Chapter 5

Their promise to return the next day was no empty threat. The officials came back the following day. And the day after that.  

Gin, having forgotten all about asking about his father, was simply thrilled that the Emperor was looking for his mother. For days, he was bubbling with excitement.  

“Mom, do you really not know the Emperor?”  

“…”  

“Why does the palace keep asking for you? I’m so curious I could die!”  

“Don’t say things like ‘I could die.’ And let me handle the palace business.”  

“But I’m so curious! I could die from curiosity!”  

“There you go again.”  

The visits from the palace officials continued for several days. By then, Ethea realized that the repeated visits were drawing too much attention. Surely, Lyle’s enemies would have noticed her and Gin by now.  

In the end, Ethea gave up and decided to meet him.  

＊ ＊ ＊  

She would go, but there was no way she was taking Lyle’s so-called “token of friendship” with her. No matter how many times she thought about it, Lyle didn’t deserve to see Gin, and Gin didn’t deserve the confusion that would come from meeting Lyle.  

So, Ethea decided to leave Gin in someone else’s care.  

This was when having good neighbors came in handy. Although Ethea had no friends before, fate had brought her a kindred spirit in Solei. Solei and Ethea were around the same age and got along well.  

Ethea had become a mother due to a reckless decision with a childhood friend, but Solei’s story was different. Solei had fallen in love with her husband and married him after a whirlwind romance.  

However, Solei and her husband had a tragic story. The young couple had nothing but love and desperately wanted a home of their own. They lived in a crumbling shack and worked tirelessly, but their plans were interrupted when they had a child sooner than expected.  

Solei’s husband, Lijeil, a resourceful man, sought a better-paying job to provide a home more quickly, ultimately joining the military.  

Despite the defeat of the monsters by the hero Drenai Hillus, monsters and beasts still roamed the borders of the continent, threatening people’s lives. The Empire offered high wages to soldiers who fought these creatures, enough to buy a decent house in the countryside after just three months of service.  

Lijeil spent three months, then another three months, and then another three months at the monster-infested borders, saving up his wages. Initially, they had dreamed of a countryside home, but as their savings grew, their dreams expanded to owning a decent house in the capital.  

But fate was cruel. On the day their daughter, Lily, took her first steps, Solei received a letter. Lijeil had been killed in action during a battle with monsters at the border, and his body could not even be recovered.  

The Empire honored Lijeil’s sacrifice, promoting him posthumously and providing Solei and her daughter with a monthly pension.  

With that money, Solei was able to purchase a house in Oak Village, a two-hour journey from the capital, and secure a comfortable life. But no amount of money could replace her lost husband. She fell into a deep depression.  

It was around that time that Ethea moved into the neighboring house.  

Though initially consumed by grief, Solei gradually began to rebuild her life, raising her daughter and selling handmade wooden crafts. She even reached out to Ethea, offering fruit and sharing parenting tips, becoming a good neighbor.  

Ethea, who had always been wary of others, eventually opened her heart to Solei. She was touched to tears when Solei shared snacks and toys meant for Lily with Gin, despite her own tight circumstances.  

Ethea, in turn, found joy in having a friend. They shared books, comforted each other during thunderstorms, and watched their children play together. Seeing Gin and Lily become friends brought warmth to Ethea’s heart.  

Still, Ethea felt sorry that she couldn’t give back as much as she received. All she could offer were cheap metal toys or trinkets made with alchemy, which often left her feeling inadequate. She hoped to one day give Solei a proper gift when her circumstances improved.  

Whenever Ethea had urgent matters to attend to, she would leave Gin in Solei’s care. Whether it was for academic tests, crafting alchemical toys for income, or running errands on rainy days, Gin often stayed with Solei.  

Leaving Gin with Javir was out of the question. He lived two hours away in the capital, and their correspondence was limited to letters exchanging money and brief thanks. Even if they lived closer, Javir would never care for Gin. To him, a child was nothing more than a hindrance to his alchemical research.  

