Chapter 101

“Huuuh…….”

She wondered, with what feelings had her mother written this letter? That was what she was curious about. Judging from the contents of the letter, it was clear her mother didn’t have any ability to see the future. If she had, she would have foreseen her own death.

Before she, the daughter mentioned in this letter, had even grown up, her mother would have had no idea she would pass away after a long illness. Nor that her father would follow after her in death.

Staring at the postscript for a long time, she hesitantly spoke into the empty air, as if her parents were still there.

“Did… I make you feel disappointed…?”

‘Why did you leave me behind?

You told me every day that you loved me, but did Father love me less?

You said you hoped I’d have a love like yours. But then… why did you make me afraid to fall in love?’

“I also…….”

She hadn’t wanted to be afraid.

She didn’t want to be scared of a future that hadn’t even come yet, worrying in advance. Yet, paradoxically, she felt a strange loneliness, and filled the empty space beside her with people she didn’t even like.

Looking back now, that was a kind of deficiency. Even though she was afraid of love, she had paradoxically searched for someone who would love her. Just like her mother had said, she wanted to find someone she could truly lean on and rest in their arms.

“Still… it’s a relief. I found… that kind of person…….”

Strictly speaking, it was those kinds of people.

She scrubbed away her blurred vision, made hazy by the tears she had shed, and skimmed through the letter again. There was no mention of how her mother seemed to know the future. As for the part at the end about something that would help… she still didn’t know what that meant.

She sat there sobbing for what felt like tens of minutes before the tears finally stopped. Her eyes, burning hot from all the crying, felt terribly uncomfortable. Even the sleeves of her airy dress had become damp from wiping away her tears and runny nose.

Getting up, she began to pack the items back into the box, then glanced at the two things she hadn’t checked yet.

“This necklace, sniff… what is it?”

It was a necklace with a tiny sapphire, not even half the size of her pinky nail, shining a brilliant blue. There was no mention of it in the letter, and she didn’t remember ever seeing it before. Still, since it was in the box, it must have some meaning, so she put it back.

Finally, she looked at the two documents. The first thing that caught her eye was her name. But strangely, the name was the same, but the surname was different.

Upon closer inspection, it seemed to be a birth certificate for an Elvirtein woman named Dione Viscas.

……But why was this here?

She raised her eyebrows and turned to the next page, only to find a truly baffling document. It stated that the title of Baroness Viscas was one of the titles held by the Aviles family, and that Vega Aviles had taken it from the family and now her daughter, Dione Estellon, possessed it—utterly preposterous.

“What is this…….”

In short, it meant she now had nationality in Elvirtein. Though she was born between an Essenite and an Elvirtein, and thus had half-blood, she was born and raised in Essen… at any rate, she had always considered herself Essenite. Up until now.

But if the documents were handled this way……

It meant she was both Essenite and Elvirtein.

“……Hah.”

The gift was so absurd that it made her forget the tears she’d just shed.

She stared at the documents in her hand for a long time, then quickly packed the box and left the small mansion. She thought perhaps she finally had a clue as to how to solve the problem ahead.

* * *

Some more time passed, and the day came for her and Yurik to return to Essen.

As was natural, they would take the cruise ship Raihan had gifted them, just as they had on the way here.

Standing in front of the well-maintained vessel, she gazed quietly at the blue sky and sea, when Raihan quietly approached her side.

“Are you really okay?”

“So they say.”

It might seem like an odd question, but it was because on her way back from Dinua Garden, the first person she’d run into was Raihan. He had seen her with a messy face after crying her eyes out. Because of that, he had worried himself sick, asking what had happened in the garden.

She had debated whether or not to tell him, but decided not to, simply saying she had read a letter left by her mother. Still, whatever he thought of that answer, he couldn’t hide his concern every time he saw her.

Too cautious to ask again, he had fidgeted like a nervous puppy until, just before her departure, he finally managed to ask. That, in itself, was rather funny.

Seeing her relieved face, Raihan finally seemed to relax a little.

But only for a moment—when the subject of the Earl of Aviles came up, his expression stiffened again.

“Do you have any wishes regarding the Earl of Aviles?”

“You can just handle it by the book.”

She didn’t want to take revenge. And in truth, she knew that both Vicente and Raihan would punish him properly, even without her asking. In fact, they were likely to be even more sensitive about it than she was.

More than that, now that the day had come to part with Raihan, she didn’t know what to say.

Maybe she should have told him her feelings before today. But honestly, if he heard this story… well, it would probably sound ridiculous—no, very ridiculous……

‘Well, it sounded ridiculous even to me when I thought of it.’

The plan she’d come up with had very little chance of actually working. That’s why she’d kept it to herself. The idea had come to her as soon as she received the name ‘Dione Viscas’ from her mother, but it was so far-fetched that she was embarrassed to even say it aloud.

‘And I don’t know if it’ll keep anyone from getting hurt, either…’

She let out a sigh. Glancing at Raihan, she fell deep into thought.

Maybe she should put it off as long as she could…… But could she really? What if this was truly the last moment she could delay it? Then what? ……At least, she should say something.

After much deliberation, she quickly checked her surroundings, then stepped up to Raihan, grabbed his arm, and stood on tiptoe. With her eyes tightly closed, she pressed her lips to his.

Smooch.

A light, cute sound rang out softly.

When she slowly opened her tightly shut eyes, Raihan was standing there, ears flushed, surprised by the sudden kiss.

“……Dione?”

“Just… just wait for me a little bit, okay?”

She, too, felt her ears burn. She gently lowered herself from her tiptoes and tried to let go of his arm. Or at least, she would have, if he hadn’t grabbed her hand before she could pull away.

From his tightly held hand, she could almost feel the pounding of his heart.

“Come back anytime. I’ll be waiting.”

“……Okay.”

As she nodded with a determined look, Raihan noticed her expression and gave a small smile. Then, suddenly, he bent down, wrapped his arms around her waist, and pressed his lips to her cheek.

“This is my reply.”

He called it a reply as he kissed her cheek, then gazed at her for a while before suddenly hugging her tightly. He seemed to want to say something, but after a long hesitation, he barely managed a single word.

“Even if…….”

“Yes?”

“No, it’s nothing. It’s time.”

Raihan hugged her tightly once more, then slowly loosened his grip. Feeling his lingering regret, she felt her own regrets well up inside her.

And so, she bid farewell to Elvirtein.

* * *

After another two-week voyage, she returned to Essen and was met with extreme concern from those around her. Well… she had almost died, so it was only natural.

And at first, only the news that her condition was critical had reached Essen, which made it worse.

She stopped by the Imperial Palace first, then returned to the Estellon mansion, feeling a strange sense of nostalgia. She hadn’t been gone that long, but it felt as if she’d been away for a whole year.

After being fussed over by the butler and maids, who had been longing for her return, she headed to the office, where the first thing she saw was Leticia’s face, her dark circles almost piercing her chin.

“You… you didn’t forget I existed, did you?”

“Of course not.”

She must have had a hard time, as even her tone as an aide was gone. Not wanting to make a fuss, she simply shook her head in denial.

……Though, truthfully, she might have forgotten a little.

“Vacation…….”

“Will you give me one? Things aren’t looking good.”

“How bad is it?”

At her question, Leticia let out a sigh as if the sky was about to fall.

“What’s the word from the Imperial Palace?”

“They told you to rest up today and come in the day after tomorrow.”

“The Crown Prince must be pretty busy. He’s meeting Lydia Fruyde today.”

“Ah, right.”