Chapter 44

…Vivi had left.

He thought she was just ignoring him, but she had completely disappeared.

“……”

Costance quietly entered the empty house. With an unfocused expression, he glanced around and found a piece of paper on the desk.

Beside it was a bracelet. A cool silver bracelet with a blue topaz.

In an instant, a light flickered in Sir Costance’s eyes. He quickly scanned the letter with wide-open eyes.

To Sir Costance,

Is the person reading this letter truly you, Sir Costance?

If it is you, please hate me for disappearing suddenly.

And if you still hold onto the words I said, please forget them.

Sir Costance.

You are a wonderful person.

A very amazing person.

I cherished every moment with you.

I… remember everything you wore each time we met. Even when you wore a blue shirt.

When you came in a plain short-sleeved shirt.

When you wore a black shirt.

To me, all those moments were like a dream.

Sir Costance, you were more than a dream to me.

So I absolutely want to say this.

Sir Costance.

I’m sorry.

And

I love you.

Costance read the last sentence over and over.

…I love you.

Costance’s heart felt empty. The emptiness deep inside his chest was unbearable. He stood there foolishly and uttered a single word. A tear fell on his cheek.

The image of Vivi turning her back coldly flickered in his mind. Costance couldn’t hold his crumbling heart and just stared at Vivi’s retreating figure.

More than the fact that Vivi rejected him, the reality that he could never reach her again tormented Costance.

〈It seems we’re just not meant to be.〉〉

He couldn’t come to his senses from those words.

After parting with Vivi, Costance was preoccupied with finding his mistakes and faults. Like someone with obsessive-compulsive disorder, he recalled every moment with Vivi, remembering each of his actions.

He didn’t miss even the smallest mistakes and words.

What did I do wrong? What made Vivi tired of me?

He wanted to find out so he could meet Vivi again.

But… she said she loved him.

‘She still loves me.’

Vivi described the time spent with him as a dream. Costance also felt that the time spent with Vivi was like a dream.

‘You don’t know.’

Yet, she left with just a letter.

As if that one letter could settle everything. As if she could leave the past few months they spent together as memories.

‘It was only a few months for you, but for me…’

Costance had watched Vivi for a long time.

After much effort, he finally reached her. Initially, he thought it would be nice just to talk with Vivi, but he ended up kissing her and leaving traces on her skin.

〈You know, Sir. I thought I’d never be able to have a relationship in my life. I’m… a really fearful person. So, honestly, I still don’t understand why you like me. Every time, I think maybe God sent you to me because I was pitiful.〉

Vivi whispered while lying on Costance’s chest.

There was some truth to her words. On a rainy day, when Alonso and Vivi crouched and prayed to the goddess, Costance’s heart moved. That day, he was healed by Vivi.

〈Vivi, then I… will heal you.〉

After getting closer to her, Costance realized Vivi had some ‘wounds’. At his words, Vivi just smiled without saying anything.

* * *

She looked down through the airship window.

“The world is vast… Isn’t it, Irini?”

Below the high-flying airship, Canary Village was visible.

Cars filled the roads, and trains passed through tunnels. Irini also meowed, seemingly amazed by the view.

“The ocean is vast.”

Soon, the airship left the land and passed over the coast.

The blue ocean was so tranquil it felt desolate. After watching the sea for a long time, she finally stepped away.

The airship, which she boarded for the first time, was astonishing.

Inside, there was a dining area, guest rooms, a small opera house, and more. In the plaza, the sound of water from a large fountain accompanied lively jazz music.

‘Expensive things indeed have their reasons.’

She had taken the airship with a big decision. Everyone here was either a noble or wealthy. What about the shops at the end of the airship? Luxury shops lined up with dazzling accessories that were hard to find.

Holding Irini, she wandered around the airship. Then, she bought some cat food for the hungry Irini.

Relax on Postan Island. CQ Airship accompanies you.

How about this place as a marvelous honeymoon destination? Dreamlike fields, beautiful lakes, and countless stars fall at night.

The airship bulletin board was filled with advertisements. As she scanned them one by one, she discovered a travel phrase suggesting enjoyment with a lover.

“Mom! I want to go to the toy store over there!”

“Aren’t you going to have ice cream?”

“I want ice cream too!”

Everyone on the airship seemed happy.

Most were families, couples, or friends, and those boarding alone like her were either company employees or students.

She took her luggage and entered the inner guest room of the airship. The room, which could seat thirty people, was empty. Everyone must have gone to explore this spacious airship.

“Meow.”

But she was with Irini. Vivi sat in a window seat holding Irini.

“……”

The beautiful scenery outside, the shopping center, and the opera house were only pleasant at first. That fleeting emotion instead gave birth to deeper emptiness. She leaned blankly against the window, fiddling with Irini’s head.

Irini yawned long, seemingly sleepy.

‘What are you doing now?’

Again, she thought of Costance.

Even though she tried to forget, the longing for him suddenly washed over her like a wave. Maybe the more she tried to forget, the more she thought of him due to that obsession.

Judging on her own, she freely thought of Costance. When the thoughts ended, only one desire remained.

‘I want to see you, Sir.’

Maybe because of that,

Before coming here, she couldn’t completely sever ties with him and left a letter.

While hoping someone would clear it away with the empty house, she also wished for Sir Costance to read it. That letter was her last lingering attachment to him.

Slowly, her eyes closed. From beyond the door came the sweet voices of couples and the cheerful laughter of children. Using that noise as a lullaby, she closed her eyes, and the accumulated fatigue rushed in.

Vivi.

Sir Costance appeared in her dream. He whispered that he loved her and kissed her forehead, nose, neck, shoulders, and everywhere. She could feel that touch even in her dream.

‘I love you, Sir.’

In the dream, she kept confessing to Sir Costance. 

I love you, I love you, I love you. 

Then, he smiled brightly.

* * *

After spending half a day on the airship, she arrived at a village opposite Canary Village.

From there, it took a long train ride to reach the destination. Holding her bag, she sat inside the train, gazing out the window all day.

She had covered much distance and she finally arrived at her destination. The surroundings were all fields with no streams in sight. Only three houses were visible.

“You said you came from the city? Why is a young woman alone…”

The owner, waiting to greet her, guided her to the house.

“You look barely twenty.”

The owner openly scrutinized her.

“Meow.”

At that gaze, Irini extended her tail, fully alert. The owner cleared his throat and continued talking.

“It will be very quiet. But everything you need is here. If you walk a little, there’s a small town with a hospital, a restaurant, and a café, so feel free to use them. A total of twenty households live here. But everyone minds their own business, so you can live well alone, Miss.”

“Yes.”

“And the cat seems quite fierce, so manage it well.”

With those words, the owner closed the door.

Only Irini and she were left.

“Meow.”

Irini, who was below, raised her tail high and stretched her legs. 

Yes, this is our home now, Irini.

‘The place where I will live from now on.’

From now on…

How long would that be? How long could I live here?

She was more afraid of the loneliness she would experience during that time than the end of that time.