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“Welcome back! How was it? The Royal Capital?”

Amy was in high spirits after receiving the cute ribbon Beth had brought back from the Royal Capital as a souvenir.

“There were so many people. And there were lots of unbelievably cute sweets.”

Beth drew a picture of the macarons, which had been as cute as jewels, but when Beth, who had no talent for drawing, drew them, they only looked like round colored cookies. Beth had been unable to believe that such beautiful and delicious food existed in this world, so it was terribly disappointing that Beth, who was bad with both words and pictures, could not convey it to Amy.

“And everyone was so beautiful.”

In Beth’s mind, the kind faces of the people in the greenhouse came to mind.

They were all beautiful, wise, and kind, and they had taught Beth, a country girl, many things. The sight of a beautiful world she would never have known if she had spent her whole life in this countryside. And the magic of that night, which shone like a treasure in Beth’s heart.

As promised, Beth had returned to the countryside mill before the Autumn Festival.

Beth had not seen Noel since immediately after the Immortal Lily bloomed.

That day, from the instant Noel saw the bloomed flower, he activated alarm magic, and from then on, for one week, Noel, Naranda, and Ezra did not take a single step out of Noel’s laboratory.

A week later, just as a great cheer seemed to rise from the laboratory, a large transfer magic was activated next, and Noel vanished. After that, the Royal Capital was thrown into chaos from top to bottom.

Immediately after that, what reached Beth’s ears was great news that set the Royal Capital abuzz: the completion of the elixir, the princess’s awakening, and the New Year wedding of the princess and the son of the reincarnation of the Great Saintess.

After some time, Beth left the greenhouse, despite Naranda trying to stop her.

If she met the kind magicians of the greenhouse, she would surely cry.

“Please let me return to the countryside while I can still be happy for Noel-sama’s happiness.”

The perceptive man understood the meaning of Beth’s words when she said that.

On the condition that Beth allow Naranda to visit her cottage, he reluctantly gave her permission to leave the greenhouse in secret. Until the end, she never met Noel.

Seen off by Naranda’s maid Meg, who was wet with tears, Beth even refused the carriage Naranda had arranged to send her home, and she rode alone, trudging along in a shared carriage, back to her countryside home.

She had told her neighbors and Amy that she would return before the Autumn Festival, so everyone thought little of Beth’s sudden return, simply believing she had come back after finishing her business trip.

They had heard that Beth was going to care for a noble’s greenhouse in the Royal Capital.

Amy’s father also went to the Royal Capital for seasonal work during the winter, and was away from home for half the year.

Country life was unexpectedly like that.

“It would have been nice if you could have stayed in the Royal Capital a little longer. With the awakening of the third princess, who had fallen asleep from magical beast poison, I hear the Royal Capital is in a festive uproar right now. They say the magician from the Saratoga marquis family, her fiancé, desperately completed the medicine. It really is romantic! Love saved Princess Eugenia!”

The Royal Capital was apparently greatly excited over the story, which was like something out of a fairy tale.

Even in the small countryside where Beth lived, extras had been distributed with news of Princess Eugenia’s awakening and a portrait of the beautiful magician who had awakened the princess. It did not resemble Noel at all, and Beth smiled wryly as she glanced at it from the corner of her eye.

(The real one is much more wonderful.)

Amy sighed deeply and gazed at the portrait.

“They really are such a beautiful man and woman, and they suit each other so well. They say this man is the son of the Great Saintess. No wonder he is so beautiful. Their wedding will be at New Year’s, apparently. I would love to share in that good fortune too. I have to make sure I find a wonderful lover by the Autumn Festival… Wait, Beth? You’re going home already?”

“Yeah, the mail piled up a little while I was away. See you!”

Even though Amy was her childhood friend whom she had met again after so long, Beth immediately said goodbye to her and ran into her own house next door.

Beth’s home welcomed Beth back without changing at all.

Because Amy had aired it out from time to time, Beth’s house, though she had only just returned, was kept in a clean state.

(I’m home, me.)

Beth remembered the Magic Institute dormitory where she had lived until yesterday.

And then she remembered the face of the man who had thrown Beth into that dormitory so very arrogantly.

Beth roughly closed the front door of her house, collapsed there on the spot, and cried.