Chapter 3 (Part 7)

Fortunately, his voice was the same as always. Impassive yet grave, a low voice.

Sellakia listened to it as if savoring a rather sweet voice and gave the answer she had prepared in advance.

“I remember a bit from when I was at Viscount Lensch. There are some people I vaguely recall.”

“Do you remember things from your childhood?”

“Yes. But it’s not perfect. I remembered someone I met as a tutor, but I can’t recall any memories with the Young Master of Pyregen.”

Sellakia sighed softly as if regretful, not forgetting to subtly urge him to return her belongings.

“If you give me back my things, it might help me recover more memories.”

“Do you want to regain your memories?”

“Of course. Naturally.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to forget unpleasant pasts and live on? Is there really a need to make an effort?”

Sellakia was momentarily taken aback. It felt as though he had read her mind.

The week of memories she truly lost was not something she wanted to find for the reason Tenus mentioned.

“…You’re talking about my childhood memories, right?”

“Isn’t that the memory you were trying to recover?”

“Y-Yes. Childhood memories.”

Tenus rested his chin on his hand and looked at Sellakia askance. His gaze was truly dry. It wasn’t as if he was trying to probe her.

It didn’t seem like he was mocking her family history. Rather, it felt like a considerate suggestion. Perhaps due to the deep resonance of his voice, it seemed as if it carried a hint of regret.

Sellakia suddenly recalled that Tenus, like herself, had lost both his father and mother during his childhood.

She immediately understood his mindset of not cherishing the past. Sellakia had once harbored similar thoughts.

“No matter how hard it was, you can’t live forgetting everything. I don’t want to.”

“Why not?”

“Because there might be good memories mixed in. I won’t abandon precious memories just because they’re buried in unpleasant ones.”

Even if it was like finding gold dust in the sand, she could endure that much for the moments she wanted to repeat forever.

However, within the completely erased week of time, there was unlikely anything like good memories. It was a memory neither worth seeking nor valuable.

As she internally mulled over what she couldn’t say to Tenus, Sellakia continued speaking based solely on the time she spent at Viscount Lensch.

“Above all, what if I don’t remember my parents? That’s the only thing the living can do for those who have left. Remembering.”

Tenus, who had been listening to Sellakia’s words silently, rubbed his temples as if weary. He spoke in a slightly hoarse voice.

“You say the same thing.”

“With whom?”

“My mother.”

Tenus’s expression when mentioning his mother didn’t look particularly good, even as a mere formality. Unlike the sadness or longing that would flood Sellakia when she thought of her own mother, there was no trace of tenderness.

“Does remembering mean loving?”

Tenus murmured as if talking to himself. Sellakia slightly corrected his abrupt words.

“It’s different. It’s remembering the love. Specially.”

Tenus, with furrowed eyebrows, seemed like he wanted to refute. However, instead of opening his lips, he reached for a drawer beneath the desk.

Along with the sound of heavy objects clattering, there was a clear resonance as if glass bottles were clinking. Unlike the neatly organized desk, the inside of the drawer seemed to be filled with miscellaneous items rolling around.

Sellakia wanted to peek at the messy drawer, but it was completely obscured by Tenus’s broad back.

Soon, Tenus took out a velvet box from the drawer. Sellakia impatiently snatched the box from his hand.

“Open it.”

She was about to leave the room and check outside, but there might be missing items. Following Tenus’s words, Sellakia obediently opened the box.

A bracelet made of pale cream-colored pearls with a hint of rose, arranged in four rows.

An old cloth doll in the shape of a whale, stuffed with cotton.

Seeing the items she had been desperately searching for made tears well up in her eyes. Each was a gift from her mother and father.

After tenderly stroking the bracelet and the doll in turn, Sellakia realized, a beat late, that a few items were missing.

“This is yours too, I was told.”

Before she could ask, Tenus took something out and firmly closed the drawer. What he held in his hand was a short dagger. It was one of the items Sellakia had been looking for.

“Why do you have a dagger with no decorations or even ceremonial use?”

“It was a gift. They said it’s quite a fine sword, even though it looks plain.”

“I know. It’s a shame for anyone but a knight to use it. I wonder what the giver was thinking when they gave it to you.”

“Well, aren’t the hearts of those who give gifts all the same?”

Sellakia shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly.

The plain dagger, without even ornamental jewels or any pattern on the handle, looked at first glance like a failed practice piece made by a blacksmith.

However, anyone who held the sword could tell it was special. It was unbelievably light for steel, had a precise balance, and was highly resistant to rust.

Even the specially made scabbard was unique. It was not a solid metal scabbard but a leather one with a long strap.

“This is, a leg holster?”

Tenus immediately recognized the nature of the scabbard. Sellakia proudly packed the item as her answer.

