Chapter 34
***
When Euris returned home from the trip, she was troubled. Turning her back on the war and traveling with her husband to Belontia was something she wanted to put on the back burner.
If she allowed this empire to fall again, even if she knew how to stop it, she would live the rest of her life unhappy with guilt. Regretting this moment.
So she decided to go see Kylan.
'I'll see him, I'll try to convince him. Maybe me and Chaint won't have to break up.’
She knew she was being selfish, but she couldn't think of anything else.
But she had no idea where he was. They hadn't spoken in months since the funeral.
Euris went to her parents' mansion with the intention of asking about Kylan's whereabouts. When they received the letter, they were happy to see her.
With a little time to kill before dinner, she strolled through the garden and sat down on a familiar bench.
As she examined the old, hand-marked wooden chair, she noticed that in the corner of one side, in the children's neat handwriting, it read, "Kylan and Euris are friends forever.”
The long-forgotten graffiti stopped Euris in her tracks.
She traced the inscription with her index finger.
'Friends forever........'
The corners of her mouth formed a faint arc as she remembered the innocence of childhood, then turned back to a straight line.
‘At the time, I didn't see the tragedy coming.’
She leaned back in her seat. Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, she felt like she was back in her childhood. Back to a peaceful time when she knew nothing.
"Miss!"
Rune's voice sounded in the distance, and Euris opened her eyes and looked up in surprise.
"Rune."
Rune had come running, as if she had something to say. She smiled, her freckled cheeks spread wide.
"Miss, I have something to show you."
Euris followed her at a brisk pace. She was curious, wondering what she was up to.
Once she was sure Euris was following, she led her through the garden and into the mansion. Up the wooden stairs and through the hallway, it was only a matter of moments.
Euris was taken to her old room, and without Rune having to tell her, she seemed to know why she had brought her here. It was the same scenery, with only one thing different.
The potted plant that Kylan had given her, the one that hadn't sprouted in over two years, was sprouting green leaves.
"Oh my."
"Isn't it amazing?"
Rune looked on proudly from the sidelines. She remembered her lady being so upset that it hadn't sprouted, and she had continued to care for the pot she had left behind when she married.
"When did it sprout?"
"Not long ago. I'm so curious to see what it will grow!"
Rune exclaimed, her voice rising somewhat in pitch. A thought suddenly flashed through Euris's mind as he smiled.
‘Did it sprout in my past life?’
No, it didn’t. In her last life, until the last moment she could remember, the plant didn’t grow. She had taken great care of it when she received it, and she had taken it with her when she got married.
She tended to it with all the love she had for Kylan, but it never sprouted.
‘I thought it was dead.’
Euris asked Rune how she watered it, exposed it to sunlight, and if there was anything special about it, just in case, and her answer wasn't much different from the way Euris had cared for the potted plant.
'It's different from my past life........'
All of the things that had changed since her past life were things that Chaint and herself had influenced. But this plant was not one of them.
Euris thought about taking it with her this time, but she didn't want the new growth to wither away, so she asked Rune to take care of it.
Thinking about it, she left the room and made her way to the dining room, for it was almost time to eat. Count Either and his wife were waiting for her there. As Euris stepped into the room, she suddenly saw a familiar world and her parents standing like a picture.
"..."
Everything in sight seemed unusually special and precious, and for a moment, it touched her heart, which had been troubled by war and evasion.
The contrast between her past life, when everything was on fire, and the peace in her eyes now, was too great. Immediately, Count Either rushed to the sobbing Euris.
‘We must protect him. This is not a matter of choice.’
Euris thought as she felt the warmth of her parents' hands on her back.
'I love you, Chaint, but if I can't protect all of this, I'm not going to.......'
She felt like she was going to hate herself and become unbearable.
"Euris, are you okay?"
Frelona and Earlton gently stroked their sobbing daughter's shoulders. Their touch was so warm that the tears wouldn't stop easily.
Euris barely managed to hold back her tears as she assured her parents that it was no big deal. After a brief conversation, the meal began. She spoke up, demanding to know about Kylan's whereabouts.
"How are things going with the Count of Hebron these days?"
At that question, Frelona let out a small sigh before speaking.
"The last time I saw the Countess of Hebron was on the day of the Count of Hebron's funeral. She refuses visitors and rarely attends gatherings. She must be very distressed. Plus, Kylan will be inheriting the earldom soon, and he's not coming back from the capital."
Euris's eyes narrowed at that. "Then...... Kylan is staying in the capital right now?"
"I wouldn't be so worried if he was staying at the earl's townhouse. He's staying at an old inn with no connections, and he acts like he's going somewhere at any moment."
Euris felt uneasy.
‘Does this mean he’s one day closer to going to the Lepallon Empire?’
Still, it was the end of summer.
As soon as she finished her meal, she left the manor to meet with the Countess of Hebron to find out which inn in the capital Kylan was staying at.
***
Kylan sat on the bank of the river, looking across to the other side as it faded into darkness. The sky, with its unfinished sunset, broke beautifully on the water's surface.
The distant horizon was still red, and the earth slowly settled over it. The shadows of the towering sycamore trees hung like a puzzle against the sky.
It was a lonely scene. He could hear the shouting and playing of beggar children near the river, and the occasional scolding of adult beggars at the noise.
"Haa......."
The summer night was drawing to a close. A small sigh drifted through the air, mingling with the sounds of the night, and white smoke billowed from his mouth. It was from the cigar he had come to depend on so deeply.
Where he sat was not far from the inn where he had been staying since coming to the capital. There were many inconveniences to staying in the Hebron family townhouse. First and foremost, there was the risk that the occupants would alert his mother, who remained on the estate, to his whereabouts.
He didn't want her to be in danger. He wanted to leave without anyone knowing, so he chose to stay at the old inn.
The area under the bridge over the Rhine was a place people avoided. The reason was that there were a lot of beggars. It didn't matter to Kylan.
The leaves of the trees on the other side of the river rustled in the light breeze. Summer in Tolas, the capital of Alton, was intense and refreshing.
The sun would shine during the day, and at night, a cool breeze would blow through the air, like being in the middle of a cool forest.
He might never see this landscape again. It was getting close to time to leave, and as he thought about it, her name naturally came to his mind.
****
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Write a comment
Eve (Sunday, 28 January 2024 19:48)
I smell trouble... I fell so bad for Chaint :(