Battler didn't come back today. Today is the first day of the family conference of 1981. Rudolf had brought his newest family members with him, Kyrie and Ange. But Battler didn't come with them.

There are rumors from the other servants who were assigned to the family conference. It sounds like Battler didn't come because he was still stubbornly angry at Rudolf.

In a way, that is a little funny. I can picture Battler's stubborn grumpy face. It's a face he sometimes used when he lost a mystery game to me. And yet this face...probably isn't the face he has on right now. After all, his fight with Rudolf was a big one, right? Rudolf had remarried so quickly after Battler's mother died.

I don't really understand. I tried to understand so many times. Rudolf hurt Battler by switching wives so quickly, right? Could something like that...really make Battler forget about me?

No, no, no! ...I can't think that way. I'm not supposed to think that way. Beatrice is right. This is supposed to be a trial...to test my determination. I have to wait as long as it takes for Battler to come back to me on his white horse. It will probably take some time. George said that Battler was trying to leave his nest. That makes sense, right? Battler and I...want to live our lives together. Battler must be trying very hard right now to become a prince with his own shiny white horse.

All I have to do is relax and keep waiting. I pull out my favorite book to reread. The one Battler gave me. What was it he said…?

The most important part of a mystery to him was the heart. That sudden memory really makes me wonder…

Battler was talking about the heart of the culprit. When he reads mysteries, he wants the novel to force him to discover why the culprit performs crimes. That's because heart is something we can never ignore, even in something intellectual like a mystery. Because life is a miracle given by the heart.

So that really makes me wonder…

Do I truly understand Battler's heart? Maybe Rudolf's crime really was big enough to make him forget about me. I don't know what losing a parent is like. I don't know what a parent betraying me feels like. I'm just an orphan.

But maybe I can try to understand. Hmm...let's see, who in my life can I pretend is a parent? Oh, of course! Granny Kumasawa. She always helps me and talks to me. Her magic helped me stop losing things all the time so that I would be a better servant.

...oh.

Then...what happened to Battler would be like…

Imagine if I had two Kumasawas taking care of me. One Kumasawa dies. The other Kumasawa...instead of mourning the dead Kumasawa with me, goes off and brings home someone unpleasant...like Lady Natsuhi.

The tears stain Battler's book cover as if such a tragedy truly happened. No, that's not why I'm crying. I'm crying for Battler. Or maybe for myself for being so foolish. After Battler went through such a time, did I truly believe that he left the family just to prepare himself for me.

I have been...unimaginably selfish. I had only been able to see my own sad heart.

So...what to do? I can wait for Battler's heart to heal. I had already promised Beatrice that I would be able to wait. But even if his heart healed, would he remember me? Surely, he would want to forget this difficult period in his life. He would look at this period, declare it a sad one, and wipe it all away...including me.

So maybe he is being selfish too. How could he forget the good times we shared?

Or maybe not. I can remember our great times because they were breaks in a usually hard life. They were the shining moments, the golden moments, the miraculous moments. I would remember them for all eternity.

But for Battler, Rudolf's crime is like a gigantic black dragon that ruined his usually easy life. Our moments to him could be considered normal. No, not normal. Extraordinary, but in his easy life, not miracles like they had been to me.

For me, this period is marked by our love. I want it to be endless.

For him, this period is marked by his mother's death and his father's terrible actions. He...probably wants to forget this time of his life...for all eternity.

I know what to do now. I won't let him forget our moments. If he wants to forget these past years because of his father, then I must make myself so memorable that he remembers me for all eternity.

I was never waiting for him. He has always been waiting for me.

I know where Battler lives right now. I have been a servant for a long time, and the pay has been very good. I have enough.

Tomorrow, I will go to Natsuhi and quit being a servant.

Genji stands at the docks in the harbor, waiting. He had heard from Lady Natsuhi, who was trying to report it to Kinzo. Of course, Natsuhi believes that child to be someone special to Kinzo. She had been wondering if Kinzo would be fine if the child left. It was very fortunate that he had been in a place to intercept her. He had reassured her of everything, intending to confront the child himself.

Sayo soon appears at the docks, armed only with a small suitcase. It seems she didn't have much to take. She holds her light baggage easily in one hand. With the other, she clutches a book to her chest. Her eyes widen when she spots him.

"Genji…!" She seems uncertain of something. "Do you want something? I'm not a servant anymore."

Despite the conflict within him, Genji had already decided. He speaks calmly, as he always has. "Are you absolutely resolute in your desire to leave?"

Sayo nods without hesitation.

"May I ask why?"

She looks at him for a while, as if measuring his character. "I realized something last night," she finally replies, looking away. "I believe it is time for me to take control of my fate."

"Such resolve," Genji mutters. Where did it all come from? She was usually so timid. What had changed? He can't see within her, but perhaps he can make a guess. What changed this year?

It was easy. Ah, of course. This is the day after the family conference. They always played with each other. Can it be...

"Battler?" He gives her this one word reply. She gasps sharply and pulls back, clutching the book even more tightly. She looks at her with suspicion.

He waves them away. "Go," he tells her. He steps aside. Her boat is waiting.

Uncertainly, but gratefully, she walks past him and boards the boat. She doesn't look back.

Genji remains standing until the boat is just a speck on the horizon. He speaks in a low voice. "Go, Ushiromiya Lion. Grasp your fate, free of Kinzo's chains. There is no help for my old master. He has gone mad. Face your trials, and overcome them with love the same way Master once did. I hope Battler will be worthy of you."

There is a house. A young girl walks up to it. She idles by the front door for several minutes, as if trying to gain the composure necessary to knock. She does so. After a while, a young boy answers the door. They speak, and the boy seems a little confused. He shrugs and starts to turn back. The girl stops him and opens her bag. She pulls out a single book and shows it to the boy. He takes it hesitantly and begins examining it. As he flips through the pages, a sudden look of shock passes through his face. He drops the book and gapes at the girl. She starts giggling, and her laughter is one of pure joy. He grins sheepishly, scratching his head, also chuckling.

He invites her inside, and they enter the Golden Land together.