Side Story.1 – Chevrem

“How much longer, Mom?”  

“Hmm. About three hours.”  

Selina, who had spent nearly a week on the ship, couldn’t hide her boredom and yawned. Killian sat upright, reading a book. Selina, seemingly restless, sat next to Killian, swinging her legs idly. She poked his waist and asked,  

“Hey, how long are you going to keep reading that book?”  

“Don’t talk to me. I’m concentrating.”  

Killian’s cynical reply made Selina’s eyebrows shoot up. Without hesitation, Selina smacked Killian’s back hard.  

“Ouch!”  

“What kind of attitude is that toward your sister?”  

“What the heck? Why are you hitting me all of a sudden?”  

“How rude!”  

Even though they were already fourteen, they still acted like they were seven years old. Leticia clicked her tongue.  

“Selina, you’re grown up now. Why are you hitting your brother? When are you going to stop acting like a child?”  

“But, Mom! It’s not fair. He was rude to me first!”  

“Selina, violence isn’t the answer. You can solve it with words, can’t you?”  

Selina pursed her lips tightly, seemingly aware she was in the wrong. Yet her face remained full of dissatisfaction. To ease her mood, Leticia decided to say something to Killian as well.  

“Killian, don’t be so sharp with Selina. You should get along with her.”  

“Yes, Mother.”  

Killian had started calling her “Mother” instead of “Mom” when he turned ten. He claimed it sounded more dignified. Unlike Selina, who spoke informally with both Leticia and Karl, Killian always used formal language. He paid attention to appearances, read books frequently, and even cared about his looks.  

Selina, on the other hand, hadn’t changed much since she was young. She was talkative, often threw tantrums, cried a lot, laughed a lot, and had dramatic mood swings. She loved clinging to Leticia and Karl, seeking their affection. Karl was especially weak when it came to Selina.  

Karl, who had stepped out briefly, returned to the cabin. Tilting his head, he approached Selina.  

“What happened? You don’t look happy.”  

“Dad!”  

Selina clung to Karl and started whining.  

“I’m upset. Killian was so rude to me!”  

“Killian, you shouldn’t act like that toward your sister.”  

“Father, it’s not fair. She bothered me while I was concentrating. That doesn’t feel good either.”  

No matter how mature he tried to act, Killian was still fourteen. In Leticia’s eyes, he was still a child. Amused by his attempt to act grown-up, she chuckled. Killian, noticing her reaction, raised his eyebrows just like his sister.  

Eventually, laughter filled the cabin. As Leticia burst out laughing, Killian’s expression grew even more sour. Selina wasn’t any different. Karl also began laughing out loud, clearly amused.  

The children scowled, while the parents were delighted. Even the contrast between them was funny, and Leticia couldn’t stop laughing for a long time.  

***

The ship finally reached the port. Before disembarking, Leticia handed coats to the children. While they remembered playing with Ariel in Chevrem, they had completely forgotten about the cold weather there. Having grown accustomed to Arhadan’s attire, the children found the coats cumbersome.  

“They’re too heavy. It’s uncomfortable.”  

Though Killian didn’t voice his complaints, his displeasure was evident in his expression. Ignoring their protests, Leticia wrapped scarves around them as well.  

“No, no. You need scarves too. Once you step outside, you’ll regret not wearing warmer clothes.”  

“Scarves? Ugh.”  

Killian sighed dramatically, clearly unhappy. But there was no choice. Coming from a warm country to Chevrem, they were bound to feel the cold more acutely. If they weren’t careful, they could catch a cold and end up bedridden.  

As expected, the moment they stepped outside, Selina screamed.  

“It’s freezing!”  

Even Killian, who tried not to show it, seemed startled by the intense cold. Leticia shrugged with a smile. 

“See? I told you it’d be cold.”  

When Selina first arrived in Arhadan as a child, she had struggled with the heat. Now, it seemed she was sensitive to both heat and cold—a dramatic temperament that suited her personality.  

Killian tried his best not to appear affected by the cold, but his shivering body betrayed him.  

“L-Let’s hurry inside somewhere. It’s so cold.”  

Selina urged them. The whole family climbed into the carriage Karl had prepared in advance. Their destination was Rebram, where Leticia’s mother was.  

***

During the journey to Rebram, Selina excitedly pointed out various sights with her finger, chattering nonstop. Even Killian, who was usually reserved, showed interest and responded to her comments. While the two conversed energetically, Leticia and Karl sat close together, whispering quietly so the children wouldn’t overhear.  

“Should I and the kids tour the capital separately? Or should I join you after sending them off?”  

“Hmm. Stay with them. Just assign a few knights to watch over them.”  

“Will that be okay?”  

“Yes. The knights will protect them.”  

Leticia didn’t feel particularly worried. Unlike her, Karl’s expression was uneasy. He seemed concerned about potential problems. But Leticia felt strangely confident that everything would be fine.  

“It’ll be okay.”  

“…Nothing bad should happen.”  

“Right.”  

What would my mother look like now? 

Leticia thought of the letter and closed her eyes. Her heart felt heavy.  

