Chapter 49
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Will I die? Would I at least be badly hurt, and if so, would my parents worry about me?
The child took off the slippers he was wearing. Maybe it was because of how many times his mother had tried to kill herself, but somehow it always felt like it was right around the corner.
Chaint stood up on the desk. The window looked so fragile up close.
The fountain in the garden spewed water as it was basking in the sun. The lush spring landscape outside felt like an escape. He wondered if he could open this window from here and jump out and reach the other world.
He knew the idea was foolish. He was a smart kid, and he knew the end result: if he hurt himself badly, he'd leave his mother with an even bigger hole in her heart, and his father with a crippled, useless son.
Still, he didn't care, and in that moment, he was too sad to care. Suddenly, he had a childlike thought: what would it be like to have a parent who genuinely cared about you? An instinct to taste it, just once, gripped him and shook him.
As if possessed, he grabbed the window's latch and pulled it open, letting a gust of wind stream through the crack. For a moment, his head whipped around, and then something caught his eye: a stone he'd forgotten about, high up on his desk.
It was a smiling stone with jagged lines, and it was still smiling at him.
"Next time I see you, I'll give you a bigger, prettier stone!"
Chaint stared at the stone like a man stopped in his tracks. The smiling face, so innocently carved into the stone, seemed to offer comfort.
Don't be lonely, don't be sad, live.
Live on..................
"Until next time................"
The hand that had been reaching for the window's rings was now reaching for the stone. The window swung open even wider, but he didn't care.
When he came to, he was back down on the floor, clutching the stone, which felt smaller in his palm, which had grown a bit larger over time.
He turned to face the stone again. The smiling face was still there, and he found it oddly comforting.
"Thank you.................."
The girl's face was vague, but her name was clear. He clutched the stone to his chest and wept.
The stone with the smiling face on it became something he often looked at. Sometimes, when he was feeling overwhelmed with emotion, he would look at the stone with a smile on his face.
Naturally, the more he thought about the little girl who had given him the stone, the more he thought about her.
‘Will she remember me?’
If he met the girl from the Either’s someday, would she smile as brightly as she did then?
Will I ever be able to say thank you to her?
Will I be able to be friends with her?
Chaint was not a patient boy. He didn't like to follow his father and mother to social gatherings, but he dutifully attended, hoping to see the Either’s child again.
It was good to have a goal. It made him more active in every way, and the Marquis of Eridov was pleased with the change in his son.
But the truth was, he could not find Euris Either anywhere.
It was as if the girl had disappeared from the world.
‘I wonder what happened to that bright child.’
He didn't have to think long. Chaint was the eldest son of a prestigious marquis. He had no shortage of resources.
"Find out about Euris Either, Count Either's only daughter, and why she no longer appears at social gatherings."
It was the first time he had ever asked an attendant to do anything, and when, a few days later, he was briefed on the reason, Chaint’s eyes grew colder than anyone else's, even at his young age.
Euris had disappeared from the social scene because of bullying from a girl her own age.
"Mandela Hillsney.”
The fifth daughter of the Marquis of Hillsney, Mandela.
Even Chaint, who had been thoroughly educated by the leading aristocratic families since childhood, had never heard the name before. Mandela was probably not an influential child, then.
If Chaint Eridov resembled his father, he was a striking resemblance in this respect. He was tough when he had to be. In some ways, he was cruel.
He began a thorough background check on the Mandela child of the Marquis of Hillsney, a family with a long and distinguished history and a reputation for gentlemanly behavior that would not tolerate anything less than nobility.
The entourage dutifully followed Chaint’s instructions. And Mandela's misbehavior was enough to have her removed from the Hillsney household.
Mandela Hillsney had a nasty habit of hunting down and harassing her prey at the annual Grand Winter School. Bella Owinsey, Florrie Best, and many other names were mentioned in social circles.
Chaint had left Euris’s name out of all of them, thinking of the public humiliation the bright child would suffer. As for the others, it didn't really matter.
The Marquis of Hillsney would eventually go to trial, and Mandela would be stripped of all the benefits of being the youngest daughter of the family.
"So smart."
Marquis Eridov smiled with satisfaction. There were indirect benefits for the Marquis of Eridov, a relative rival of the Hillsneys, as the trial brought the Hillsneys into disrepute. His confidence in his son had been boosted.
Despite his father's praise, all he could think about was the girl, Euris.
‘I wonder if she's all right now. I hope so.’
Throughout the entire period of Mandela-Hilsney's social exile, all he could think about was Euris.
***
The car window rumbled and shook. The grayish dawn glowed along the ridge.
Thanks to her recent frequent train rides, Euris was now able to skillfully buy tickets and find seats without assistance. Every time, she'd always taken an empty seat, but today, for some reason, she didn't feel like it. The coach seats were definitely cramped and dingy.
The early train was more crowded than she expected. Even though it was a weekday, there were a lot of people using the train. The train's final destination was the capital city of Tolas, and every time it passed through the main station, many people got on and off.
Euris watched the whole thing in awe. She wondered if some part of her new life would be like theirs.
Euris left the mansion. She told her husband she would come back, and she would, but maybe, just maybe, she would never go back.
Euris’s luggage was overly simple. It was a small, clunky, black leather bag. There wasn't much in it, or more accurately, she'd brought it out because she felt he had to have something...................
'I wonder if Chaint is awake by now, if he'll realize I've left.’
Dizzying thoughts raced through her mind.
'Should I turn back now and run away with him to Velontia, and close my eyes and ears?’
She would be lying if she said she didn't have such thoughts. Every moment was a battle with conflict. Every step she took felt like a path of thorns that pricked the soles of her feet.
"Hey, you're here, you've got a little luggage."
Euris's head snapped around at the sound of the voice again. She didn't know what had brought her to this bar in the capital. The memory of leaving her husband at dawn still haunted her.
It was a voice she would hear often now. She blinked at the thought of being with Kylan again, thinking how strange life was.
Kylan walked toward her. He was dressed in a white shirt and black pants. The front button of his shirt was undone, making it look casual.
The sleeves were also haphazardly folded and rolled up, more casual than his usual attire for meetings.
However, his black shoes were neat and his pants were well-tailored. He looked much more polished than he had two weeks ago.
Kylan stepped in front of the dazed woman and took her outstretched hand in his own. It felt warm. His large hand wrapped around her diminutive one.
***
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