Epilogue – Spring

The cherry blossoms and apple blossoms that filled the village entrance bloomed and withered in turn.

The sunlight had become a vivid golden hue, and even the wind shaking the delicate branches was warm.

Rian was personally mending her father’s wedding suit. The clothes were so well preserved that there was little to fix, only needing to lengthen the pants and make a new belt.

“Would a blue belt be better? Or green?”

“Both would be pretty. Whatever you make will be beautiful, no matter what you choose, Rian.”

Rian’s aunt Martha smiled contentedly as she placed sliced plums into Rian’s mouth.

“Should I just make both? I don’t know which Kaiden will like more.”

“Oh dear! You’re heavy with child, yet you plan to sew all day? Let’s go with blue. A handsome man like him will look good in anything.”

“I’m not heavy with child. My belly hasn’t really shown yet.”

“If you overwork yourself, he’ll come back and cry his eyes out. ‘Oh dear, my belt isn’t worth your hands getting calloused from sewing,’ he’ll say, and if that handsome man cries, it’ll break my heart too.”

“Ahaha. You sound like Grandpa.”

“What? Grandpa? Your uncle was just like that at our wedding when he was twenty. Are you mocking your uncle now or what?”

Martha pretended to be upset, but seeing Rian laugh made her heart ache.

Rian, who lost her mother before she matured and lived with her father. When she lost him too, she wouldn’t leave the house, worrying everyone.

But miraculously, she found her match, and they decided to raise a child together, preparing for a bustling future. Her niece was endlessly dear to her.

She hoped he’d return soon to take her away or settle down here together.

Every time Martha left Rian alone and returned home, her heart felt heavy, but she tried to console herself.

He’ll be back soon. Rian is waiting, so pretty. He didn’t seem like a man who would break a promise.

“Martha! Coming back from Rian’s? I picked a lot of strawberries in the field, I’ll bring them later. Let’s share.”

“Thank you. Rian’s been enjoying sour fruits lately.”

“But Martha, actually… about the landowner’s son from the neighboring village. He fell for Rian when he saw her at church the other day. Can’t you set up a meeting? He said he doesn’t mind about the child.”

“Stop, stop with the nonsense! Her child’s father will come to take her soon, why keep saying such things?”

Most villagers didn’t believe Rian would marry a knight from the Royal Capital.

Last spring, the knight left in the middle of the night after receiving an urgent summons from the King, leaving only a farewell for his lover.

It’s not a common story. Such a man running away isn’t likely to return.

‘He set up a household with the prettiest and kindest girl in our village, even got her pregnant, and then ran away? What kind of great knight! More like a worthless scoundrel!’

‘Wicked man! Anyone who makes Dein’s daughter cry will be cursed by Ferindale!’

Kaiden O’Connell. The young knight who came to see his unknown birth mother’s hometown was now Ferindale’s enemy. Once praised as the great King’s knight, some avoided mentioning his name as if it were a curse. Some called him a scoundrel deserving death.

But Rian’s faith in Kaiden remained firm.

She was grateful her child was growing healthily in her belly and waited happily for Kaiden.

I hope the first is a daughter. No, maybe a son would be better? No, whether a daughter or son, I hope they resemble him.

Perhaps she was enduring each day with such sweet imaginations.

“C-Crisis! Ron! Look, we’re in big trouble now!”

One day, Pin banged on his neighbor friend’s gate at the crack of dawn.

He claimed to have witnessed a terrifying sight atop the mountain while gathering herbs.

“Knights, knights are coming in droves! They’ll reach our village soon!”

Ron, awakened from sleep, rubbed his eyes and frowned.

“What? What are you talking about?”

“I think they’re here to arrest us. They must have heard us badmouthing the noble knights whenever we drink!”

Even Pin didn’t truly believe in Kaiden. He only pretended to in front of his beloved niece.

Lately, he would cause a ruckus, threatening to report the King’s knight whenever he drank, only to be scolded by his wife.

“You didn’t drink this morning, so why the nonsense? How would knights in the Royal Capital know we’re gossiping?”

Ron, who owed his life to Dein long ago, felt the same as Pin.

“I don’t know! But real knights are coming in droves! From the mountain top, I saw knights with arms this big! Knights as big as Kaiden O’Connell riding vicious-looking horses, galloping in! With the royal flag leading them!”

