Spring was drawing nearer to the capital.
A fine magic tool shop had already been built, the apothecary's renovations were finished, and its supply routes were secured. Contractors and workers were frequently coming and going between the two shops, delivering furniture needed for the store and living spaces.
My work had shifted mainly to the magic tool shop rather than the institute, and Rille-nee had taken a few days off from the Medical Department to focus on preparing for the apothecary's opening. For the magic tool shop, I put out a public recruitment call to hire hardworking staff. With support from those around us, preparations for both shops progressed smoothly, and before long...
Spring arrived in the capital.
"Rille-nee! Rille-nee! Isn't that the carriage?"
I went out to the street in front of the shop and called to Rille-nee through the window.
"Is she here?"
Rille-nee, who'd been organising things inside the shop, rushed out and squinted at the carriage which was still small in the distance.
How many times had the two of us repeated this same routine since this morning? We waited with racing hearts, hoping that it was the right carriage, and at last, a covered cargo wagon actually stopped in front of us. And from the back, a figure, the likes of whom we'd never seen before in the capital, appeared.
But that person wasn't a man.
We'd known she was coming, yet the reality of having her right before our eyes was too much to believe. We gaped, mouths open, neither of us able to say a word. The person who stepped off the carriage placed a hand on each of our heads.
"You've grown."
That same half-smile, those same warm hands. This was definitely not a dream.
The joy was too much to contain, and we threw ourselves at her.
"Gis-nee!!"
We could finally see her again. At last, our family was whole.
There was so much I wanted to tell her. So much I wanted to ask. But right now, I was just so happy that I could hardly get any words out. From above our heads, a low chuckle drifted down.
"Save the catching up for later. Help me carry the luggage."
She patted our backs and urged us on. Right, of course. We couldn't keep the carriage blocking the road forever. There was no need to rush. Because we'll be together from now on.
Most of Gis-nee's luggage was stock from the old shop. We'd already taken care of furnishing the place with everything we needed for everyday life.
"Come in, Gis-nee!"
Rille-nee, with a smile that looked like it might burst, opened the door to the new shop.
"It's spacious."
That was Gis-nee's first impression. She sounded genuinely surprised. Heh, this isn't like the old shop where shelves closed in from both sides and made it feel cramped. There was one large shelf taking up space on the left side of the entrance, but the centre had plenty of room, and a counter was tucked away at the back. What I really wanted her to see was the raised wooden platform I'd set up on the right side of the entrance, meant to serve as an examination area.
"See? With this, you won't have to carry emergency patients all the way to the back. You can treat them right here."
"I see."
The futon laid out on the platform would serve as a bed. Since it was raised, it could double as a waiting bench when things got crowded.
"There's a room in the back too. Want to see it first?"
Rille-nee opened the inner door behind the counter.
We left the luggage from the carriage piled on the platform and gave Gis-nee a tour of the interior first. Just like the previous shop, there was a dining kitchen with a hearth and a table. It connected to a washing area too.
"The bedrooms are upstairs!"
I climbed up the stairs, where there were five rooms.
"The one at the end is the guest room, the one next to it is storage. The other three are one for each of us! Which one do you want, Gis-nee?"
"They're all the same layout, by the way."
Sleeping huddled together wasn't bad either, but since we had the space, I'd gone ahead and made individual rooms.
Gis-nee was surprised at first, and eventually just laughed.
"Whichever one's left is fine. I never imagined you'd build something this impressive."
"Compared to everything you've done for us, it still isn't enough."
Rille-nee was right. Gis-nee had taken us strangers in and given us the means to survive. She changed our lives, which had known nothing but misfortune. There was no such thing as too much gratitude.
"...Even if I said it's already more than enough, you two wouldn't listen, would you? I'm the fortunate one," she said and stroked our heads.
"That's not all! We made a garden behind the house. Let's plant herbs together later!"
"Yeah."
"Tonight, we're cooking you a feast. Look forward to it!"
"Yeah. Then let's get the luggage sorted quickly."
The three of us filled the empty shelves together, and by dusk, when we'd lit the hearth and the place was filled with the smell of living, our home was finally complete.
