Sorry 17

Chapter 17

    ***

    "......Kylan. You must leave for the Lepallon Empire."

    His father said, his voice choked with phlegm, barely able to breathe. Kylan stared at his father on the bed in disbelief.

    "What do you mean, father?"

    At the question, the Count of Hebron struggled to speak again, choking back a raging cough.

    "......ha, ha, ha............. Your mother was a spy, a fugitive from the Lepallon Empire."

    Kylan's face went blank at Count Hebron's words.

    ‘My mother, the one with the black hair and red eyes, whose face is now a blur. The one who looked so much like me............ the one who loved me endlessly as a child was a spy?'

    She was gone before Kylan could speak.

    He was dumbfounded that his father, who had never spoken of her before, was suddenly talking about her. And a spy?

    "What the hell are you talking about, father?"

    "I'm sorry I'm just now telling you.......... But Kylan. You need to go back to Lepallon, or else, ha. Sooner or later, not only you, but the rest of your family could be............... killed."

    "..."

    "It was ......... your mother's will. We don’t know what's going to happen to you when you grow up. They're coming for you, at any moment................."

    "If my mother died, then..."

     "Yes. She was taken back to her home country."

    "..."

    "Your mother begged them to her last breath, to let you live a normal life in this country. She left you here and traveled to Lepallon instead, where I believe she died."

    "..."

    "And I thought that was the end of it. But recently, spies from that country came to me............"

    Count Hebron paused, unable to continue as his breathing became ragged. Kylan sat still as if his thoughts had stopped, unable to process the enormity of what had come out of his father's mouth.

    "When you come of age, you must return to Lepallon. This, too, was given to me by your mother."

    "..."

    Kylan took the necklace from his father's hand. It was a necklace with an oddly patterned gemstone, with half of the pendant broken off.

    "Son, I'm sorry I hid it from you all these years. I was a father who loved you, but I guess I was never good enough for you............"

    After his father finished speaking,Kylan walked out of his father's bedroom, where he slept soundly.

    Kylan did not sleep that night. Until the first light of dawn, he held the necklace he'd received from his father up to the light.

    After thinking over his father's words several times, he understood his predicament and his situation.

    And only then did the meaningful words Euris had spoken to him begin to make sense.

    "Why are you acting like this all of a sudden? Give me a reason, Euris."

    "You'll find out for yourself soon enough."

    "Euris................ Did you know all along?

    "Euris, what's wrong with you, you've suddenly changed so much lately............ I don't know what to do."

    "You don't have to do anything, Kylan. You'll get busy with your life soon enough, and I'll leave you to it."

    ‘Is this why you pushed me away so suddenly?’

    Kylan sat on the window sill, looking out in a daze. The dawn was beginning to turn purple. The capital city was a far cry from the manor he'd left behind.

    From the first rays of dawn, the capital was bustling with activity. Factories were already spewing smoke from their chimneys.

    Merchants pulling carts bustled through the streets. The waves of the beautiful Rhine River, which ran through the capital, reflected a pale reddish glow.

    "For the sake of your brother Eisen and your stepmother, you should leave. Your presence here will endanger not only you, but the rest of your family."

    Kylan closed his eyes. His stepmother, the grateful woman who had raised him, not as her stepson, but as her own.

    ‘Yuris, did you know------?’

    All this time, he'd never been able to figure out why she did what she did, and now the puzzle seemed to be coming together.

    No, he couldn't come up with any reason other than that, because he couldn't see any other reason for her to separate herself from him after such a deep connection.

     

    But how did she know?

    Kylan opened his eyes again. Pale beams of light filtered through the clear glass and fell on his face like raindrops.

    'If I'd known I had to leave for Lepallon, Euris, even if you hadn't pushed me away, I would have left you alone.'

    It was better for her to be hurt than for her life to be in danger, he thought, and she deserved a happy life. He wanted to see Euris again.

    There were many things he wanted to ask her, so he began writing to her that day.

    ***

    The engagement ceremony took place at the Marquis of Eridov’s mansion. As it was an engagement and not a wedding, it wasn't a very big affair, but people from many families showed up.

    Being the centerpiece of an event with so many people's blessings was still a challenge for the timid Euris. She barely managed to keep a smile on her face until the ceremony was over.

    An engagement ring with a neat diamond was placed on her finger, and the touch of the cold metal on her left ring finger brought back memories of the wedding band she had worn in her last life.

    By late afternoon, when all the events had concluded, the crowds had disappeared. Euris    strolled through the greenhouse with Chaint into the long sunset.

    The light seemed a little clearer under the clear glass ceiling. They were dressed in fancy gowns and tuxedos. They were about to have a moment alone while the adults talked.

     "Are you tired?”

     "I’m okay."

    She replied briefly, her voice sweet. Chaint squeezed her hand gently.

     "We're engaged."

     There was an understated joy in his voice. Euris was happy for him, but she couldn't believe it.

    ‘I still don’t know why you asked me to marry you.’

    Yuris still couldn't understand why Chaint had approached her, and it remained a kind of unease.

    In the greenhouse of Glamis Manor, here in this already familiar place, flowers that did not bloom in the fall were smiling. Roses, freesias, tulips...... and the sight of them inexorably brought back memories.

    In her last life, they had been the flowers that Chaint had given to her every morning. She stopped walking.

    Back then, she had taken for granted the flowers she'd been given, which had changed from day to day. But she realized, too late, that it was a sign of his great affection.

    You, who must have agonized every day over the choice of flowers. And I never said thank you.

    You are my good fortune.

    Yuris's mind flashed back to the last flower he'd given her, the one that resembled a trumpet.

    Chaint stopped walking as well. Euris looked up at him. Their gazes tangled, the watery eyes asking what was wrong.

    She gazed longingly into his eyes, which knew nothing of her past life.

    How selfish of her, she thought, vaguely wishing that he, who knew nothing of the future, would understand. She suddenly longed for the sight of him, looking down at her from the top of her head, with the same face as in her last life.

    I'm going to be married to him again.

    I'm going to be married to him again...

    She felt a burst of emotion she'd been holding back.

    "I love you."

    Euris whispered, her voice wet. Something trickled down her cheek. It was tears.

    Looking down at her, Chaint's eyes flashed with surprise and bewilderment. He stroked her shoulder, unnerved by her sudden weeping.

    "What's wrong, Euris?"

    Euris gripped his hand tightly. It was an ice-cold hand.

    "...I need you to kiss me."

    The words made his lips raise up in a dumbfounded expression, and he could only stare at her, unable to do anything.

    ***

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