchess Isabella. “Around the time before Miss Sumolor visited Seaside Town, she and I both received a letter from your father.”
“On that day, Mr. Sogeta finally chose to tell us of Ricana's death… and of your existence—her most beloved daughter, whom she gave her life to birth.”
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