Chapter 9 (Part 6)

Anthus wanted to sneak into the Earl’s residence but held back. He could see that if he got caught sneaking in, the situation would only worsen.

He sent letters without fail every day, but no reply came from Matthias. It felt like walking through a dark tunnel without a torch. So he planned to plead with Matthias at the Imperial meeting this month.

But…!

“Young Lord Louis?”

“Yes, Duke, it’s been a while.”

Anthus didn’t expect Louis to attend in Matthias’s place.

“Father-in-law…”

“He’s bedridden.”

At Louis’s words that Matthias was bedridden, Anthus swallowed dryly.

“Because of someone… He’s bedridden. So I’m handling the affairs of the Earl’s residence.”

The ‘someone’ Louis referred to was clearly himself.

“Young Lord Louis… Is Lia doing well?”

Louis examined Anthus’s face. He looked much more haggard and worn out than the last time he saw him. But he wouldn’t feel sorry for him.

“Don’t worry, she’s doing very well.”

“That’s a relief.”

Anthus looked like he might cry at the slightest provocation, staring intensely at Louis.

“Stop staring, Duke.”

“I want to see Lia.”

Anthus expected Louis to get angry and glare at him, but it was the opposite. This made him even more anxious.

Louis, though infuriated, closed his eyes and took deep breaths to maintain his composure.

“Right now, all I want is to throw a white glove at your face, Duke, but I’ll restrain myself because of what my father said.”

Clearly, there was simmering anger in Louis’s eyes.

“Getting beaten and scolded would be a better situation… I didn’t expect to be banned from seeing Lia.”

Louis struggled to calm his rising anger.

But pregnancy doesn’t happen alone. This incident was the fault of both his sister Yuliana and Anthus. However, as a man, he was still angry at Anthus for not restraining himself.

“You’ll have to wait.”

The word ‘wait’ was harsh for Anthus.

“Until my father’s mood improves…”

“When will that be?”

Anthus clenched his fists and nodded at Louis’s firm words. Louis glared at Anthus with fierce eyes.

“Even if my sister agreed… You should have restrained yourself, Duke.”

“I will take full responsibility.”

Anthus spoke anxiously.

“To you, Lia and the child in her belly are important, but one of Lia’s precious people is Father. And that Father is hurt right now.”

There was sadness in Louis’s voice.

“I know I have no face to show. Please help me so I can take responsibility for Lia. I truly love her. I would appreciate your help.”

Louis disliked Anthus, but he thought that no one else could love Yuliana as dearly as Matthias and himself did.

“If you go to the Loengrin family mausoleum in three days, you might be able to meet Father.”

“I’ll definitely beg for forgiveness if I meet Father-in-law.”

A bit of life returned to Anthus’s withered face.

“No matter how busy he is, Father always visits the family mausoleum once a month to reminisce about Mother.”

“Thank you for the information, Young Lord Louis.”

<Louis, if by any chance the Duke shows signs of remorse, tell him to visit the family mausoleum in three days.>

Louis carefully observed Anthus’s grateful face.

The confident, radiant Anthus of the past was nowhere to be seen. He was a nervous, caught-off-guard man, watching for reactions. So Louis followed Matthias’s words.

* * *

Matthias stood in front of the grave of his beloved Rosaline. When he closed his eyes, he recalled her last moments returning to the Holy Kingdom and her appearance when she came back.

He had held her scorched body, punished by the gods, and cried all night. Although he couldn’t recognize her face, there was no guarantee the corpse was Rosaline’s. So he buried her in the family mausoleum.

“Rosaline, I’m here. And Lia is with me.”

“Mother, I’m here. I’m sorry it’s been so long.”

Yuliana placed a bouquet of chrysanthemums in front of Rosaline’s grave.

“Rosaline, I have surprising news today. Yuliana is expecting a child. You will become a grandmother… and I will become a grandfather…”

Matthias placed the bouquet of roses he was holding on Rosaline’s grave. It contrasted with the chrysanthemums.

“Rosaline, I love you today as well.”

“Father, I’ve always wondered… Why do you place a bouquet of roses on Mother’s grave?”

Everyone else places bouquets of chrysanthemums to honor the deceased, but Matthias steadfastly places roses.

“Your mother loved roses the most, and the first flower I gave her was a rose. And…”

Matthias’s intense love for his wife is quite famous. Many suggested he remarry, but he refused, saying he couldn’t marry another while holding Rosaline in his heart. He always places roses on her grave and confesses his love.

<I’m just a Saintess… Is it okay if I become an Earl’s wife?>

Matthias reminisced about his memories with Rosaline, his eyes welling up. Yuliana quietly watched him from the side.

“Your mother is not by the side of the gods.”

Yuliana had asked why he placed roses, but she was curious about what her father would say next after claiming her mother wasn’t with the gods.

“Rosaline and I buried a beautiful gift in each other’s hearts.”

“A gift?”

“Yes. A beautiful gift that can be cherished forever in our hearts.”

“What is that gift?”

“It’s memories.”

<If the person left behind feels like dying because of the one who left first… Thinking about the precious memories we shared will make it okay. In the memories held in our hearts, we are always together, Matthias.>

“Rosaline lives not by the side of the gods… but in my heart. So to me, Rosaline is not dead. She is always with me. Lia, you may not understand my words now, but one day you will. Parting is always sad, but if you cherish everything that person left behind, parting becomes a memory, not sadness, until the end of your life.”

