“What was it that someone who could become anything truly wanted?”—Reading “Tefuda ga Oome no Victoria” naturally brings such a question to mind. The protagonist of the story is Chloe, who has successfully completed numerous dangerous missions as an operative for the Haguru Kingdom. Possessing outstanding disguise skills, well-honed martial arts abilities, extensive knowledge, and language proficiency, she is a woman for whom the phrase “having a lot of cards in hand” fits perfectly. However, no matter how capable she is, it does not mean her heart is made of steel. Prompted by her supervisor's betrayal, she escapes from the organization, crosses into the neighboring Ashbury Kingdom, and decides to start life anew as a ordinary citizen named “Victoria.” What she seeks is neither honor nor wealth, but simply peaceful everyday life. However, on the very first day of her move, meeting Nonna, a girl abandoned by her mother, causes the second life she envisioned to begin moving in an unexpected direction. Deciding to raise Nonna as her daughter, Victoria gradually puts down roots in her new home while utilizing her skills from her operative days in jobs such as a historian's assistant and a teacher.

What captivates the heart in this work is perhaps even more than Victoria's brilliant capabilities, the process through which she builds a “family.” Becoming involved in the mother-daughter life that began after taking Nonna under her protection is Jeffrey, the sincere captain leading the order of knights. He takes on the role of Victoria's guarantor, eventually becoming an irreplaceable presence for her and Nonna. Precisely because each of them carries wounds from the past, rather than intruding mindlessly into the other's heart, they build their relationship over time. That sense of distance feels very comfortable. For Chloe, who was an operative, “Victoria” was supposed to be a name merely to conceal her true identity, yet as she raises Nonna and connects emotionally with Jeffrey, the very life lived under that name becomes authentic. In this change lies a touching strength that differs from flashy combat. Hearing about a woman holding secrets might make one imagine a story filled with intense tension, but what flows at the center of this work is a warm story of repairing a lost life step by step with one's own hands.

However, there is no way that Victoria's story ends with just an ordinary life. Connections with key figures including the second prince are formed, and while dealing with pursuers from the organization she once belonged to, she protects her new life. Furthermore, the story expands over the years to after Victoria, Nonna, and Jeffrey, who has become her husband, return to the Ashbury Kingdom after completing their research life in the Shen Country. Developments such as locating the place of an actual treasure from a code embedded in the rare adventure novel “The Lost Crown” are interesting, making one think, “Even in a place like that, her skills as a former operative come in handy?” Moreover, rather than sealing away her abilities as abominable relics of the past, she comes to affirm them as the power that forms herself, with her family pushing her forward. Rather than erasing the past to become happy, in her posture of accepting that the past is also part of who she is today, I felt a refreshing quality unique to this work.

Even more impressive is a new incident that begins when Victoria rescues a woman who was being attacked by thugs. That woman was an operative who was scheduled to become a body double for Crown Princess Delphine, and in place of her injured self, Victoria temporarily takes on the mission. One might think, “She went through the trouble of leaving the organization, and she's an operative again?”, but there is a major difference here. Chloe, who once used her skills under orders, now wields her power of her own will as Victoria. Even for the same “mission,” the meaning is completely different. Meanwhile, Jeffrey bustles about in diplomatic negotiations surrounding a gold mine issue with a neighboring country, and the grown Nonna also comes to support her mother's work. In the sight of not just one person protecting the whole family, but each bringing what they can do to protect their precious everyday life, the growth of the family accumulated since the beginning of the story is condensed.

From the original novel to the manga adaptation, expanding its popularity and surpassing a cumulative total of 1 million copies for the series including print and e-books as of July 2026, advancing to a TV anime adaptation has a compelling charm that makes complete sense. What I personally like in particular is that while depicting an “extremely capable protagonist,” it does not become a simple story of being overpowered and unbeatable. Although Victoria can handle disguises, combat, languages, and cryptography, the happiness she truly wanted to get could not be acquired through special skills alone. Meeting Nonna, trusting Jeffrey, and living with people who need her, she finally becomes able to use her life for herself. That is why the “cards in hand” in the title feels like it has a different meaning the more you read on. While enjoying the active roles of a former operative with diverse abilities, one can relish family love, romance, mystery solving, adventure, and the restart of life—“Tefuda ga Oome no Victoria” is a work I want people to read thoroughly as a story of a strong woman finding not a “place to fight,” but a “place to return to.”