Chapter 4 (Part 4)

At that moment, he caught a whiff of herbal scent. As Cardin turned his head, a woman walked toward the entrance. Brown hair. A common hair color, but for some reason, it caught his attention.

Even for a brief moment, he couldn’t take his eyes off her.

Cardin stood up. At that moment, Foyne called out.

“Cardin!”

Cardin turned to Foyne and said.

“You’ve been struggling to hide your true nature, haven’t you? There’s no need to do that with me. Anyway, I have no intention of marrying you, and I only came here to gain some benefit.”

Foyne’s eyes wavered. Tears welled up in her eyes.

“Even so, to say it like this…”

“Feel free to spread rumors that I’m trash to your family. I’d be even more grateful if you spread it to the social circles.”

Cardin left the table and headed toward the entrance. The woman he had seen earlier was gone. He took out a key from his pocket and opened the elevator door next to him.

It was designed for exclusive use by important guests, and it was a key given to his family. As soon as Cardin entered the golden elevator, he pressed the button for the bottom floor.

The elevator descended against gravity, feeling heavy. He was anxious. He kept staring at the changing numbers. Soon, the elevator reached the bottom floor, and the door opened.

As Cardin stepped out, an employee quickly bowed. He grabbed one of the employees and asked.

“Did you see a woman with brown hair leaving?”

The employee, flustered, shook his head.

“Who are you referring to…”

Cardin let out a deep breath. Come to think of it, most of the women around had brown hair. There were occasionally blondes, but brown hair was common.

At that moment, his aide hurriedly stood beside Cardin.

“Duke, the carriage is ready. You’re heading to the herb shop first, right?”

Cardin spoke while walking briskly.

“No, go to the house where I stayed with Brienne.”

He missed it. Even if he couldn’t see Brienne right now, he wanted to see the place that held her memories.

*   *   *

As soon as Brienne left the hotel, she headed to the station. Starting with her father’s matters and even Cardin. It felt like she had experienced all the shocks she should have faced in her lifetime.

It was natural for Cardin to marry since he inherited the family, but the fact that his partner was Foyne. She thought her lingering feelings for Cardin had faded, but strangely, her heart felt heavy.

Perhaps because his partner was Foyne, who had looked down on her before.

A deep sigh escaped her. Cardin was now truly someone unrelated to her, someone who might even kill her. The more Brienne thought about it, the more futile it seemed. 

Why was I still troubled by the past?

She didn’t even think of her father anymore. Maybe it was because she had already vented all her emotions in front of him.

At that moment, the sound of a train echoed. People gathered around, and the train approached from a distance.

She put aside her wandering thoughts and looked at the train. The place she had to go was ultimately decided. Perhaps it had been that way from the beginning.

*   *   *

The place she arrived at by train was a station 30 minutes away from Romseed Village.

She picked up her luggage and looked around. Fortunately, there was a public carriage nearby. She hurried over and asked the coachman.

“How much to Peroy?”

“80,000 Morque. The road there is rough.”

It was too expensive. She had no choice but to ask about another destination.

“How much to Romseed Village?”

“30,000 Morque.”

It was absurdly cheap.

“Why is it so cheap to Romseed Village?”

“The roads there have been well-paved lately, making it easy for carriages to travel. It’s quite different from before.”

She hadn’t known since she walked through the mountain path in the morning, but she didn’t expect it to have changed so much.

“What will you do? Do you want to go to Peroy?”

Checking the time, she thought she could reach Peroy by 4 o’clock if she walked from Romseed Village. Though going to Romseed Village was bothersome, she had no choice.

“No, I’ll go to Romseed Village.”

She paid and got on the carriage.

Indeed, as the coachman said, the road was well-paved. Even though it was a mountain road, it was wide enough for two carriages to pass easily.

‘When did it become like this?’

At that moment, she remembered what she had heard at the herb shop. That Cardin, as the new head of the Messerode family, was buying the land around Romseed Village.

Her heart pounded anxiously. Since he was searching so diligently, it seemed her days were numbered.

He had regained his memory too.

Brienne thought it was fortunate that she hadn’t faced Cardin directly at the hotel, but she also felt a desire to see his face once more.

In the end, she buried her face in her hands.

Please forget. First love, what’s the big deal? He’s someone who might kill me. Please…

Yet, Cardin constantly came to mind. As if rebelling against her efforts not to think of him over the past time.

When she arrived at Romseed Village, she immediately took the mountain path. She didn’t want to encounter the villagers. The path was familiar.

Even though quite some time had passed, her feet didn’t falter. She naturally headed toward the cabin where she had lived with Cardin. She had no choice. To reach Peroy, she had to pass through there.

The longing that had grown since she boarded the train gathered in front of the old cabin. The wooden door was weathered with age, and the place where the sack had hung was rusty, possibly from the wind.

She stared blankly at the closed door. There were quite a few leaves piled up around. It seemed as if Cardin would come out smiling at any moment. Asking if she had arrived well. He would naturally greet her with a cheek-to-cheek kiss.

Suddenly, tears flowed. The chilly wind made the tears even colder, sending a shiver down her spine. At that moment, the door creaked open slightly. Perhaps due to the strong wind, it swayed with a creak. She was drawn to the open door and walked over.

Inside was empty. It was even more desolate than when she first came here. An empty bed, an empty table, an empty chair.

It was natural for it to be empty since no one had lived there for a while, but it looked even lonelier. Then she saw a small chair. It stood alone in front of the upper kitchen cabinet.

“I should make a small chair later.”

She knelt near the chair. A layer of gray dust had settled on top. The past remained unchanged. If it had been broken and gone, she wouldn’t have remembered it. But since the space Cardin had created, the space they had shared, remained, old memories rushed in sadly.

Tears flowed. Now that Cardin had regained his memory, he might kill her, yet she didn’t understand why she alone felt so affectionate. She sat down right there. Perhaps it was better to indulge in missing him now and then leave this cabin, so she wouldn’t have to yearn anymore.

Tears flowed freely without hesitation. She buried her face in her hands. It felt like everything was rushing into her mind, from what her father had done to all the hardships she’d endured. Once she left this cabin, she wouldn’t remember or miss him anymore, so she cried her heart out.

After crying for a long time, she slowly stood up. She stared blankly at the small chair Cardin had made and then lifted her head. The door rattled noisily as if the wind was blowing outside. It seemed like it was time to leave, so she walked toward the door. The door shook violently with the wind, creaking loudly. Feeling uneasy, she quickened her pace, but the door suddenly swung open.

The moment she looked up, her feet wouldn’t move. Her body froze as if time had stopped. She wondered if she was dreaming. 

Why, how… 

Cardin, whom she had thought of and missed, was standing there. But not the Cardin who had lost his memory, but someone who looked like a member of the Messerode family, more dressed up than before.

Cardin’s face was stiff, as if he hadn’t expected to run into her either. She hurriedly gathered her wits and stepped back. His eyebrows furrowed slightly.

“Where are you going?”

The voice she hadn’t heard in a long time was both heartwarming and seemed to scratch at her feelings. The emotions she had tried to suppress surged back.

She hesitated, lowering her head, and Cardin stepped forward.

“The only door out of here is this one.”

She knew that. There was only one door to leave this place. Yet she stepped back. It didn’t feel real. Why was Cardin standing here? She had lived in hiding so he wouldn’t find her.

Before she knew it, Cardin was close enough to touch with just one step. She was flustered and spoke.