Sorry 3

Chapter 3

    ***

    Time flew as fast as an arrow.

    After living in a spacious country house on the Eridov estate, the couple moved to the capital three years after their wedding. Because Chaint needed to be in and out of the imperial court more often. They had been in the capital for two years now.

    Euris hadn't forgotten Kylan for some time after her marriage. The mere mention of his name was enough to cause her to break down in the immediate aftermath. Marriage did not end memories, and she continued to be plagued by the same sense of loss she had felt before.

    She tried not to let her husband see how she felt, even though the deep wounds in her heart were constantly oozing, but she couldn't help but see Kylan in her dreams.

    Euris knew that in the past, she had occasionally called out his name in her sleep, and though Chaint, who shared her bed, must have heard it, he never mentioned it.

    And as time went on, it stopped happening. Gradually, the lover’s name became a blur in her mind. She smiled more often. She cried less in secret. She realized it one morning when the sun was shining.

    'Mmm......'

    The chill of autumn seeped into the room. Euris woke up suddenly. For the first time in a long time, she dreamed of Kylan. She blinked once, then opened her eyes.

    Her mind was clear. Her heart was no longer pounding; it was steady.

    ‘Come to think of it…’

    These days, she didn't struggle with her childhood friend.

    ‘When was the last time you thought of that name?’

    She thought about it, but she couldn't remember. The name that she used to think about every day was now so far away that she couldn't even remember when she thought about it.

    Euris realized that she had forgotten Kylan, and a small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she realized that the name she had fought so hard to forget finally disappeared.

    Time was a medicine.

    Or perhaps it was the peace and stability of the life she had been given. Euris had grown tame in her marriage to Chaint.

    He was a good husband. She was reluctant to have children, and despite the social stigma, he cared enough to honor her wishes. His heart was in every aspect of their marriage.

    ‘I'll have to ask the users to make the mansion a little warmer.’

    She climbed out of bed, feeling the coolness of the morning air, now beyond chilly.

    Chaint left for work at the Imperial Palace early every morning, and a fresh bouquet of flowers was placed on her bedside table each day.

    She had taken the flowers for granted, and suddenly wondered how long he had left them there each morning.

    '...At least a year, I think.’

    She couldn't remember the exact date because she was so oblivious. But what she did know was that she enjoyed looking at them.

    It was not easy to give a new flower every day for a year, but he never missed a day of it.

    It was only now that she realized that. She was surprised that she had never expressed her gratitude.

    'Me too...............'

    Suddenly, she felt sorry for him for standing by her side for five years.

    'Why don't I express my gratitude today..............?’

    With that thought, she looked at the bouquet again.

    ‘I've never seen these flowers before.’

    The broad, white flowers had oddly shaped leaves. It was an elegant-looking flower, but she found it curious that it looked like a trumpet, so she stared at it for a long time.

    ‘It looks like a bouquet.’

    After watching the beautifully wrapped flowers for a while, she then carefully placed them in a vase. The vase was already crowded with the roses she'd received the day before.

    As she approached the vanity, she made eye contact with the woman in the mirror.

    Five years was a long time. Perhaps it was because she hadn't thought of Kylan in a long time.

    She realized that her cheeks had somehow plumped up in the mirror, a far cry from the scrawny woman she'd once been.

    "Ha."

    She bared her teeth and grinned. The corners of her mouth gently curved upward, revealing a row of fine teeth.

    It was healthy and lovely. She studied herself in the mirror for a moment, making several expressions, as if it were a game, and then turned her head to look around the room, where vases of flowers were placed everywhere.

    Yesterday it was roses, the day before that freesias, and the day before that tulips.

    ‘I wonder where he gets these flowers every day, when they're so hard to find in this season.’

    Her gaze settled on today's flower again. The trumpet-shaped flowers seemed to be smiling at her.

    ‘I should ask its name.’

    She tugged on the string and a maid knocked on the door.

    "Madam, did you want to see me?"

    "Do you know the name of the flowers my husband left behind today?"

    The maid's gaze followed the hostess's finger and landed on the flowers in the vase. The maid squinted her eyes, unsure.

    "Ah...... I'll get to it."

    "Please."

    She said, smiling brightly, and the maid politely withdrew.

    It was a peaceful morning, and she took a moment to organize her tasks for the day. It wasn't a day with many appointments.

    Her husband would arrive in the evening. For some reason, she looked forward to that time even more today.

    "The war?"

    Euris asked, as the words came out of Chaint's mouth when he returned in the evening. He looked impatient. He stood in the doorway, acting as if he was about to leave. No, it was clear that he had to leave.

    "They raided the borders of the Lepallon Empire."

    He paused to catch his breath. The Lepallon Empire. That was the country Kylan had wandered off to, a huge country that surrounded this Alton empire they were in.

    But relations between the Lepallon and Alton Empires were so good that a raid was unthinkable.

    "Such a calm, peaceful time, and suddenly war?”

    Euris looked up at him. His brown hair shone softly in the room's dim light. He looked at her, too. She felt something in her chest as she met his blue eyes, filled with regret and anxiety.

    This man had loved her through five years of her indifference. That he'd pretended not to hear her call her lover’s name in her sleep sometimes.

    She realized that she could smile again, because he had loved her so tenderly and unwaveringly for so long. It was only now that she realized she had grown accustomed to his love, like being drenched in a light rain.

    "You have to leave right away?"

    His lips curled at her question. After a few movements, a small, terse answer escaped.

    "Yes................"

    "...."

    "I'll be right back."

    "Chaint......."

    Euris clutched at the hem of his robe, her hands white.

    Her heart began to race with anxiety, but after all he had done for her, how could she burden him?

    "It'll be over soon."

    The man repeated the words.

    "I don't take part in anything dangerous myself, so I'll be fine. I've been doing imperial work for a while now, so I'm only going because there's no one else to replace me."

    The man spoke softly, as if trying to reassure his wife. Euris nodded slowly.

    Then the man smiled faintly.

    "I'll be traveling to the east and back, maybe a month at the longest, so be patient."

    A month. Euris rolled the words around in her mouth as if they were magic. Two sad gazes intertwined. The man's eyes roamed her face.

    "Can I kiss you......?"

    He always asked for Euris’s permission this way, and she nodded several times, strongly, with a mixture of regret and excitement. The man smiled lovingly at her, as if he thought her behavior was  cute.

    Their lips met. After a brief kiss, he returned his affectionate gaze to her as usual.

    He brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and gently stroked his hand down her back. The way he would treat someone precious.

    He leaned in and placed a small kiss on her forehead, just as he always did.

    "It's really going to be okay."

    "Honey......."

    "I love you."

    He turned and walked out the front door, as usual, not waiting for an answer. It wasn't until after the door had closed that Yuris muttered something small.

    "Please come back..."

    Euris stared at the door for a long moment before turning away. Looking out the window, the scenery outside was as calm as any other day.

    'How can there be war in such a peaceful place............. How...'

    She sat down on the couch, her legs weak, when the maid, who had been called to her bedroom in the morning, came back with something to say. 

    The people had not yet heard the news of the war.

    ***

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