Side Story – Part 7

The mysterious emotional exchange continued for quite a while. After some time, Silian beamed and ran toward me, hugging me tightly.

I was about to lift him up with a puzzled expression when he wriggled out of my arms, trembling slightly. Just as I was about to express my disappointment, Silian spoke brightly.

“Mom, you can’t overwork yourself because there’s a baby in your belly!”

“What…?“

“The pretty fairy told me! It said there’s a very, very tiny baby in your belly. It can see it.”

My fingers trembled slightly. Ever since giving birth to Silian, I had longed for another child and felt anxious about it—not only for Julian’s or Silian’s happiness but also for my own.

And now, after seven years, it seemed that a second baby had finally come to us.

Julian wrapped his arms around my shoulders. Unlike my first pregnancy, where I couldn’t fully embrace joy due to fear, this moment was filled with pure happiness.

***

The four of us sat around a large dining table covered with a white tablecloth. Silian had turned fifteen a few months ago, and his academy had recently gone on break.

His academic performance was so exceptional that he didn’t really need to attend, but Silian had decided to graduate from the academy like any other student. He had agreed to my wish that he experience bonding with peers before entering the Magic Tower.

Initially, I worried that my personal desires were holding back Silian’s scholarly ambitions, but fortunately, he had made many friends and enjoyed his time at the academy.

Seated next to Silian was a young girl with raven-black hair, just like Julian’s. She pierced a piece of meat with her fork and dunked it heavily into the sauce.

“Elena, you should eat the sauce in moderation. It’s not good for your health,“ I gently chided her.

However, Elena simply popped the meat into her mouth, grinning with satisfaction. She looked at me with steak sauce smeared at the corner of her mouth, her emerald-green eyes sparkling like mine.

For the first time, I thought my eyes were beautiful as I gazed at Elena. My heart swelled at the thought of Julian possibly feeling the same way when he looked into my eyes.

As I marveled at Elena’s charm, she beamed, gently placing her fork down.

“Mom, Dad! My birthday is coming up soon.”

“And what would you like?“ Julian asked with a soft smile.

Elena leaned forward, her eyes widening as she spoke seriously.

“I want a box of rare magic stones from Zan’s mine!”

Startled by her request, I almost dropped my knife. A box of rare magic stones was incredibly valuable, but what surprised me wasn’t the value—it was that an eight-year-old child would ask for rare magic rocks instead of a dress, a sword, or toys for her birthday.

Julian placed his hand on mine as if to calm me down. He cautiously asked Elena, “Why do you need rare magic stones?“

“For Teacher Philip!“ she replied.

Teacher Philip was Elena’s tutor.

“Teacher Philip said rare magic stones are infinitely valuable. I heard the price of rubies dropped recently, but rare magic stones will never lose value.”

Her straightforward, logical reasoning made me laugh, but I held it back, not wanting her to think she was being laughed at. Even Silian watched her seriously, which boosted her confidence as she continued.

“So, I’ll keep and use the box when Zan is in danger. I’ll sell it to the royal family, and with the money, I’ll help the servants of the grand duchy and the people of Zan. And I’ll also build a nice cottage for you, Mom and Dad!”

Although Elena’s words lacked a detailed plan, her enthusiasm was evident. She was certainly not a prodigy like Silian, considered a once-in-a-millennium genius in his field.

However, Elena was always curious, turning that curiosity into a drive to pursue her desires. She put in the effort to achieve her dreams.

Most importantly, Elena took great pride in the duchy and the honor of the Zan family. This differed from Silian’s pure affection for his homeland, as Elena’s pride was rooted in responsibility.

Last year, Louis had lifted Elena into the air, sharing a few words before bursting into rare laughter. He looked at me, chuckling.

“Seems like we need to raise our twins well. With this lady here, the duchy will stand strong.“

Elena’s sense of responsibility had only grown stronger since then. Recently, she even begged for more tutors, eager to prepare for the academy known for accepting only the most talented and prestigious students in the empire.

Julian, after a moment of consideration, nodded.

“I’ll give you that as a birthday present.“

“Really? You promise!“ she exclaimed.

“But Elena, you must promise me in return,“ Julian said gently. “You must never waste the rare magic stones and only use them when necessary.“

“Of course!“ Elena grinned from ear to ear, her excitement barely contained. I couldn’t help but wonder how such a young child could be so thrilled about receiving something as impractical as rare magic stones.

Elena, filled with excitement, stood up and lifted her skirt with one hand, twirling around the table as if dancing.

The girl, who had Julian’s features but carried herself with boldness and joy typical of a child her age, danced happily beside us. Silian, who had matured so much, gazed at her lovingly, just as Julian and I did.

I thought to myself how I wished I could frame this moment, capturing it forever. Not as Velina Zan, who cried out for love and begged not to be ignored, but as Laila Zan, surrounded by those I loved. I wanted to be remembered like this in the next life.

***

The moonlight draped over the bedroom terrace like a silver curtain. I stood within it, enjoying the night breeze. As I leaned against the railing, humming a tune, Julian came onto the terrace and wrapped his arms around my waist.

“You’re getting cold,“ he said, starting with concern, as usual. I turned slightly to look into his eyes. His crimson eyes, reflecting the starlight, shimmered like a beautiful galaxy. I gently stroked his cheek, smiling softly.

“I’m happy right now.”

Though it was just a simple dinner with my family, and now standing here with my husband, who still felt like a lover after all these years, my heart was overflowing with happiness. As if agreeing with me, Julian tightened his embrace around my waist.

“Fifteen years ago, I couldn’t have imagined this. That I would be this happy now…“

“You’ll be even happier fifteen years from now,“ Julian said with conviction, as though he was determined to make it so. I looked at him for a moment and asked,

“And what about fifteen years after that?“

“We’ll be even happier. Each day, we’ll grow happier,“ he replied.

I kissed the man I loved on the chin. Our eyes met, and I asked quietly,

“Will you make me happy in the next life too?“

“As often as you like,“ Julian responded as if it were natural. I bit my lower lip, smiling, and placed my hand on his chest. Then, I asked once more,

“Will you love me in the next life, too?”

Julian leaned closer, bringing his lips near mine, and whispered,

“I wouldn’t know how not to.”

We kissed under the moonlight on the terrace. The kiss, filled with sweetness and longing, felt like a vow to never be apart.

With my eyes closed, I traced my fingers along Julian’s hand, searching for his ring finger. I encircled his finger with mine, feeling its shape.

At that moment, Julian pulled back slightly and looked at his hand. On his left ring finger, besides the wedding ring, there was another ring, glowing faintly as though it had been crafted from stardust. I opened my palm and traced a small circle with my finger over it, and another glowing ring appeared in the air above my hand.

Julian didn’t ask anything about the ring. He simply took it from my palm and lifted my left hand. As he slid the ring onto my finger, I asked again,

“Even if I’m not beautiful in the next life, even if I’m much older than you, or born poor, or not in good health… Will you remember and love me? Even in the next life and the one after that?”

My voice sounded like a warning, as though I was telling him everything that might happen once this ring was placed on my finger. But Julian smoothly slid the ring into place the moment I finished speaking.

Then, the two rings on our fingers shimmered brightly before slowly scattering into sparkling dust.

With his forehead pressed against mine, Julian whispered,

“In this life, I lived to love you, but in the next, I’ll be born to love you.”

I closed my eyes and held onto his arm. We danced slowly, hand in hand, on the terrace. There was no need for an orchestra. The sound of the night insects was all we needed to perform the most romantic dance.

~~End of the Side Story~~

TL NOTE: Thank you so much for choosing this story to spend your time, and I hope this made it all worth it.