Chapter 100

To be precise, there was something that looked like a small residence. Not two stories, just one. At first, she wondered if it was a place where the gardener or caretaker kept gardening tools, but soon reached a different conclusion. It looked far too aristocratic for that.

She had a hunch that something must be inside.

The door to the small residence opened with a noisy creak, just like before. As she fiddled with the wall, her hand found something she pressed, and with a click, the narrow interior instantly brightened. It seemed to be a light switch.

As expected, there were no gardening tools. All she could see was a luxurious table and chairs, placed sparsely in the room.

On the table sat a box about the length of her forearm. Surely nothing strange would come out if she opened it, right? After doubting and doubting again, she steeled herself and opened the box.

There was no lock. Inside, there was a single letter, a sapphire necklace she’d never seen before, a small pendant, and a peppermint candy shaped like a cane. In addition, there were two sheets of documents.

‘What is this…….’

She couldn’t tell what kind of combination these things were.

Why was there a peppermint cane candy, with red and white stripes intertwined? Was she supposed to eat it? She raised the candy to eye level and stared at it for a while before setting it down. Setting aside the things she couldn’t identify, she picked up the most eye-catching letter.

She thought, ‘This paper is old, but it’s still in perfect condition,’ as she unfolded the letter, which was filled with sentences written in a familiar handwriting.

……It was a letter from her mother.

To My Daughter, Who Will Be Bigger Than Me

Hello. My beloved daughter, Dione.

Right now, you’re in the next room, your little hands twitching as you sleep soundly in dreamland, but by the time you read this, you’ll be well past twenty.

First, let me tell you what you’re probably most curious about: There are no piles of gold bars or mountains of gold coins in Dinua Garden. If you came here expecting that, I’m sorry… But, as I write this, I have a feeling you didn’t come here for that. You’re probably thinking, ‘So what exactly is Dinua Garden?’ or something like that.

This garden… was left to me by my father—your maternal grandfather. In the very distant past, it was said to be a place where rare jewels slumbered. To be honest, I don’t know when this garden was created, or why it was set up inside a glass greenhouse like this. Maybe someone in the Imperial Family would know.

Did you check what was inside the box?

By the way, this is the last riddle I’m giving you, Dione. I won’t tell you the answer.

Normally, I’d give you a hint, but since this is the last riddle, I made it really, really easy, so you’ll solve it quickly.

“……”

The slightly faded paper seemed to carry the traces of time. It was exactly her mother’s handwriting as she remembered it. It wasn’t an imitation by someone else. She tried to calm her trembling lips and the tears that welled up, taking a deep breath.

Riddles… Those were games she often played with her mother as a child. Her mother would pose a question, and she would try to answer—a simple game, but none of the riddles were ever easy.

The one she remembered most was, ‘There were ten lit candles. Then a breeze blew, and three went out. After a while, another went out. Then, after making sure no more wind could reach them, none went out. How many candles remained at the end?’ That was the riddle.

She thought she could easily solve it now. Maybe it just felt that way because she knew the answer. Anyway, as a child, she’d puzzled over it so much, she ended up experimenting herself.

The answer was rather anticlimactic. In a way, it exploited a gap in her thinking. After the experiment, only the candles that had gone out at first remained unmelted, while the rest burned down and disappeared, so the answer was four.

‘Surely these items aren’t that kind of riddle…….’

With a doubtful look, she opened the pendant, and inside was a photo taken with her parents when she was young. She stared at the warm family photo for a long time, then tilted her head at a sudden thought.

‘A family photo… Is that all?’

There was a large framed picture of the three of them hanging in the hall of Estellon mansion, too. But that was a painting, and unlike this photo, it looked more like a typical noble family portrait.

Feeling strange, she tucked the pendant away and picked up the candy this time. Peppermint candy… What was this for? As she turned it over, she noticed the end of the cane was slightly worn.

‘Could it be the one I didn’t finish eating…?’

She must have been about four. That was when she first showed interest in peppermint candy. And that day was December 25th, Christmas. There are basically two kinds of candy for that season: one is a cane shape with diagonal red and white stripes, and the other is a round shape with the same pattern.

She was more interested in the cane-shaped candy. The round ones were too plain… The cane shape felt more special. That’s how it seemed to her young eyes. So she begged her father for the cane-shaped candy and put it in her mouth……

Of course, she couldn’t eat it. The taste was far too grown-up for a four-year-old.

“See, I told you you couldn’t eat it!”

“Hing…….”

“Stop teasing the child.”

That time, when she said she couldn’t eat it and handed it over, it went into her mother’s hands. She never imagined her mother would keep it.

But for her mother to leave this behind, she must have come here herself. How did the caretaker not know her mother had entered? Besides, as far as she knew, after coming to Essen, her mother had never visited Elvirtein again.

It was a mystery she couldn’t solve by thinking about it, so she decided to read the letter again.

My daughter, you like to solve problems, so at first you’ll try to solve the riddle, but in the end, you’ll probably wonder how I managed to prepare all this here. Did I get it right? Anyway, there’s a truth about life hidden here. That is… ‘Most things can be solved with money.’ Ah, but you know not to try to solve everything with money, right?

……Her mother wasn’t just anyone.

And this is something else… You don’t always have to be cautious about every problem. Sometimes, the best choice is to follow your heart, and sometimes… delaying your answer as much as possible is the best option. When you were little, you’d always furrow your brow and pout your lips, worrying over every problem right in front of you. Are you still like that now, all grown up?

But in the end, you always find the best answer. And you always will. I believe that.

Dione, when I hold you as a little child, sometimes I feel like I’m holding the whole world. When you laugh, I wonder how such a child could be in my arms, and when your eyes shine, it’s as if I’m looking at a star.

Then I suddenly wonder. When you grow up and stand at eye level with me, what kind of dazzling person will you have become?

I have no doubt that you’ve become a daughter I’m proud of. Even if you don’t think so, to me and your father, you’ll always be our beloved, adorable daughter.

What you must never forget is that your mother and father always love you. If there’s anyone who will cheer you on and support you wherever you go, it’ll probably be us. But even that will end someday, and you’ll entrust yourself to someone else.

I don’t know who that will be, but I hope it’s someone endlessly gentle, who cherishes you, who hurts when you’re hurt as if it’s their own pain, someone who thinks of you as part of themselves.

That’s what love is.

Oh my, it’s already time for little Dione to wake up.

Lastly… I hope what I’ve left behind will help you solve the problems you face, maybe. And whatever choice you make, I’ll always, until the moment I close my eyes, be on your side.

After reading this letter, I hope every day of yours will be filled with kindness.

P.S. If your father ever upsets you, make sure to whisper it secretly to me.

From Your Mother, Who Will Love You Forever

When she finished reading the letter, she found herself sitting in the chair, tears streaming down her face, having tried in vain to hold them back as she read.