After stuffing ourselves with a modest feast, we were tired from the move, so we'd head straight to bed... as if. After getting ready for bed, Rille-nee and I secretly moved to the front of Gis-nee's room.
"Ready, set..."
We flung the door open and dove onto Gis-nee, who'd been lying on her bed with a candle still lit. We dodged left and right to avoid crushing her, of course. The bed had no springs, so I bruised my knees a little.
"What? What's going on?"
As Gis-nee looked startled, we settled in beside her.
"Today is the day of our emotional reunion, you know? Let's sleep together, like the old days!"
"You went through the trouble of getting your own rooms."
"Tonight, I want all three of us together!"
With the two of us refusing to budge, Gis-nee eventually gave in. I had the bed made larger for her, but it was still a tight squeeze for the three of us. Back in the old days, there might have been more room.
"You've really grown, Rille and Aime."
Gis-nee murmured. She'd said the same thing during the day too.
"Aime, you were so small I was worried I'd accidentally crush you. When I first saw you today, I almost didn't recognise you."
"Well, I am in my growth phase."
"What about me? I haven't changed much, have I?"
Rille-nee pointed at herself and asked.
"No, Rille, you've become even more womanly than before. Rossi would be thrilled."
"That's a name I haven't heard in a while! Oh, listen to this, Gis-nee. Rille-nee's been getting admirers left and right here in the capital too."
"Huh?"
"I-if you're going to say that, so have you, Aime! Gis-nee, listen!"
"Alright, alright, one at a time."
Neither of us had any intention of sleeping. We took turns telling her about the Magic School, the palace, El Alley, and Gis-nee listened to all of it, nodding along.
"...You two really do nothing but the unexpected."
Gis-nee seemed half-impressed, half-exasperated. But I was proud to hear her say that.
Once we'd said our fill and were satisfied, Gis-nee asked us,
"Are Their Highnesses, the Prince and Princess, both well?"
I'd just told her about Alec, of course, and about meeting Princess Philia too. That's why she asked.
"Yeah. Come to think of it, you used to be a royal guard, right? Do you know the two of them, Gis-nee?"
Chancellor Leonard had told us not to mention her, so I'd never brought up Gis-nee's name in front of them. It's not that I'd never considered asking, but Gis-nee had worked at the palace when Alec and Philia were still children, so I figured they wouldn't remember her anyway.
"It's only natural to know the faces of those you're assigned to protect. I imagine they've grown into fine young people."
Gis-nee said it with a faraway look. As if reminiscing about the past.
"You might actually get to see Princess Philia, you know? When she's sent off to marry into Galesh, a bridal procession will go down the main street. It's coming up soon."
Yes, soon. We'd been looking forward to the spring when we could reunite with Gis-nee, but it was also the season when we had to say goodbye to a friend.
The cause of the epidemic had been uncovered, reconstruction was underway, and now there was nothing left to stop the wedding. The three nations being united was a joyous thing, but did we really have to force two people together when they weren't even in love?
It was already hard enough to visit her, and once she crossed a national border, I might never get to see her again. There was still so much I wanted to talk about with her.
"...At the very least, I'd like to give the Princess a gift."
I murmured after thinking deeply. Something that would keep her from feeling alone in a foreign land. Something to remind her that she had friends back home.
"If we ask Chancellor Leonard, he might be able to deliver it. What do you think? Rille-nee, Gis-nee, would you like to give her something too?"
"...Yes, that's a lovely idea."
From the other side of Gis-nee, Rille-nee raised her head in agreement.
"Something memorable would be nice. Something distinctly Trausian, or... it feels a bit presumptuous, but maybe even something handmade?"
"Yeah, I think that'd be great. What about you, Gis-nee?"
"I'll... pass."
She hesitated for a brief moment, but that was what she said.
"Her Highness wouldn't remember someone like me."
"It doesn't really matter if she doesn't remember you, does it? You could just add a card saying 'from someone who once served you.'"
"No. If someone who was expelled tried something like that and it came to light later, it'd only cause trouble."
Gis-nee closed both eyes. She was settling into the posture of someone ready to end the conversation and go to sleep.
"...What exactly did you do?"
"Nothing. If anything, becoming a soldier in the first place was the mistake."
Hmm, it felt like she was so close to telling us.
