I Grant You Permission for Revenge

Chapter 96: Reunion (2)

Eirene couldn’t continue speaking at Ulik’s completely unexpected appearance.

“It’s been a long time.”

“Why are you here…”

“I’m on vacation and traveling.”

Her heart pounded violently. She felt half expectant, half worried that Clive might appear.

But Clive was nowhere to be seen.

“Do you know each other?”

The uncle asked with a face just as surprised as Eirene’s, and she nodded. When there was no other explanation, Ulik stepped forward to answer.

“We lived as neighbors briefly in the past.”

“Ah, I see. But doesn’t your companion need to eat?”

“No. Sleep is more important than food for him.”

When Eirene looked at Ulik, wondering if the ‘companion’ the uncle mentioned might be Clive, he answered with his eyes.

It’s not the person you’re thinking of, miss.

A breath came out that she couldn’t tell was relief or disappointment. She wondered whether she should take the baby and leave, or stay in her seat. Since Ulik had already seen the baby, there was no point in taking the child away.

“Please sit. Let’s eat.”

The uncle, sensing the awkwardness, hurriedly seated Ulik and sat down himself. She worried about what to do if he asked about the baby, but he showed no interest. Before the meal began, Gemma went to the aunt and held out both hands.

“Aunt, please give me the baby. You need to eat.”

“No, I can eat later.”

“It’s time to feed him. I’ll feed the baby first and then eat.”

“Oh? Oh. Yes, yes.”

Though she felt something strange about Gemma’s words, the quick-witted aunt hurriedly handed the baby to Gemma.

Just when the uncle was about to say something.

“The child takes after his mother Gemma, so he’s really well-behaved.”

“Ah… yes, that’s right.”

The uncle, who didn’t understand what was happening, roughly played along. Gemma didn’t return until the meal was over. No one at the table looked for Gemma either.

Ulik enjoyed the meal with occasional jokes, then went up to the second floor.

After he left, the aunt lowered her voice.

“That person shouldn’t know about the baby’s existence, right? I’ll handle things here, so hurry home.”

“I should help you clean up, but I’m sorry.”

“Oh my. Is cleaning up the problem right now? Hurry home.”

Eirene, who hurried home, got indigestion from eating while tense. After suffering through that, she was lying exhausted when Gemma sighed with worry.

“The companion isn’t His Grace the Grand Duke, is it?”

“If it had been him, Ulik would have called him immediately.”

He wasn’t the type to leave Clive on the second floor and stay still.

“But he must have noticed.”

Eirene said with her eyes closed, feeling drained.

“The baby looks too much like Clive.”

“I thought the same thing, but I didn’t want to openly reveal that it was your baby.”

Eirene understood Gemma’s feelings.

She could only hope that Ulik had become a dull person during the year they hadn’t met.

* * *

“Don’t you think the man who didn’t come down from the second floor is the baby’s father?”

The uncle nudged his wife’s elbow while helping with the dishes.

“Be quiet.”

“The baby looks just like him!”

“Pretend you don’t know. To both the teacher and the guest. Don’t bring it up anywhere else either!”

She warned her husband to be careful and changed the subject, but he was right.

The second-floor guest who didn’t come down for dinner and the baby looked too much alike. She thought the man she glimpsed looked familiar, but she hadn’t thought about the baby connection.

When she saw Eirene appear in the village, she thought there must be a story behind it. Anyone in the village would have thought the same.

Even without being told, she guessed that Gemma, who came with her, was a maid.

She had the feeling of a noble or wealthy family’s young lady, but when she came to the countryside with a pregnant body, they didn’t ask, thinking there must be a reason.

Had the man come chasing after her? Was Eirene in a position where she had to hide?

There was no way to know unless she asked directly, but asking seemed rude.

The aunt, who was going to discuss it with her husband, just kept her mouth shut.

Despite his large build making him look heavy, he was endlessly light-mouthed, so it was better not to tell him.

* * *

Ulik, who went up to the second floor, told Clive that dinner was delicious, washed up, and immediately lay down on the bed.

“Going to sleep already?”

It was early for bedtime. Moreover, he had been sleeping continuously since arriving at this house, and now he was sleepy again.

“I haven’t fully recovered from fatigue. I’m also drowsy because I’m full. I plan to rest well while staying here.”

Ulik pulled the blanket over his head.

Clive had seen Eirene coming in with Gemma.

The baby in her arms too. Though it was dark and the child was wrapped in a blanket so the face wasn’t clearly visible, it was definitely a baby.

Ulik must have been surprised to see the baby, but when he returned, he didn’t tell Clive about the baby, let alone about Eirene.

He could have asked whose baby it was, but his mouth wouldn’t open.

After hesitating, he finally asked Ulik first.

“Anything else?”

“Anything else what?”

“Did Eirene say she was doing well?”

“We didn’t talk about that. I just greeted her and focused on eating.”

Clive felt slightly annoyed at Ulik, who answered with only his head sticking out from under the blanket.

