Sorry 19

Chapter 19

    ****

TN: name changed: Yuris Aether to Euris Either

***

    It was a dream. Chaint stood alone in a strange, unfamiliar place. It was pitch-black, dark, and he was a child.

    "Let me out!"

    The boy cried out. The darkness hungrily devoured his fragile voice, as if it were delicious prey.

    "I don't want to be here, let me out!"

    The boy cried out in horror. The darkness said nothing. With fists clenched in both hands, the boy looked around in all directions, then began to run through it.

    But the darkness had no intention of ending.

    He couldn't tell if he was running in the same place or somewhere new. He couldn't tell if he was on the ground or in the air.

    After running for a while, the boy stopped. Breathing heavily, he surveyed his surroundings in horror.

    Then, as if giving up all hope, he dropped to the ground, curled up in a ball, and covered his ears.

    The horrible silence and darkness continued.

    "....ha."

    He hated this dream, he recited it a few times, and then he heard a voice from somewhere.

    -It's me.

    -Euris?

    The boy looked up. At his feet, in an elegant dress, stood Euris.

    "Yuris."

    He rose to his feet, panting, his body all grown up. Chaint began to walk again. His staggering steps turned into a frantic trot.

    But no matter how hard he ran, he couldn't get any closer to the distant woman. It was as if the ground was moving away from her.

    "Euris!"

    He reached out and called to her. He was still running hard.

    And just then, someone else appeared beside her. He recognized him at once. It was Kylan. He approached Euris and offered her his arm.

    Euris put her arm through his. Then she turned at an angle and looked at Chaint.

    -Kylan, I've been waiting for you.

    With her gaze still on Chaint, a mutter escaped Euris' lips, her voice so clear, as if she were right next to him.

    "Ah......!"

    With a gasp, Chaint's eyes snapped open. His forehead glistened with sweat. Moonlight poured in unusually brightly through the half-open curtains.

    He pushed himself up. Something trickled down his cheek.

    He was crying.

    "No......."

    The man mumbled.

    He couldn’t have the connection Kylan and Euris had.

    Chaint slid off the bed. He slipped out of his pajamas and went into the bathroom. After a quick wash, he slipped a watch on his wrist and dressed in a neat suit.

    He called for his butler and ordered his carriage to be ready. By the time he finally left the mansion, it was nearly dawn. As he climbed into the carriage, he spoke in a clear voice.

    "Take me to Count Either mansion."

    The carriage set off in silence, and he cupped his chin in one hand and watched the rapidly passing scenery outside nonchalantly. His blue eyes glowed coldly.

    When they finally arrived, instead of heading to the Count's manor, Chaint stood silently at the roadside.

    As if waiting for someone. After some time, something quickly approached from the end of the road: a postman pedaling vigorously on an old bicycle.

    At his destination, instead of a mailbox, he was confronted by a tall man.

    "Are you the local delivery man?"

    "Yes. What can I do for you......?"

    The shabbily dressed delivery man, who appeared to be middle-aged, glanced over at the young man who stood in his way.

    He could tell from his attire and aura that he was a high ranking nobleman, which made his head spin even more. He stooped down, and a wad of large bills was thrust in front of him.

    It was a small sum for a noble, but at least for him, it was enough for several months of living expenses. In a low voice, Chaint explained the purpose of the money.

    "If you receive any letters from the sender of Kylan Hebron, throw them all away, lest they reach the lady of this house."

    The delivery man's eyes widened at the sharpness of his voice. He had never been asked to do anything like this before.

    The lady of the manor had been good to him.

    She served him hot tea on cold days and allowed him to rest in the shade on hot days. Every now and then, she would give him a precious treat to share with his family.

    'To throw away letters addressed to such a good woman........'

    The deliveryman knew the name Kylan Hebron, who was the childhood friend of the young Lady of Aether. He had seen them together since they were little.

    He had heard that she was engaged.

    And he had been surprised to learn that it was not the same Kylan she had known for so many years. It was the work of a higher power, but it broke his heart.

    He knew he shouldn't accept the offer, but the money in front of him was too great a temptation to resist.

    His young daughter had a rare disease. With treatment, she could live a healthy life, but money was always a problem. After a moment's hesitation, he heard Chaint's voice in his ear.

    "Do me a favor and I'll pay you this much more if you do a good job."

    The postman squeezed his eyes shut.

    "Yes......? Is that okay......?"

    Already taking the bills, he looked up at Chaint with a quizzical expression.

    "Yes, sir. In my honor, I’ll throw them away. Or better yet, burn them.”

    His blue eyes were so piercing, he thought he could see right through them. Chaint gritted his teeth.

    "Yes...."

    ‘I'm sorry, Miss.’

    The deliveryman gripped the bundle of bills in his hand more firmly. His voice, full of guilt and duty, sounded small in the fall morning.

    Watching the deliveryman's head bow until he was out of sight, Chaint sighed softly.

    'I don't know if the letters will ever come, but...... I can't see Euris falling apart again, just in case.'

    But there were no secrets in the world that could remain hidden forever.

    A few months later, the world was covered in beautiful snow. The couple continued their somewhat hectic but peaceful engagement. Suddenly, he received an urgent telegram from Euris.

    {I need to talk to you. I'll be there soon. 

    U.E.}

    It was a terse sentence, different from her usual affectionate letters, and Chaint instinctively knew something was wrong.

    ***

    "Now, now, now, I’ve done it wrong….!"

    The shabbily dressed mailman's name was Jake. He had been delivering mail in this neighborhood for over 20 years, and his integrity has endeared him to the townspeople.

    Euris called him "Uncle Jake" and greeted him warmly whenever she saw him.

    She looked up at Jake with a wistful face, her hands clasped around a mug of warm tea, trembling slightly. His face was covered in tears, as if he had committed a great sin.

    It was too bad her parents weren't home, or he might have faced even more wrath.

    "So, what you're saying is that...... that some gentleman paid you to throw the letters away?"

    His shoulders slumped further at the question. His refusal to deny it made Euris’s heart sink. Silence settled heavily in the parlor. Jake, still trembling, watched the lady’s eyes.

    'I should have thrown it away, but for your sake I couldn't bring myself to do it.......'

     He squeezed his eyes shut and thought. He could have done as the gentleman asked him to do and burned them all. But Jake couldn't bring himself to do that to the letters that Master Kylan had written to Lady Euris.

    Jake, who had been looking terrified for some time, pursed his lips as if he wanted to say something.

    "Miss......."

    His words trailed off, and her gaze shifted to the delivery man. His lower lip twitched, as if he was having a hard time saying why he was about to say, and Euris waited a moment, until he spoke carefully.

    ***

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