For now, Solei was the only person Ethea could rely on.  

Gin, unaware of the gravity of the situation, was thrilled to spend time with Lily. Ethea sternly warned him to keep quiet.  

“Gin.”  

“Yes, Mom?”  

“You mustn’t tell anyone who I’m going to meet today. Do you understand?”  

“Why?”  

“It could cause unnecessary misunderstandings. Today, just play quietly with Lily. Even if Solei asks, just say you don’t know. Can you do that for me?”  

“Okay!”  

Gin beamed. Ethea could understand why he was so proud and excited about his mother meeting the Emperor. His cheerful mood even lifted Lily’s spirits, and the two children began to play joyfully as soon as they met.  

Watching them, Solei smiled warmly and turned to Ethea.  

“A carriage from the palace? Who’s calling for you?”  

“Well, uh… I’m not sure.”  

“Don’t tell me you have a royal friend? But then again… you don’t have any friends besides me.”  

“Hey!”  

Ethea shot Solei a sharp look before sighing. Then she answered more seriously.  

“There is someone. Someone I’m really… not happy to see. They suddenly decided they want to see me.”  

“Don’t tell me—it’s Gin’s father?”  

“…”  

“It’s Gin’s father, isn’t it?”  

“No. Don’t ask any more questions.”  

Solei began to let her imagination run wild.  

“Who could it be? What kind of story would require you to go to the palace? Well, of course, your father used to work there, so it’s not impossible for them to summon you, but this time, it feels like something dramatic is going on.”  

“What do you mean, ‘something dramatic’…?”  

“Anyway, we might finally find out who Gin’s mysterious father is.”  

“Why does the conversation always end up there?!”  

“He must be handsome since Gin takes after him, not you. Now, who’s the most handsome man living in the palace these days? Let me think… From what I’ve heard, the most handsome man in the palace right now is His Majesty the Emperor. No way! Could it be that Gin is His Majesty’s son? No, no, that’s too far-fetched. For one, their eye colors are different. Hmm. Are there any other handsome men in the palace?”  

Ethea shook her head in disbelief.  

***

Six Years Ago. A Windy Hill.

“I want to go far away.”  

Ethea stood with Lyle beneath a flowering crabapple tree, its white blossoms swaying in the breeze.  

She was staring blankly at the view below the hill when Lyle suddenly spoke, his voice carrying an unusual note of longing.  

“If I could, I’d go very far away.”  

There was something precarious about him.  

“Where to? Why do you suddenly feel that way?”  

Ethea felt uneasy just watching him.  

Standing on the highest hill in the village and looking down was risky. If someone spotted them and figured out who they were… Even though her face was hidden under a hood, Ethea couldn’t shake her worry.  

Javir had no idea that Ethea was here. He probably thought his diligent, obedient daughter had gone to buy black salt, a substitute for the high-grade palladium used in alchemy.  

It was something she did often. Black salt was always in short supply and couldn’t be delivered, so using the errand as an excuse to meet Lyle had become a secret and thrilling form of rebellion.  

When Lyle asked if she could step out for some fresh air, she had followed him here. But she knew she had to return home soon. So when he suddenly expressed a desire to leave everything behind, Ethea couldn’t help but feel concerned.  

“Ethea, don’t you ever feel the same way?”  

“Huh?”  

“Like me. Don’t you ever feel like leaving everything behind and running far away?”  

Ethea thought for a moment before answering.  

“Of course I do.”  

She didn’t even dream of going far away. Just leaving the house would have been enough. She hated the endless chores, the constant sulfuric smell that permeated the house, and living with the strict, stubborn Javir. She couldn’t bring herself to like the man who had driven her mother away. There were countless times when she felt she couldn’t endure his personality any longer.  

But what could Ethea possibly do if she left home? If she gave up her studies, what could a young girl like her do in this harsh world?