Yuliana listened intently to her father’s words.

“Rosaline lives in my memories and heart… watching over me, Louis… and you, Lia.”

Matthias placed his hand on his left chest.

“Here… she lives.”

Matthias lowered his hand from his chest and continued speaking while patting Yuliana’s head.

“Rosaline… Lia is expecting a child… You must watch over her. I will do my best to protect her too.”

Yuliana couldn’t say a word. Only the tears streaming down her face spoke her heart.

When she brought up the pregnancy, she thought her father would get angry, shout, and hit Anthus.

But her father said that the mistake of an unmarried child is the parent’s fault. He didn’t get angry. He only repeated that it was his fault. Matthias kept saying it was okay, but Yuliana felt uneasy.

“Father.”

“Yes, Lia.”

Her father’s gentle and kind tone and voice… It made her cry even more.

“To be honest, when I told you about the pregnancy, I thought you would challenge Duke Anthus to a duel or, if not, annul the engagement… or take some extreme action.”

“When you become a parent, you’ll understand a bit of how I feel now. The feelings a parent has for the mistakes of their child… that is.”

“I’m sorry for being a disappointing daughter.”

Matthias wiped away Yuliana’s tears with his thumb as they rolled down her cheeks.

“To me, you’re the best daughter in the world.”

“And you’re the best parent in the world to me, Father. Of course, Mother too.”

Tears welled up in Matthias’s eyes and eventually fell.

“I love you, my daughter. No matter what happens, I’m on your side. Don’t forget that. And though it’s late, congratulations on your pregnancy.”

Matthias remembered the moment when his children were born and cried in his arms.

The children who always looked only at him and followed him had grown up and started looking at their own loved ones. It wasn’t that he didn’t feel lonely as they began seeking others instead of just him.

He felt lonely. But as long as his children lived happily, he was satisfied.

“Thank you, Father.”

“I am also grateful, Lia. For staying healthy by my side…”

Matthias thought it might be okay to take a trip with Rosaline in his heart once all their children were married.

Today, Matthias missed Rosaline even more.

Anthus hid his presence near the Loengrin family mausoleum and listened to the entire conversation Matthias had with Yuliana. He realized that Matthias’s love was greater than he had thought.

He also reflected on his own short-sightedness and realized that Matthias was more magnanimous than he had imagined.

He wanted to run to Yuliana, who was crying, to hug and comfort her, but it wasn’t the right atmosphere to rush out. Reluctantly, Anthus continued to hide.

After a while, Matthias began to soothe Yuliana, who had been crying for some time.

“Stop crying. If you become dehydrated, it could be hard for the baby in your belly.”

“Yes, I’ll stop crying.”

“You’re not alone anymore. Your body is not just yours.”

Yuliana wiped her tears and nodded vigorously.

“Yes, Father.”

“Father has something to tell you…”

Yuliana focused on Matthias’s words.

“Even after you get married, you will always be part of the Loengrin family. This means that even if you marry and become the Duchess of Rockbellion, if you ever dislike being in the Duke’s family, you can always return as Lady Loengrin.”

“Father.”

When a noble lady gets divorced or is expelled, she usually goes to a convent. Returning to her family and using her family name again is a difficult matter.

“I will always respect your choices and take responsibility as a parent. While what you did isn’t wrong, it was hasty, and you must take responsibility for everything with Duke Anthus.”

“Yes.”

“Now, let’s return to the Earl’s residence and lift the restriction on Duke Anthus’s visits.”

“Really? Father!”

Yuliana was delighted to hear that Anthus’s restriction from entering the Loengrin estate would be lifted.

“Before your belly shows, we need to discuss the wedding quickly.”

Nodding, Yuliana smiled brightly through her tears.

“So many tears…”

Matthias patted Yuliana’s head. Then, looking at Rosaline’s gravestone, he smiled and said,

“Rosaline… I will come back when our grandchild is born.”

After Yuliana had calmed down a bit, Matthias took her hand and began to descend, glancing one last time at Rosaline’s grave.

After their figures completely disappeared, Anthus revealed himself. He placed a bouquet of white chrysanthemums on the gravestone.

“Thank you for the precious gift you gave me, Mother-in-law. I promise to cherish and love Lia for the rest of my life.”

Anthus looked at Rosaline’s gravestone and shared his story for a long time.

“I first saw her when I was fifteen.”

Anthus spent a long time pouring out his heart at Rosaline’s grave, pledging to take full responsibility and asking her to watch over him.

As the wind tousled his hair, he felt as if someone was gently patting him.

The next day, a letter from Matthias arrived for Anthus. It stated that the restriction on entering the Loengrin estate was lifted and invited him to visit when he had time.

“This time, I must sincerely… pay my respects.”

Rather than being overjoyed about Yuliana’s pregnancy, Anthus decided to understand Matthias’s feelings, consider the shock to the family, and have a sincere conversation to apologize.

He had achieved everything he wanted in life so far. But believing that life would always go his way was ‘arrogance.’ Through this event, Anthus learned that while it’s important to cherish loved ones and their families, humility is sometimes necessary.