“Do you know how to handle a sword?”

“I learned from a private tutor. Want to see?”

Without waiting for an answer, Sellakia swung the sword. The blade, cutting through the air, suddenly stopped just below Tenus’s chin.

Of course, the sword wasn’t drawn from its leather scabbard. There was no fear of injury, but any person would instinctively avoid a sword the moment they recognized it.

“……”

However, Tenus calmly stared at Sellakia. His face was serene, not even blinking an eyelash in surprise.

This man undoubtedly had lost his instincts.

“How boring.”

If it were Chester, he would have at least pretended to be surprised.

“What if I really stabbed you? You’re so defenseless, and your body isn’t made of stone.”

Sellakia grumbled as she placed her hand on Tenus’s smooth neck. Her white fingers, tracing the trajectory of the sword, however, barely made it halfway across his firm throat. It was because Tenus had quickly leaned back. His movement was so swift it made a sound as it cut through the air.

“Why, why did you do that?”

Sellakia blankly took in the distance that had suddenly widened between her and Tenus. The person who didn’t flinch at a sword retreated at a mere light touch. It was absurd.

“……”

Tenus, too, seemed as surprised as Sellakia, as if he hadn’t intended his actions. In fact, this was the reaction she had hoped for when she brandished the sword.

Yet, despite having elicited the desired response, she didn’t feel pleased. Instead, she felt more disappointed, no, displeased.

Being treated as less than a sharply honed sword was not a feeling she welcomed.

“Is this all of my belongings? Hurry and give me the rest.”

Sellakia held out her hand curtly, resisting the fierce urge to draw the sword from its scabbard. Unfortunately, she wasn’t in a position to storm out. There were still items she needed to receive.

“There should be a pebble too, right? I’ve cherished it since childhood. I wouldn’t have left it behind when I came here.”

Sellakia was sure she brought a total of four items from Viscount Lensch’s house.

But Tenus, still maintaining his distance, gave no response.

“It’s a pebble about this big, shaped like a mermaid. Haven’t you seen it? Really?”

That couldn’t be. Sellakia spread her hand to show the size and shape of the pebble, describing it passionately. Tenus, touching his neck, spoke firmly.

“Why keep something so crude? If you need a mermaid statue, just say so. I’ll have a new one made for you.”

“I don’t need anything else. That can’t be replaced even by a mermaid statue carved by the Empire’s best artisan. You don’t really not have it, do you? I couldn’t have left it at the Viscount’s house.”

Sellakia anxiously stamped her foot, but Tenus remained silent.

Could it be tucked away somewhere in that drawer?

Sellakia’s gaze toward the drawer, from which the velvet box and dagger had emerged, was quite earnest. But her gaze was soon blocked by a massive obstacle. It was Tenus.

He now pulled the chair closer to the desk, as if to indicate that all business was concluded, subtly using his body to shield the drawer.

Tenus, keeping his eyes on the documents, casually asked,

“Who gave it to you?”

“Huh?”

“Who?”

How did he know it was given to me? 

Sellakia blinked her round eyes, but quickly understood. Since she said the sword was a gift, he likely guessed the pebble was also received from someone.

Gathering her dejected thoughts, Sellakia took more time than necessary to answer. As her silence stretched, Tenus’s curious gaze fell on her.

Finally, Sellakia smiled brightly and answered,

“A fairy gave it to me.”

“What?”

“A fairy gave it to me. A very small and pretty fairy.”

Tenus’s face twisted pleasingly. She had known since he sighed at the festival name ‘The Day Mermaids Grant Wishes’ that Tenus seemed to have no immunity to such stories.

Causing ripples on his noble face had become a newly found amusement. The earlier displeasure felt compensated. Though it wasn’t enough to console the grief of losing the pebble, it couldn’t be helped.

“A fairy, you say. Why such…”

“It’s true. I met one by the seaside when I was little, and their transparent hair didn’t look human. Perhaps they were a servant of the sea god? They were small and cute.”

It was so long ago that she couldn’t remember the exact appearance, but she vividly recalled the mysterious hair that sparkled transparently in the sunlight.

Tenus’s expression as he watched Sellakia murmur dreamily became increasingly difficult to describe. She wanted to press his terribly furrowed brow, but knowing he’d surely treat her like a bug, Sellakia responded with only a bright smile.

“Now you know how precious and valuable that pebble is, right? Let me know if you find it.”

“……”

“Don’t forget, the fairy’s pebble.”

“Stop with the fairy talk.”

“What else would I call a fairy but a fairy?”

Sigh, Tenus let out a weary sigh. The smile on Sellakia’s face, who had securely tucked the velvet box and dagger into her arms, grew a little deeper.

It felt exhilarating to discover this man’s weakness, albeit a minor one.