“Didn’t she ask who you came with?”

He couldn’t outright say “me.”

“I roughly said I came with a colleague.”

He smiled like he was saying “I did well, right?”

“Eirene was holding a baby.”

“Ah, right. There was a baby.”

Clive couldn’t directly ask whose baby it was. After going this far, Ulik should have said something, but he was taking his time.

“They said it was Gemma’s baby…”

“Really?”

“That’s what they said, but…”

“…”

“No matter how I look at it, it doesn’t seem like Gemma’s baby.”

“Then Eirene’s?”

“That’s what I think. From roughly observing, it seemed like there’s no baby’s father around. But what would you do if it’s the miss’s baby?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never thought about it.”

Saying he’d never thought about it was a lie. All kinds of imaginings circled in his head and he couldn’t sleep.

Night passed and dawn was approaching.

Clive, who had been so deep in thought that he couldn’t even hear Ulik’s occasional snoring, left the room.

It was morning with the sun rising.

* * *

“You’re up early! Breakfast is…”

He ran out without even answering the owner’s words. Though it was a short distance and should have been quick, it felt very far to Clive. When he could see the roof of Eirene’s house, he slowed down and walked with long strides.

The closer he got to her house, the more he could hear singing. Eirene was holding the baby in her arms, singing a lullaby. She walked slowly while gently patting the child’s chest.

At the smile she made while looking at the baby’s face, Clive’s heart pounded like it would burst.

It didn’t matter whose baby it was. He only thought about the fact that Eirene, whom he missed, was in front of him. He worried whether coming here and revealing himself would disturb her peaceful daily life, but he wanted to cling to her.

Even if people pointed fingers saying he was greedily wanting what he couldn’t have, he wanted to say just once, just once, please stay by his side. He wanted to plead.

That he felt like he was going crazy from missing her. Couldn’t she hate him while staying by his side?

That he would live atoning for the rest of his life. That he felt like he absolutely couldn’t live without her.

He had been so sorry that he couldn’t even think of holding onto her and let her go, and that remained with him constantly. Maybe that’s why he couldn’t give up until now.

Whatever he was doing, it always ended up being about Eirene. Good thoughts, bad thoughts – they all ended with Eirene. The world without her was difficult, like being submerged in darkness.

He carefully moved forward one step at a time. Whether the baby had fallen asleep, Eirene’s song changed to humming and she stood still without moving.

Suddenly, several birds flew from somewhere and began crying. The sound of stepping on grass was buried in the birds’ cries. Walking along the wall that came up to his waist, his eyes only looked at Eirene.

Getting closer little by little, he finally stood in front of her. Though it wasn’t a far distance, Eirene was so focused on the baby that she didn’t know Clive had come.

The mother’s smile as she looked at the baby changed moment by moment.

Then, the flock of birds that had been crying noisily flew away, and in the space where silence came, only the sound of a light breeze could be heard.

Only then did Eirene seem to sense someone’s presence.

The eyes that had been looking only at the baby turned toward Clive.

The violet eyes she had only seen through portraits looked at him.

* * *

Clive… had come.

Eirene couldn’t distinguish whether this was reality or a dream. Seeing someone who had never appeared in her dreams must mean this was reality. Eirene unconsciously stepped back and took a deep breath because she felt suffocated.

Once, twice.

Before the third time, tears burst out.

She didn’t want to cry but couldn’t stop. Clive approached with slow steps.

Please don’t come to me.

Her voice couldn’t come out, blocked by tears. Clive’s gray eyes, which had always seemed cold, looked at her as warmly as spring. The eyes of him, who had somehow come right in front of her, were wet.

She should push him away. She should tell him to go back. She had no way to reject him. Taking just one step back was all Eirene could do.

Finally, her crying leaked out and she lowered her head. The baby, who hadn’t fallen completely asleep, woke up at his mother’s crying and began to cry.

Then Gemma came out from inside, quickly bowed silently to Clive, took the baby, and went back in.

Now only Eirene and Clive remained.

Clive reached out toward her as she buried her face in both hands and cried. He wanted to embrace her trembling shoulders, but couldn’t touch her, and his clenched fist fell powerlessly.

Gathering courage again, he barely managed to grasp her shoulders. Eirene’s hatred and resentment toward Clive had disappeared long ago. No, they had never existed from the beginning.

She understood his situation and considered it an unavoidable ill-fated connection, so she turned away saying they couldn’t be together.

But to be shaken so easily like this.

What am I trying to do?

How can I crumble all at once?

Honestly, she had vaguely sensed that a day like today would come.

Ever since learning she was pregnant, when she thought of Clive, the fact that he was the baby’s father came to mind first.

It was worse when she saw the baby smiling brightly.

Even knowing it was something she couldn’t do to her dead family, she had no way to stop her heart from going toward him.

Clive gently embraced the sobbing Eirene.

“I… absolutely… can’t do it.”

He softly stroked her back and leaned his face against her small head.

“I feel like I’m dying. Stay by my side.”