Epilogue

As usual, Lian was sitting by Hestia’s bedside, waiting for her to wake up. That day, however, he couldn’t resist the overwhelming fatigue and closed his eyes for a moment. On the battlefield, he had gone over five days without sleep, but his recent refusal to eat or drink seemed to be taking its toll.

He leaned forward, holding her hand. Her hand was still warm, giving him hope every time he touched it. His wife was someone who kept her promises. She had promised to stay with him for a long time, so he believed she would wake up to keep that promise.

As he dozed off briefly, he dreamed of the day his life had firmly taken root again—the day of the departure ceremony when he first met Hestia.

The chaotic shouts and the sea of yellow handkerchiefs filling the surroundings. Riding a slow-moving horse, making his way through the crowd, he heard his name being called distinctly. Turning his head, he saw a white bird appear in his vision, leading him to notice a fluttering yellow ribbon in the bright sunlight and breeze. It was tied to her hair, and finally, he saw her smiling face—the face he loved deeply.

“Hes… Hestia?”

It was shortly after seeing this pleasant scene in his dream that he woke up. Feeling an emptiness in his hand, he opened his eyes wide and looked toward where Hestia had been lying. But it wasn’t his imagination—her spot was truly empty.

Startled, he immediately got up, pushed the bedroom door open with a loud bang, and ran out into the corridor. Grabbing the first servant he saw, he urgently asked, 

“Where is my wife?”

The servant, who had been cleaning with a rag in hand, looked bewildered. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he said, 

“Ah…! Now that you mention it, I saw the physician go into the room earlier… Didn’t you see him?”

Worry quickly spread across the servant’s face, as if fearing something bad had happened and the patient had been taken away first. Lian’s face turned pale as well. Letting go of the servant, he hurriedly ran down the stairs.

“Hestia, please…”

The thought that the dream he had just had might be his last memory of her made it hard to breathe. His eyes, which rarely welled up, stung even now. As he sprinted out of the dim mansion toward the area where carriages were visible, he suddenly heard a voice calling him.

“Lian!”

The voice came from a distance. At that moment, a strong gust of wind carried a falling leaf past his shoulder, prompting him to turn his head. Looking up, he saw a shadow on the balcony. 

Standing against the moonlight pouring over the mansion, her long hair swayed gently in the breeze. Her hair, tied to one side with the yellow ribbon he had given her as a gift, framed her smiling face.

“I’m here…!”

It was the face he loved deeply.

Lian stood still for a moment, holding his breath as he looked up at her. It felt as though the dream he had just seen was unfolding before his eyes once again.

And then he realized. Just as he had always thought of her when he looked at the bright blue sky, he would now think of this image of her whenever the moonlight shone down.

With that realization, a sense of fulfillment spread through his chest, as though his entire world, both day and night, had been filled with her.

Unable to take his eyes off her, he began to walk toward the woman who was beckoning him.

***

When she opened her eyes again, the first thing she noticed was the large hand firmly holding hers. Turning her gaze, she saw Lian, asleep beside her bed, his hand clasped around hers. Overcome with relief, she tried gently waking him, but he seemed too exhausted to stir.

“Have I been unconscious for a long time…?”

If even he, who usually remained unaffected by sleepless nights, was this fatigued, it made her wonder just how long she had been lying there. But more than that, she was overwhelmed by the fact that she was alive.

She could feel her warm breath, her beating heart, and the joy of being alive to see his face again.

The last thing she remembered was drinking poisoned tea, coughing up blood, and collapsing. Everything after that was blurry. Even as her consciousness darkened, she had called out his name, wondering if she was truly going to die…

Slowly sitting up, she carefully embraced the sleeping Lian and pressed a soft kiss to his forehead, expressing her gratitude.

It was clear to her now—God had shown her that vision to save her. She instinctively knew that the threats of death that had haunted her were finally over.

To test her intuition, she gently pressed her lips to his, but unlike before, no tragic visions appeared in her mind.

“Ah, now… we can truly live together for a long, long time…”

She gazed at him tenderly, wishing he would wake soon.

It was only then that she realized her surroundings were unfamiliar.

“Where am I…?”

Though Lian’s villa was quite luxurious, it wasn’t as extravagant as this room. The bed alone seemed twice the size of the one she was used to, and the furniture scattered throughout the spacious room was all unfamiliar and opulent.

Curious, she quietly slipped out of bed, careful not to wake him, and opened a door that seemed to lead to an adjoining room.

“Oh!”

Inside, she came face to face with a woman.

The woman, who appeared to be middle-aged, exuded a dignified and elegant aura. Despite her stern appearance, she had a curled-up Amber on her lap.

The woman, who seemed to already know her, approached with a welcoming smile.

“Marchioness Clyde, you’re finally awake!”

As she greeted her, Amber darted to her feet and clung to the hem of her nightgown. Judging by the cat’s excited reaction, it seemed she really had been unconscious for quite some time. As she picked up the meowing cat, the woman introduced herself.

“I am Lydia, the new physician of the Marquisate of Clyde. I’ve been regularly checking on you and monitoring your condition while you were asleep.”

“I see… It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

The mansion was excessively large and luxurious, so she had suspected as much—it was indeed the Marquisate. But she figured she could ask Lian for more details later.

For now, she nodded and allowed Lydia to call for a maid, who brought her a warm cup of tea. She sipped it to ease her stiff body after the long sleep. Then she washed her face, rinsed her mouth, and tidied herself up with a warm, fragrant towel. The soft, sweetly scented oil in the water seemed to relax her.

After freshening up, she changed into a clean set of pajamas. Just as she finished, she heard a loud commotion from the adjoining room, followed by hurried footsteps rushing out.

Thinking Lian might have woken up, she quickly entered the room through the connecting door, but he had already left. It seemed he had been startled to find her missing upon waking.

“Madame! You mustn’t run! You’ve just woken up after a long sleep and might collapse again!”

She wanted to chase after him, but Lydia and the maid stopped her, concerned for her health. Instead, she walked to the balcony, hoping to catch sight of him.

A moment later…

“Lian…!”

She called his name loudly as she watched him running outside.

As he turned at the sound of her voice, a strong night breeze swept past her, carrying his familiar scent. Unable to suppress her emotions, she smiled brightly.

He quickly returned to the mansion. By then, she had ignored the physician’s protests and rushed into the corridor, allowing their reunion to happen even sooner.

She threw herself into his arms with such force that he stumbled. He hugged her tightly, almost to the point of taking her breath away. The onlookers, thankfully, dispersed on their own when he kissed her. Even Lydia and the maid reassured him that her condition was stable, easing the worry etched on his face.

Without hesitation, he scooped her up in his arms and carried her back to the bedroom. As the door closed with a heavy thud, he walked toward the bed, kissing her deeply.

“Have you been waiting long? I’m sorry for startling you.”

“It’s fine. Just the fact that you’re alive… that alone is enough for me…”

After gently laying her down, he trailed off, pulling her into a tight embrace.

At that moment, a new vision began to form in her mind.

“Lian, do you still see frightening things?”

She cautiously asked, and his answer mirrored her own feelings.

“No… Somehow, I only see good things now.”

“Me too.”

It was no longer the terrifying future she used to see. It was the happy days ahead that she would share with him.

He must have realized it too—that the immense, unsettling fate that once loomed over them had finally passed. It could no longer shake them.

They would come to cherish a love that deepened with every touch, filling the void left by their sorrowful days with countless joys they had yet to experience.

With a pleasant anticipation for the future, she pressed her lips deeply against his.

―The End  

[Even If Your Love Ends Tomorrow, Volume 2]