The two friends hurriedly climbed the mountain.

As they reached midway, they saw the majestic sight of the knight order galloping, shaking the ground.

They were terrified and stepped back.

“We, we have to hide Rian quickly!”

Meeting real knights was a once-in-a-lifetime event.

But now, knights appearing to be from the Royal Capital were coming in droves. This surreal sight was enough to terrify the humble men of Ferindale.

Whatever it was, they had to hide Rian somewhere safe immediately, and the two friends rushed back to Rian’s house.

“Who… is coming?”

Rian dropped her knitting and suddenly went outside as if possessed.

Ignoring Pin and Ron’s warnings of danger, she stubbornly headed down the hill. Her steps, already slow, were further hindered by her rounded belly, but the men couldn’t roughly grab her, so they clumsily followed.

Before the three had descended halfway down the small hill, the sound of hooves approached.

Thud, thud, thud, the ground shook as if collapsing.

“They’ve already arrived!”

Pin embraced Rian with resolute determination. The loyal Ron stood bodily in front of them.

At that moment, from the dark mass below the hill, someone raised their hand and shouted loudly.

It was probably a signal that they’d spotted the culprits.

The horses quickly stopped and slowed down, beginning to walk up the hill. This removed any risk of accidentally being trampled, but the unnecessarily slow pace seemed to choke the breath of the two righteous men.

“Wait, but what’s that…?”

Pin, frozen, glanced behind the horses, drawn by the eye-catching decorations.

Several wagons piled high with large wreath-like flowers, barrels, and ribbon-adorned wooden boxes.

Flowers? Barrels? Ribbons…?

Now he saw that each knight approaching had a large pink flower pinned to their chest.

Something was off. For coming to arrest unruly commoners, their appearance was excessively festive.

“Rian!”

At that moment, a man jumped off his horse from the group of knights.

The familiar voice was low and charming, recognizable even to the villagers.

Upon hearing her lover’s voice, a smile more radiant than the flowers blooming around the hill appeared on Rian’s face.

“Kaiden!”

Rian slipped out of Pin’s embrace and hurriedly went down the hill.

“Kaiden…!”

Fearing she might fall while running, her two friends hurriedly approached her, their faces finally lighting up with joy.

Her lover had returned!

The man, expressing his desire to embrace his lover with wide open arms, couldn’t possibly be a villain here to arrest innocent commoners.

“Rian. My Rian….”

On a dazzling summer day in the peaceful and beautiful rural village,

A man with broad shoulders and strong arms held a small woman tightly, shedding tears of uncontrollable longing.

“I missed you. I missed you so much. I wanted to come sooner, but my comrades insisted we hold a proper ceremony in Ferindale, saying there’s much needed for the wedding….”

“Welcome home, Kaiden. I’m glad you returned safely. The child is happy that you’re here now too.”

Kaiden, leaning against Rian, who comforted him with tears and laughter, began to speak in a jumbled manner as if he were indulging in childish whims. 

He complained about the troubles caused by the King and the King’s knights, then started to inquire about how she and the child had been doing, asking even the most trivial details. He showed no concern for keeping up appearances.

That was not all. Kaiden, with his large bear-like body bent over, was completely absorbed in showering Rian with affection, rubbing his cheek against hers and kissing her. 

The knight, who always had a stern expression, now showed tears and smiles to his lover, making even Pin’s nose tingle with emotion.

The saying that nobles neither laugh nor cry seemed to be a complete illusion. After all, even in Ferrindale, there existed lives entirely different from the bleak ones that the world cynically mocked.

Now, the time shared between Rian and Kaiden would be passed down to future children as if it were a fantasy. Leaving the happily reunited lovers behind, Pin quietly descended to the village with Ron.

The sound of the church bell announcing the morning service gently spread over the laughter of the lovers. Pin and Ron headed to the church with solemnity, as if they had received a mission from the King.

Shortly after, as soon as the service ended, the bell rang loudly again, causing the villagers to gather under the bell tower, wondering what was happening.

“Everyone gather around! We need to prepare for the wedding quickly! The knight has returned!”

Pin shouted joyfully, spreading the news. From now on, they needed to prepare food and lodging for the King’s seven knights and their squires, and also prepare for the wedding, so they had to move quickly.

However, this celebration, where everyone in the village willingly rolled up their sleeves to help, would be abundant without lacking anything.