Chapter 20 Farewell Elena

Ambrosia stood near the front gates of the Kyros Estate; her hair swayed gently in the morning breeze beside her stood Lisa and beside Lisa stood Roland.

A carriage stood nearby, proudly displaying the Kyros Family crest. Servants bustled about, loading luggage, while knights carried out their final inspections. Everything was ready—everything except one thing. Elena glanced around, searching.

"...Where is he?"

Ambrosia immediately frowned.

"He said he wasn't coming."

Elena sighed. Of course, he isn't.

Lisa tilted her head.

"Young Master Amos is still upset?"

"Very."

Ambrosia crossed her arms.

"He locked himself in the library."

Roland stroked his beard.

"A young master's pride is and always has been quite the delicate thing."

"He is sulking."

"A correct observation, yes."

Elena pinched the bridge of her nose.

Three years of adventures, close calls, arguments, and chaos. And now, after everything, he was hiding because he couldn’t handle saying goodbye. All thanks to his ego.

Childish. So very childish. Unfortunately, that was exactly like him.

The academy carriage driver cleared his throat.

"My lady."

Elena nodded.

"Understood."

Time to leave.

Ambrosia suddenly stepped forward, and before Elena could react, she was pulled into a proper hug—tight and full of emotion. Ambrosia buried her face in Elena’s shoulder.

"You have to write."

Elena's expression softened immediately.

"I will."

"Every week."

"That may be difficult."

"Every week."

"...I'll try."

Ambrosia looked up with eyes slightly red.

"Promise."

Elena smiled.

"I promise."

That seemed to satisfy her, somewhat. Then came Lisa, who hesitated for several seconds before awkwardly hugging Elena too. It wasn’t as natural as Ambrosia’s embrace—she was still learning.

"Good luck."

Lisa spoke softly.

"Thank you."

"And..."

Lisa hesitated.

"Don't worry about us."

A small smile appeared on Elena's face.

"You've grown more confident."

Lisa immediately looked embarrassed.

Ambrosia proudly puffed her chest out.

"I taught her."

"You absolutely did not."

"I did."

Roland gave a quiet cough as the conversation, as usual, began to drift off course. The old butler stepped forward and offered a respectful bow, the same gesture he had performed countless times throughout Elena’s life.

"You have my congratulations, Elena."

"Thank you, Grandfather."

Roland smiled, a small, proud curve playing at his lips.

"You've worked very hard."

"Thank you."

The carriage driver cleared his throat again, this time with more urgency. The departure time was drawing near. Elena took a deep breath and stepped into the carriage. The door shut behind her, and the horses started forward, slowly at first. The academy awaited.

Ambrosia waved with wild enthusiasm, while Lisa offered a gentler gesture. Roland kept his dignified stance as the carriage moved on, heading toward the estate gates, then the road, and finally, the new chapter.

And then—

"WAIT!"

Everyone froze.

Including Elena, the carriage driver nearly jumped as a familiar voice echoed across the road. From the distance, a blonde-haired figure came sprinting toward them—fast, incredibly fast, far quicker than any normal human should be. The carriage came to a halt.

Ambrosia’s face lit up instantly. Lisa laughed—actually laughed—while Roland remained entirely unsurprised. Amos skidded to a stop beside the carriage, breathing as if he hadn’t just sprinted several hundred meters at full speed. Elena leaned out to open the carriage window.

"You actually came."

Amos looked away.

"I was passing by."

Ambrosia immediately shouted.

"LIAR!"

"I WAS NOT ASKING YOU!"

"YOU SAY YOU WERE GOING TO STAY IN THE LIBRARY ALL DAY!"

"QUIET, AMBROSIA!"

Ambrosia grinned in triumph. Elena couldn’t help herself—she smiled. A real, genuine smile, one that Amos saw and truly recognized for the first time. He looked mildly shocked, then awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. The silence lingered. Neither spoke. For perhaps the first time in years, Amos had no words. Eventually, Elena came to his rescue.

"Take care of yourself."

Amos snorted.

"That is supposed to be my sentence."

"Is it?"