Her mother was still staying at the Baron’s mansion. After all, it was the Baron who had written the letter to Leticia in the first place. The Baron greeted her with the same face he had worn over a decade ago. He didn’t even bother to say hello.  

“Where is my mother?”  

“She’s in the room she always stays in.”  

If not for the faint wrinkles and deep lines on his forehead, she wouldn’t have noticed he had aged. Leticia walked toward the room where her mother was.  

As she grasped the doorknob, her heart began to race. She thought she was fine, but faced with the moment of reunion, nervousness dried her mouth.  

What would it be like? What would mother say when she saw me? What kind of gaze would she have? Would she still resent me? Or had she missed me? 

Countless possibilities crossed her mind. She moistened her dry lips with her tongue and turned the doorknob.  

Her mother lay motionless, eyes closed. Her once-radiant silver hair had lost its shine, and her snow-white skin had turned pale, showing clear signs of illness. Her frail, emaciated body made Leticia’s heart sink.  

“…Lichten, I want to sleep more, so leave.”  

Her mother spoke without opening her eyes. Leticia clenched her fists and moved closer to her.  

“I said leave…”  

Her mother’s words abruptly stopped. Her dull blue eyes widened as they landed on Leticia.  

“Leticia?”  

“Yes, Mother. It’s me.”  

Leticia pulled a chair to the bedside and sat down. Her mother’s breathing grew ragged.  

“How… How are you here?”  

“The Baron sent me a letter. He said you were… nearing the end.”  

The Baron’s letter had been brief. It was a single line informing her that her mother was close to death. There had been no invitation to visit. Yet, that letter had brought her here.  

“You never came to see me before. Why now? Did you only want to see me because I’m dying?”  

Her mother’s tone was venomous, but her trembling voice betrayed her emotions. Leticia gazed at her mother’s frail figure. The face that resembled her own. Her family. Her bl＊＊d. Despite everything, she felt pity. The arms that had caused her so much pain as a child were now thinner than brittle branches. The younger version of herself, who used to cower in fear whenever those arms moved, no longer existed.  

“No, Mother. I came because I simply wanted to see you.”

It was difficult to put into words why she wanted to see her mother. How could she tell a dying woman that she wanted to witness the final moments of the mother she had both loved and resented? But there was one thing she could say.  

“Mother, I have always sincerely loved you.”  

From the moment she was born, she had loved her mother simply because she was her mother.  

“I still love you. There hasn’t been a single moment when I didn’t love you.”  

A child’s love for their parents is instinctive. It surpasses even a parent’s love for their child. A child is hurt, feels love, grows, and is swayed like a reed by their parents’ actions. This love is absolute—a bond that is almost impossible to sever. It is inevitable and fateful, simply because they are parents.  

But even such a natural bond could break. Just as it had between her and her mother.  

“Then why did you leave? Was it because I neglected you? Because I raised you as a fatherless child? Because I hit you?”  

Her mother knew the reasons. But her own emotions mattered more to her. They couldn’t be together because her mother had disregarded her and broken their relationship.  

“Why? Why are you only coming now? Is it because you pity me? Do you feel sorry for me?”  

Her mother gasped and shouted, her voice weaker than it had been a decade ago. Even from the sound of her voice, Leticia could tell how much her mother had weakened.  

“I didn’t come because I pitied you. I just… wanted to see your face one last time.”  

As soon as Leticia finished speaking, tears filled her mother’s eyes. Before long, her mother began to sob.  

Leticia lowered her head. Her heart felt heavy, even though she had anticipated this situation. Seeing her frail and weakened mother was still hard and painful. After hesitating, she spoke.  

“I’m sorry… for leaving you, Mother.”  

Her mother cried out loud. Knowing how miserable her mother’s life must have been, Leticia wanted to ease her mind, at least at the end.  

“I’m living a happy life now. So, I hope you can let go of the painful feelings about me and find peace…”  

At least when she closed her eyes for the last time.  

Her mother’s sobs gradually subsided. Leticia grasped her mother’s hand, which lay quietly on the sheet. It was the first time she had held her hand in decades. She wasn’t sure how many years had passed. Feeling the warmth of her mother’s touch brought tears to her own eyes. There had been a time when she had vowed never to leave her mother’s side…  

She gently stroked her mother’s frail hand with her fingers. Her mother, who had stopped crying, silently looked at her. The complex emotions tangled in her gaze were clear without words.  

Despite everything that had happened and the long journey they had taken, Leticia and her mother still loved each other. At least for this final moment, she wanted to make this ending beautiful. So, she smiled through her tears as she looked at her mother.  

“Thank you, Mother. I love you.”  

With those words, she said her final goodbye.  

Before leaving the mansion, the Baron handed her a thick diary. The cover was tattered and faded, indicating it had been written long ago.  

“This is your mother’s diary.”  

Leticia hesitated to take it. After this meeting, she wouldn’t be able to see her mother again, even if she wanted to. She feared that reading the diary would bring regret and pain. Yet, her hands instinctively took the diary.  

She boarded the carriage and headed to where Karl and the children were waiting. Throughout the journey, her uneasy heart didn’t settle.