Chapter 45
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"Ugh................"
When Euris woke up, the sun was already high in the sky.
She sat up in bed dazedly and thought about yesterday's events. She remembered going to the capital and drinking alone in the Rose Room, but................
‘How did I get back to my bedroom?’
She tilted her head, unable to think of anything else. When she drank, she tended to forget things that happened.
'Perhaps Chaint saw me yesterday....... and it worried him.'
The side of the bed was empty. Today was a weekday and her husband would be at home. As soon as she woke up, the sadness washed over her again.
"Come with me to Velontia."
He wanted to be with her, even if it meant going to war. Euris knew her husband's heart, but somehow, she could not bring herself to choose that path.
‘I wonder how he'll react when I tell him I'm leaving him to go with Kylan.’
Euris let out a small sigh. Perhaps Chaint already knew what she was thinking. She slid off the bed and left the room.
There was still two weeks to go, after all, and she was eager to see his face, so she went to his office, but to her surprise, it was empty.
Just then, a butler passing by saw her and greeted her.
"Where's my husband?"
"He had a meeting today, so he headed to the Imperial Palace early this morning."
She suddenly remembered his schedule, which she had forgotten. Today was a business trip day for the once-a-month imperial meeting.
****
It wasn't until late afternoon that he left the palace, and by now there was a slight chill in the air, indicating that fall was approaching.
The meeting took longer than expected, and Chaint was running late.
The imperial family valued their friendship with the Lepallon Empire, and they were proud of it. Not just the imperial family, but all the high ranking nobles.
At each of these meetings, Chaint had repeatedly stressed the need to be prepared, especially for defense. He took the Emperor aside and made suggestions. All opinions were treated as useless.
"We might have to prepare for an invasion from Lepallon? Don't even mention such blasphemous talk."
The Emperor of Alton shuddered as if the words from his mouth were curses.
Alton's relationship with the mighty empire was strong, and the invasion was so unexpected, even for him in his last life, that he could understand the reaction.
And no matter how prepared Alton was, the devastation of war was inevitable.
Moreover, the scenario of winning a war against the great power made even less sense.
It was, therefore, a pointless suggestion. After all, it was all for naught if the Lepallon invasion itself was not stopped.
The first bombing, not far from the capital.
The bombing rattled everyone in the imperial court. The Emperor's shocked expression when he realized that Lepallon had raided his country in his last life was still etched in his mind.
He walked through the ornate gates of the castle. The guards recognized him and gave him a stiff salute. Chaint nodded lightly and quickened his pace.
Worries rushed through his mind about Euris: what was she doing, would she be okay? He strode to the center of the wide roundabout in front of the imperial palace, intent on hailing a carriage to take him to the train station.
His wife was just as engrossed in her research as he was, spending most of her days without appointments poring over books on Lepallon.
She hated social gatherings, but she'd forced herself to attend the ladies' meeting to gather information. She was so desperate.
But what's the point of books and socializing, he thought, no matter how much he studied the methods here, if Lepallon threw a bomb at them.
If he abandoned it, that would be the end of it.
So Kylan, he was the key to the door.
He looked around the streets bitterly.
'The capital is always crowded.’
In front of the imperial entrance was a large roundabout, flanked on either side by a large commercial district. This path leads to the Rinz, the river of the beautiful capital city of Tolas. It had been Euris's favorite place in their last life. It was a favorite haunt of the city's residents.
Shopkeepers hawking their wares, and people sightseeing, children running around their mothers. It was a peaceful scene. Many of these people were innocent. Their lives had a right to be protected.
The thought made him feel bad. He felt like he was losing all justification for wanting her.
"Where may I take you, sir?"
At the sound of the coachman's voice, Chaint simply replied, "Train station," and put one leg up on the carriage. One last look around the street caught his eye, and he locked his gaze on the man without moving.
Kylan Hebron, that was him.
He was walking somewhere, a newspaper in one arm, and his direction was toward him. The distance between them closed, and Kylan Hebron looked up to see if he recognized Chaint's gaze. Kylan's expression rippled as their eyes met.
"Sir?"
The coachman called out to Chaint, who didn't move, and Chaint put his foot back down on the carriage.
"I'm sorry, I had to go."
Chaint slowly moved toward Kylan. Now the two men stood facing each other at a short distance.
"It's been a while."
Kylan was the first to speak. Chaint was slightly taken aback by the change in his appearance. The Kylan he'd seen at clubs and social gatherings had always been a man who insisted on wearing a formal suit. He was dressed differently now, wild and free.
"We need to talk for a minute."
He shook off his bewilderment and spoke up, and Kylan nodded in agreement.
"I'll show you around."
With that, Kylan turned and started walking ahead.
"What a coincidence."
Kylan led the way to a quiet café not far away, but a little off the beaten path and therefore less crowded.
Deftly offering two cups of coffee, he took them and walked over to a seat in the corner and sat down. Chaint awkwardly took a seat across from him.
He knew Euris was probably home alone and worried, but he wanted to talk to him.
"Have you met Euris?"
Chaint asked, and he saw his well-groomed black eyebrows twitch. Kylan sipped his coffee, keeping his expression steady.
"Yes."
A short answer followed. He wanted to know what he and Euris had talked about, why she said she should go to him, and if, by chance, he were with her, if he really weren't going to go to Lepallon, and if so, where they would stay.
He sat in silence, full of questions, but not knowing where to begin or how to say them.
Kylan had saved his life in his last life, and though he would die a few weeks later for nothing.
But the goodwill he had shown remained in his heart.
And so his heart was filled with a great deal of sorry and gratitude for Kylan. It was clear that in his last life, Kylan had been in love with Euris until the end. He recognized the man from the Third Country outpost by his expression and his voice.
He must have missed her for a long time in another country. He regretted the hurt he had caused her in the past, waiting for the chance to say hello to the man who had been her husband.
That's why he couldn't bring himself to ask all the questions that were running through his mind.
‘Even if you don't have the memory of it.’
Only the occasional clink of coffee mugs echoed through the space.
Kylan studied the man sitting across from him. He was the same man he'd always seen at social gatherings, immaculately maintained. He was a handsome man, flawlessly handsome.
But nothing could hide his deep concern. His eyes were dark under the circles of concern, depth, and worry that rose from deep within him.
After staring at him for a moment, Kylan spoke.
"Is it true, you two, that you died in your last life and came back to life?"
****
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