*sniffle* I-I'm not crying! I'm just sweating from my eyes! That's all!

After bidding farewell to Elder brother and returning to my room, I took the book I had been reading into hand and began to read.

There was no end to the actions I needed to take in order to further deepen my education.

The world still had plenty of knowledge that I did not yet know of…….and as my view of that was revised daily, I was once again reborn from that point on.

And every time I came into contact with new knowledge, I thought about it, and made it my own…….doing that was simply fun.

"…….please excuse me, Ojou-sama."

The one who entered with the sound of knocking, was Granny.

She entered the room and lit the flame of the lamp.

As I had become immersed in concentrating on the world of the book, before I knew it the sun had begun to set.

"It's already this late, huh."

I released the book from my hands and stretched my body.

Crack crack, the sound of my bones creaking reverberated.

"Granny, could you make some tea for me?"

"Yes, understood."

With smooth movements like flowing water, Granny made tea.

"…….yup, as expected, it's delicious."

I let out a satisfied sigh at the taste I had become accustomed to drinking.

In the next moment, Granny tripped and fell.

"Are you okay? Granny."

"Y-Yes, I am fine. I deeply apologize for making you worr-……ow ow ow."

The moment she tried to stand up, Granny's face warped in pain as she crouched.

"You don't seem to be fine at all. Someone come!"

After ringing a bell and waiting, Anna entered the room.

"Please call someone from the Guard Corps. Granny fell and hurt herself."

"Understood. Shall I call a physician as well?"

"Oh, yes. Please do."

"My apologies, Ojou-sama……"

"There's no need to apologize, Granny. Right now just think about your injury."

Not long later, a member of the Guard Corps arrived and carried Granny out on his back.

"……it appears that she has broken her leg. She will need to rest for a while."

"I see……I will have to tell everyone that they will need to take over Granny's work for a while. I also need to report this to Father as well. And would you also tell Granny to take good care of her body as well?"

"I shall do so."

"Ahh, I'm so worried. I'm sure that even if I tell Granny to take it easy and rest, she's someone who will instead start to fret after all……"

At my words, Anna made a bitter smile and nodded.

"We will properly take over her work. It is likely that the thing that will concern her the most is that she will be troubling Mellice-sama after all."

"Troubling, you say…….even though I am always being helped out by Granny."

To me, Granny who has been by my side since I was young as someone in charge of educating me was the same as family. After Mother pa.s.sed away, she became someone that my heart could rely on.

"In any case, first I'll need to report this to Father. Anna, where is he currently?"

"I've been told that he is currently in the study."

"I see. Then I will head over immediately after sorting out my desk a little, so could you go and inform Father of the general situation, Anna?"

"Understood."

After Anna left, I once again returned to my desk.

As if to hold back my rampant emotions, I let out a sigh.

If I went, I'm sure that Granny would make a fuss about it, saying that would be out of the question…….and I do not want to let Granny overdo things like that.

It's alright…….for a bone fracture, depending on the part broken it will take a certain amount of time to heal, but given the time, it will heal.

In order to calm my heart that was agitated to a surprising degree, I repeated that to myself.

…….Granny's existence was just that important to me.

When my emotions had calmed down a bit, I headed over to Father's study.

After that, even after some time had pa.s.sed, Granny's health wouldn't quite get better.

Even though I knew in my head that a bone fracture wouldn't completely recover that quickly, it couldn't be helped that I was worried.

"Granny. How are you feeling?"

Normally I wouldn't normally stop by the servant quarters in the mansion, but as I was worried for her, my feet just brought me here.

At my entrance, Granny's eyes momentarily widened……however, in the next instant, she made a gentle smile.

"Thanks to Ojou-sama's visit, I may be healed by tomorrow."

Although she said that, I could sense a shadow in Granny's eyes.

"……Granny."

As I called her, I softly gripped her hands.

Her warm hands were deeply engraved with wrinkles.

These hands that had always continued to protect and guide me.

Granny looked down at my hands that had gotten larger compared to when I was younger.

"You truly have grown."

Granny placed her other hand on top of mine, and slowly stroked it.

"You were a tomboy, but you always paid attention to even a servant like myself. Our kind and innocent Ojou-sama. I am very proud to have been able to ascertain your growth with my own eyes."

"……Granny. You mustn't say such things as if you'll be going away."

"My apologies. I was just indulging in sentiment for a bit."

As she said that, she made an unusually mischievous smile, like a small child.

"However, Ojou-sama. It will be a brief farewell. As long as I am unable to be of a.s.sistance to Ojou-sama while I am here……I will temporarily return to the Anderson territory to rest."

You don't need to think about whether or not you'll be useful or not…….that's why, stay here.

I swallowed back the words that were just about to exit from my throat.

When I think about it carefully, it was only something natural.

To return to the territory when one becomes sick or injured.

In particular, this time wasn't an illness……it was just that she would be returning home to the territory.

It was better that she go back to slowly recuperate with her family around her.

And, I had been concerned about how she hadn't returned to the territory once since coming to the Capital…….in that sense, this time should have been a good opportunity.

"……will you come back?"

Despite that, I asked such a question.

Though I was acting like an unreasonable child, Granny smiled tenderly.

"Yes, yes. Of course I will. There is no other place for Granny to return except by Ojou-sama's side."

"Then, Granny. You must recover completely and come back."

"Yes, understood. Ojou-sama."

After receiving an affirmative response without a hint of hesitation, I let out a relieved sigh and leaned back on the chair.

"When will you be heading to the territory?"

"Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow! That is quite sudden."

"Other than my injury, there are no other issues with my health and a carriage for my exclusive use has been specially prepared, so I will be able to take it easy on the journey back."

"I see…….if it's like that, then I will have a peace of mind as well."

"Indeed. Once I have fully recovered, I will return immediately."

"That's good, Granny. I…….will be waiting for your return."

……the next day, Granny rode the carriage that the Anderson Marquis House had prepared and returned to the territory.