Sorry 16

Chapter 16

    ***

    After a mild spring, a busy summer with intense sunshine arrived.

    Soon, the sky was high and the weather was clear and pleasant. Time flew by, and fall arrived.

    Over the course of the next few months, the two families shared a few meals and discussed how to organize the big event.

    Preparations for the engagement ceremony, which was welcomed by both families, went smoothly. A date was set for a day in October, a nice season that was neither too cold nor too hot. The news was big in social circles.

    The lords and ladies of the various houses were tongue-in-cheek at the prospect of Euris Either and Chaint Eridov marrying. Those who had secretly admired Chaint wept for the great loss.

    As the news spread, Euris’s name appeared in the daily newspapers a few more times.

    [Young lady of the Count of Either?]

    [Shocking Engagement News, Regarding Euris Either and Chaint Eridov.]

    [Kylan Hebron, The Abandoned Man].

    People gleefully consumed the articles bearing the names of the three people.

    But in truth, Euris herself no longer resented the articles. Life was already busy and hectic enough.

    There were many sudden engagements to prepare for. Her mother dragged her from place to place, somewhat forcibly, insisting that she must learn to socialize if she was not to become one of the Eridovs.

    Autumn was fast approaching, and nearly half a year had already passed since her return to the past, and the events of the past, great and small, which had not been affected by that time, had passed exactly as they had in her previous life.

    As Euris watched, she could be certain that there would be a war this time, too, and that she would be able to stop it if she intervened somehow.

    So she spent every spare moment poring over books on the subject. But there was little she could learn about this sudden invasion in the distant future.

    Part of her wanted to go to the imperial court and tell them to prepare now, but it wasn't a matter of haste, and she figured she'd have more opportunities to use her position to her advantage if  she and Chaint became husband and wife.

    In the meantime, Kylan didn't show up. Perhaps it was around this time that his father, the Count of Hebron, began to fall ill.

    It was also around this time that Kylan began to push her away. She reminded herself that it was the right thing to do.

    Sometimes she wondered if Kylan would be able to cope with his father's time-limited sentence, the last time she'd seen him look so sad, but then she shook her head. It was none of her  business.

    ***

    "Count Hebron's health has taken a turn for the worse."

    It was the weekend before her engagement. Euris was spending the afternoon with her parents, having tea and refreshments in the formal dining room.

    She was vaguely aware that her parents' expressions were less cheerful than usual, and as her father's voice broke into a wistful tone as he delivered the news, she realized why.

    "...hia health is not very good?"

    It was the same sequence as in her previous life. She knew the whole story, but she pretended not to.

    "They say he's got a terminal illness................ They say he only has a few months to live, which is very sad. Kylan will inherit the earldom soon enough............."

    ‘No, father, he's leaving for a foreign country, though I don't know why.’

    Euris replied to herself and popped a piece of cookie into her mouth. Her mouth was dry, and the crumbly texture of the cookie was unusually pleasant.

    The more she thought about the news, the more she felt a pang in her heart. She felt like a sinner.

    She hated that feeling.

    "They say the Count of Hebron has traveled to the capital to seek medical attention. Kylan probably followed his father to the capital."

    ‘Which is why, in my last life, I couldn't easily find him if I wanted to see him.’

    The Imperial capital was a four-hour train ride from Aether Manor, making it difficult to visit often.

    Kylan's sudden disappearance into the capital remained one of Yuris's most frustrating moments. Her brow furrowed as she recalled the unpleasant memory.

    "Don't the cookies taste good?"

    Frelona asked, noticing her daughter's expression. Euris waved her hand in the air, slightly embarrassed.

    "No, the cookies are great, I was just worried about Kylan."

    "I see. Anyway, we should get ready for the events to come, the engagement is really just around the corner."

    "Yes, Mother."

    "I must admit, I'm not entirely at ease. If I had known that the Count of Hebron would suddenly become so ill, I would not have rushed the engagement. Kylan was very fond of you."

    "...."

    "I'm afraid it must be very hard on his heart."

    Frelona said with a dark expression.

    "Honey, he's strong, he'll get through this, but let's help him where we can."

    Count Either said affectionately, placing a hand on his wife's shoulder. But he too had a somber expression on his face.

    Euris could understand her parents' feelings. The Hebron family had been close to them since childhood.

    As such, her parents had watched over Kylan since he was young.

    They treated him like a son, and he treated them like parents. Their relationship was strong, and it was natural for the Count and Countess to worry about him.

    Euris sipped her tea, unsure of how to respond to her parents.

    ***

    Kylan sat at his desk, hands clasped over his face, unmoving. The room, with all the lights out, was eerily silent. Outside the window, the sun was setting.

    The desk he leaned against was tinted with the colors of the setting sun. He didn't know how long he'd been in that position, or if darkness had fallen.

    Euris hates me.

    That fact alone was enough to drive Kylan crazy. At first, he dismissed the change as nothing.

    He figured he was just having a bunch of realistic, unpleasant nightmares. But his dear friend pushed him away with all her heart.

    Why?

    The hand that had been covering his eyes came down after a long moment. The setting sun touched his red eyes, deepening the color. The circles under his eyes were dark and his complexion was pallid.

    He had loved Euris for a long time. It was hard for him to accept that the woman he loved, the one he could never go without seeing, would suddenly become another man's wife.

    But she pushed him away. As if they would never be together again.

    He wondered over and over again what was wrong. He thought over and over again, wondering if he'd made some new mistake he didn't know about, the things he'd said to her since her sudden coldness, the conversations they'd had.

    A soft, gentle knock on the door made Kylan stiffen. It was the townhouse's butler who opened the door.

    "The master calls for you."

    "Father?"

    "He has something to tell you............."

    Kylan nodded to dismiss him, then rose from his chair and straightened his clothes.

    His father, the Count of Hebron, had been given a time-limited sentence. His illness was incurable, so there was no point in treating him, but he had been moved to the capital, where he had a good physician.

    The Count of Hebron asked his son, Kylan, to accompany him to the capital. Kylan gladly followed his father. He thought he would also make a will regarding the earldom he would inherit when his father died.

    Kylan's heart had been hard enough with Euris, but the news of his father's terminal illness was too much for him to bear.

    'I need your comfort so badly, Yuris................ To be patted on the back, to be held in your warm embrace, to hear your soothing voice............ I feel like I can get through anything. But    why, why do you push me away?’

    With her words as sharp as broken glass, Kylan made his way to his father's bedroom. The air in the room was already heavy and stale.

    Count Hebron, lying listless on his bed, barely opened his eyes at the sound of his son entering.

    "Father."

    At the sound of his son's voice, Count Hebron coughed repeatedly as if to clear his throat. When he finally calmed down, he spoke the first words. Kylan's eyes widened. It was completely unexpected. It was something that would rock his world.

    ***

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