"..."

Elena smiled.

"And don't do anything stupid now I am gone."

"No promises."

"Amos."

"Fine. I'll try."

 was probably the best she could hope for. The carriage driver grew visibly more nervous, and Amos took note. He let out a sigh the humor fading from his face—though only briefly.

"You'll do well. I know you will."

Elena blinked. The sincerity surprised her.

"You always do."

"Thank you."

The carriage started moving again, and this time no one stopped it. Amos stood with his hands in his pockets, watching. Soon, Ambrosia and Lisa joined him, and the three stood together, silently watching the carriage roll away down the road, growing smaller and smaller until it finally vanished from sight.

The road fell silent as Ambrosia sniffled, and Lisa gently patted her shoulder. Roland watched without a word, while Amos stood still, gazing at the horizon far longer than needed, until Ambrosia finally tugged at his sleeve.

“She’s gone.”

Ambrosia’s voice sounded small. Amos kept his hands in his pockets.

“Yeah... She’ll be back though.”

“Yes.”

Lisa looked toward Amos carefully.

“You are quieter than usual, Young Master.”

“I am just remembering I forgot to eat my desserts yesterday.”

“You are sulking,” Ambrosia corrected immediately.

“I am not.”

“You did lock yourself in the library for four hours.”

“I was researching something.”

“You were hiding.”

“Ambrosia.”

“Yes?”

“I was doing research.”

“Is that so.”

Amos stared at her for several seconds then sighed.

“I spoiled you too much.”

“Correct.”

Ambrosia suddenly tugged lightly on Amos’s sleeve again.

“Brother.”

“What.”

“…You really are okay?”

Amos looked down at her.

Then toward Lisa.

“Of course, I am.”

Ambrosia narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

“You look lonely.”

“I look pretty handsome, I know.”

“That too.”

“Thank you, though Elena would have refuted that.”

Lisa hesitated briefly before speaking.

“The manor will feel emptier now.”

“Yes,” Amos admitted softly.

It caught them a bit off guard, since Amos seldom admitted things outright. Ambrosia expression softened.“She’ll come back.”

“I know.”

“You trust her?”

“Elena is extremely capable.”

Amos crossed his arms.

“She is also very competent.”

“You trained her.”

“No, it is more accurate to say that we trained each other.”

Ambrosia let out a soft giggle, and for a brief moment, the weight lifted. Then, without warning, Amos spun around.

“Well then.”

Ambrosia blinked.

“The farewell is complete. No damage has occurred except to my ego.”

Amos pointed toward the distant training grounds of the estate.

“I shall now go fix my ego.”

Lisa looked suspicious.

“How.”

“Violence.”

Roland closed his eyes slowly.

“Of course.”

Ambrosia immediately grabbed Amos by the sleeve.

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No training.”

“Yes training.”

“You are coping again.”

“I am processing emotions in my own way.”

“You are going to explode something.”

“That is a very rude assumption.”

Lisa quietly raised her hand.

“You exploded the training hall last month.”

“That was a miscalculation.”

“You said ‘all according to your calculation’ afterward.”

“...”

Ambrosia stared at him flatly.

“You are not allowed to be alone in the estate because Elena left.”

“I would never. For two years…”

Ambrosia immediately groaned.

“Oh no.”

“For two entire years…”

“Brother...”

“I must now wake myself up in the morning.”

“…"

“I must prepare my own coffee.”

“…"

“I must endure this cruel world alone.”

Lisa hesitated.

“We are still here.”

“You will take on Elena duty? Lucky me.”

“I didn't say that”

“You technically did.”

Ambrosia puffed her cheeks.

“I will you wear Elena maid outfit, okay my adorable dear sister.”

“…"

“…Alright. Fine” Ambrosia closed her eyes.

Amos grinned.

“I will be expecting it to start tomorrow.”

“NO,” Ambrosia shouted instantly.

“Yes. You already agreed to it”

“I.... did.”

"Well then, nice to have you as my substitute personal maid, Amy. That’s you now—Amy, my personal maid. I’m already starting to like that nickname."