I kept pressing for a while, but in the end, the important parts were dodged, and the night grew late.
The next morning, I yawned as we continued with the remaining shop preparations.
Gis-nee came over with Rille-nee to have a look around the magic tool shop out of curiosity. The layout was more or less the same as the apothecary, just slightly bigger. The storefront area was right at the entrance, with a repair workshop and a staff break area further in the back.
"Hmm, so this is a magic lamp."
It was the first time Gis-nee had ever seen a magic tool that wasn't a magic sword, so she tapped the prototype lamp sitting on the counter with her finger, turning it on and off.
The lamp was small enough to fit in one's palm, with a jellyfish-shaped shade covering the magic stone seated on a small base. You could hang it by your door or carry it around. Despite its size, it was bright enough to illuminate an entire room.
I'd just finished processing a magic stone at the shop, so I decided to combine it with the lamp casing that I'd received earlier.
"Handy little thing."
"Right?"
"If every house had one of these, the capital would be as bright as daytime even at night."
"Maybe. I'm also working on getting streetlamps installed. They'd help with crime prevention too."
While I was giving my two sisters a simple explanation about the magic lamps,
"Pardon the intrusion."
Chancellor Leonard appeared cheerfully through the shop's open door. An unexpected visitor, but not a surprising one. I knew well how quick on his feet this man was.
Gis-nee quickly turned to face him and bowed, and Rille-nee and I followed suit.
"Ah, Giselle, it's been a while since we met in person. I'm glad you made it to the capital safely."
"Thanks to your help. I'd been hoping to pay my respects sooner, but..."
"Oh, don't worry about that."
Chancellor Leonard raised a hand to stop Gis-nee from apologising further.
All the letters exchanged before Gis-nee came to the capital had gone through him, and one of his estate staff had even run over to let us know when she would arrive. So naturally, he knew she was in the capital. Since Gis-nee didn't have the credentials to go beyond the first gate where the noble estates were, the Chancellor had come to us in person. Perhaps the reason he hadn't come yesterday was to let us have our time together as a family.
"I'm so happy to see the three sisters together again. When are you planning to open?"
"The apothecary should be very soon, and the magic tool shop should be ready around the time Princess Philia's bridal procession has passed."
"I see. Both are just around the corner."
Chancellor Leonard stroked his beard and narrowed his eyes. Oh right, since I'd mentioned Princess Philia...
"I'm sorry to ask this so suddenly, but would it be possible for Rille-nee and me to give Princess Philia a wedding gift, as her friends?"
I was prepared for him to say that it was an inappropriate thing to do given our status, but Chancellor Leonard didn't say anything of the sort.
"What a wonderful idea. Please do. I'm sure the Princess would be delighted."
"Is that alright? Thank you!"
Rille-nee and I breathed a sigh of relief. I couldn't bear the thought of saying our final goodbye without being able to do anything for her. The Chancellor seemed relieved too.
"She's been so bored lately with nothing but wedding preparations to occupy her. If there's even one thing to brighten her spirits, perhaps the Princess can bear with it all..."
Just as he was about to finish speaking, it happened...
"Aime, Ridill! Congratulations on the opening!!! I've come to celebrate!!!"
Along with those hasty words, a young woman with a stole draped over her head came bursting in.
Everyone was speechless and froze in their tracks. Traus Kingdom's greatest treasure, our very own princess, also went rigid, those blue eyes of hers wide. The person she was staring at was...
"...Daute?"
...Gis-nee. But Princess Philia had called her by a different name.
She stood there in a daze, taking one step, then two, staggering forward, and in the next instant, threw herself at Gis-nee in a deep lunge. The stole fell away as her golden hair fanned out in the air.
Gis-nee had no choice but to catch her. Princess Philia threw her arms around her neck.
"Dauty!!! You're alive... you're really alive...!!"
If you took this scene alone, it looked like the emotional reunion of long-lost sisters.
If someone with no context at all were watching, they might even mistake it for lovers reuniting.
...So, um, what exactly is going on here? What should we do?
I looked to Chancellor Leonard for help, and the usually cheerful man was, for once, holding his head in his hands, muttering something about how "this is why we need to review the palace security..."