•?••? ? ?••?•

The day she had so fervently wished for, her last day at the imperial palace, had finally arrived.

Would there ever come an end? The future had always seemed so bleak. Yet now, knowing it was the last time with the prep team who had been with her all the way, a deep sense of nostalgia filled her.

“We should hug each other one by one and say goodbye.”

All that remained were the leftover tasks from the day before and the final report she had to give to Claude.

She had spent the night tossing and turning with various thoughts, but she had made up her mind. If the world ahead is unknown, she’d live even more tenaciously.

There’s no need to waver, even if the attitude and status of the protagonists have changed.

I will live my life.

“I’ll be back. Jane.”

“Miss, perhaps you should just take the day off?”

Seeing Iva so calm the night before, Jane, filled with worry, gently grasped her fingertips.

Iva, wanting to reassure her that she was back to her usual self, gave a wide smile and gently patted Jane’s shoulder.

“I have to finish things properly to truly call it the end.”

“But there are dark circles under your eyes.”

“It’s okay. I’ll be back soon. Once I return, I’ll tell you about the ruckus from yesterday, so have lots of desserts ready for me.”

With a cheerful wave, Iva boarded the carriage.

Jane, looking after the retreating carriage, waved till the end, her heart filled with worry for Iva.

* * *

Upon arriving at the imperial palace by carriage and knowing it was her last day, Iva took a deep breath to gather her spirit and headed toward where the prep team members were.

“Everyone worked so hard yesterday. Even though the party is over, tidying up is still part of wrapping things up. Let’s keep our energy up until the very end!”

“Captain, we told you not to come today.”

“That’s right. We can handle the wrap-up.”

“No way! I want to be there until the end so I can proudly say I’ve done my part!”

“Haha, always wanting to steal the show.”

Even today, Iva rolled up her sleeves and personally began tidying up. Following her lead, the members also busied themselves.

Having spent a long time preparing for the party, the cleanup took more than half the day. Even with non-stop effort, they had only managed to clear about half.

“I can move this at least.”

“Captain! I’ll do it.”

“No, I can manage this much.”

“Please, just direct us. Let us handle the heavy lifting.”

The members, aware of how much Iva had labored during the party, wanted to give her as much rest as possible. After all, which noble would help with the cleanup after a party?

Whenever Iva attempted to lift even a small item, someone would rush over to take it from her.

Caught in this unintentional obstruction, Iva discreetly and quickly tidied up the smaller items.

Just when they were almost done, Fel was the first to approach Iva and express her gratitude.

“Captain, you’ve worked incredibly hard.”

Following that, other members chimed in with their own words of appreciation.

“Thank you for your efforts. We’re grateful for your help.”

“I’ve never had as much fun on any task ordered by the palace as this one. Thank you for the wonderful memories.”

“Exactly! If you ever work at the palace again, please call on us. Definitely!”

Touched by the warm words, Iva’s eyes welled up with tears.

To address everyone for the final wrap-up, she stood atop a small podium, just as she had in the beginning.

This time, unlike before, everyone’s eyes sparkled as they focused intently on Iva.

“Everyone worked hard. Even though we supported the party from behind the scenes, without us, there would be no such party. Give yourselves a pat on the back for a job well done.”

She playfully patted her own head and comforted her shoulder, prompting everyone to laugh and either mimic her or comfort the person next to them.

“Huh?”

Just then, someone looked past Iva with a startled expression. One after the other, eyes widened as they all gazed in one direction.

Wondering if a UFO had appeared, Iva, still touching her head, swiftly turned around.

“Did I come too early?”

Bridget was standing there, grinning at Iva.

‘Tomorrow at 4 p.m. here.’

Bridget, who had whispered that to her before the party ended, appeared right on time.

The day had been so hectic that Iva had completely forgotten about it.

“If you’re not done yet, I can help.”

“Oh, no, we’re almost finished!”

Asking an envoy leader to help! If others heard of this, it would be scandalous.

“We just have a little bit left to clean up, so please wait for a moment.”

“Captain. We’ll finish up the rest.”

At that, Fel nudged Iva forward.

“Huh? I haven’t finished saying my goodbyes yet. I’ve prepared 50 perfect farewell phrases and I’ve only used one.”

“That’s okay. Whenever you call, we’ll gather again.”

“That’s right. We’ll come running.”

“Oh, are you trying to make me cry? I think I really might.”

When Iva was moved by their warm words until the very end, Bridget chuckled and asked, “Then, now can you spare a moment for me?”

Everyone waved her away, and Iva, unable to resist or make Bridget wait any longer, nodded.

“I’ll invite all of you to our mansion next time! Just wait and see!”

After saying her farewells to everyone, Iva exited the western hall with Bridget.

“It seems you’ve grown quite fond of the members while preparing for the party.” 

Bridget asked, observing the bitter-sweet expression Iva failed to hide.

“When you work together on something, you tend to bond quickly. Moving together towards a single goal, there’s a natural solidarity that forms.”

“That goal was me, wasn’t it?”

•?••? ? ?••?•