Sorry 52

 Chapter 52

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Chaint’s expression darkened sharply.

"I'm fine."

"You quarreled with your wife.”

The scribe had never been one to be distracted or distracting on duty, which was why his nickname in the imperial court was 'The Human Machine'. It was quite surprising to see such a man behaving like this.

The man's three years of marriage were telling: His face changed color at the mention of his wife.

Moreover, he had been working late for several days in a row. It was clear that the scribe had had a bad argument with his wife. He was known to be a great lover, so it's no wonder Bilzen was shocked by the news.

Having completed his own scenario, Bilzen dragged an armchair over and sat down in front of his desk.

 "Scribe, you must confide in me."

In his characteristically high-pitched tone, he whispered the secret. Although there was a strictly professional relationship between the two of them at work, they were close enough in age to be friends. Seeing the chatty man approach and sit down, Chaint waved him over.

"Everything's fine, really."

"Oh. You and your wife had an argument, didn't you?"

At that, Chaint's eyes flickered slightly. The sharp-eyed Bilzen noticed it. But he kept his mouth firmly shut.

"You want to keep it a secret, I can understand that.”

Bilzen decided not to probe further. Instead, he decided his boss could use a change of scenery.

"Why don't you get off early, maybe take a walk on a nice day like today, instead of burying yourself in a pile of papers!"

With that, he shoved him out the door, and Chaint was led out of the palace by force. Chaint wasn't really in the mood for a walk; it was chilly, and he didn't know where he was going.

‘Me, too, I wish we had fought.’

Mulling over his secretary's words, he walked aimlessly outside the castle. The afternoon sun was shining warmly, though it was unseasonably chilly.

Beautifully colored leaves covered Tolas, and he moved mechanically, his eyes taking in the autumn-soaked city.

No matter where he went, no matter what he did, he couldn't stop thinking about Euris, and he prayed that the maddening work would continue.

He walked aimlessly along the road, and before he knew it, he was in front of the Linz River promenade. In his last life, when he and his wife lived in the capital, it was her favorite place. And a dessert shop nearby.

'Dessert...................'

When they lived in the capital, he would often pick up a treat on his way home from work at the imperial palace. Despite her sweet tooth, Euris never asked the maids to bring her sweets, nor did she go out and buy them herself.

So when he would bring her desserts, she would eat most of them, even if she didn't like them. It was a great pleasure to bring her treats because she was so cute.

The walkway was lined with shops on both sides. As he walked along, he came to a dessert shop with a sign that had a big smile on Piero's face.

'Langfries Chocolate Shop', a place he had often visited in his past life. Without thinking, he pushed the door open and the bell jingled. The shop was deserted, perhaps because it was the middle of the day.

"Welcome to Langfries."

He lifted a wrapped box on a display case with a familiar gesture.

"Oh, this is our newest product, it's a special strawberry juice inside, ladies love it, would you like to buy it?"

The clerk said cheerfully. Chaint smiled weakly and nodded, then picked up the biggest box he always picked up and placed it on the counter.

It was one of Euris's favorite items from her last life. It might be a new product now, but it would soon become one of the store's best sellers.

At the time, he bought one because it was famous, and he had never forgotten the look on Euris's face when she first took a bite.

‘It was like a bunny.’

As he chuckled to himself, he realized the clerk was looking at him strangely. Shrugging it off, he rushed to pay and left the store.

"Goodbye," the clerk's voice rang hollow.

Chaint stumbled down the street, a large shopping bag in hand, beautifully wrapped in pink ribbon. This time, the flower shop was in sight. He had bought a different flower for his wife in his last life every day for years.

At first, he just wanted to bring some light to her always-dark face, but Euris had always arranged them in a vase, without a hint of reserve.

After witnessing that, he made it a habit to give her gifts every day. Some days he had a maid come and pick them from the mansion's greenhouse, and after he moved to the capital, he bought them himself.

Later on, picking flowers himself became an enjoyable hobby.

'This shop was also a favorite in my last life.’

As if mesmerized by something, he opened the door of the flower shop and entered. A bell rang, a different bell from the chocolate shop, and the shop assistant greeted him with a clear voice.

"Welcome, do you have the flowers you're looking for?"

"Uh................"

The clerk smiled at Chaint’s stuttering response.

"Do you want them as a gift to someone?"

Again, he couldn't answer. Then the clerk held up a flower. The flowers, pale violet, almost blue in color, were tucked between green stems and leaves.

"It's a fall flower," he said, "and it should be blooming soon."

He recognized the flowers. After years of gifting flowers, he had come to recognize most of the flower names on the market. The flowers the clerk showed him were gentian flowers, and the words were................

‘I love you even in your sorrow.’

The meaning seemed to be similar to Chaint’s own situation. He nodded mechanically at the gentian and a few other flowers the clerk picked out. He soon had a bountiful bouquet in his hands.

The clerk said something about care, but he didn’t remember any of it. He paid the bill and stepped back out onto the street.

After leaving the flower shop, he walked into the jewelry store next door. There, too, he browsed the displays without thinking, as if the act of buying something were a link to the past.

'This is...................'

His gaze lingered on a spot on a decorative cabinet. An employee noticed and approached him, speaking softly.

"Welcome, do you want me to take it out and show you?"

"Ah, ah, yes................... Please."

What he found was a pair of cuffs. Gold, jewel-encrusted cuffs, the employee took them out of his gloved hands and brought them to him. At the sight of the design, memories inexplicably flooded back.

"Euris? What is this?"

It was a chilly fall day. Euris, wearing a thick coat instead of her usual brush, pulled something out of an unusually bulging pocket and placed it in Chaint's hand.

"This is a gift for you, ......, since I think it’s been overdue."

In his palm lay a small box stamped with the emblem of a famous jewelry store in Tolas. For a moment, Chaint wondered if it was their anniversary.

But he'd been keeping track of Euris's birthday, their wedding anniversary, and even national events. There was no way he'd miss it.

"..................What day is it?"

He asked Euris, still sounding scared, and she smiled slightly.

"No, I just bought it because I thought of you."

The words struck a chord in Chaint’s heart, even as he struggled to control the corners of his mouth that automatically twitched upward as he opened the small box to reveal a pair of golden cuffs.

He looked at Euris, thrilled, and she was smiling brightly.

"Thank you."

Euris looked away at his thanks. Her earlobes were slightly red with embarrassment.

With a sudden rush of memories, Chaint bought the cuffs, as if mesmerized by something. They were so similar to the ones Euris had given him in his past life, he couldn't resist.

***

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