Weren’t You the One Who Was Dying? Chapter 114

“You really do have another woman!”

“My lady, what on earth are you talking about?”

“I know everything. If this keeps up, I’ll take Ehit and run away.”

“I told you, that’s not true, my lady.”

 

Belina, the Duke’s daughter-in-law, was too gentle-hearted to love everyone equally.

She constantly suspected her husband—the Duke’s son.

At the time, the Empire was in the midst of war, so her husband naturally spent much of his time away from the capital. It seemed Belina simply couldn’t bear it.

Still, whatever Belina’s circumstances were, the Duke couldn’t allow that weakness to ruin her grandson as well.

She thought long and hard.

And eventually came to a conclusion.

The Duke’s gift of foresight was gradually fading. It would likely pass on to another member of the family soon.

Perhaps this was her last chance.

So she decided to use what remained of her power to see every future her grandson might have.

The future was complicated.

It was never woven from a single thread. Countless events piled upon one another, creating countless different paths, and among them was the best possible future.

None of the futures she saw for Ehit were particularly bright.

In some, he died because of his foolish pride.

In others, he spent the rest of his life trapped in a loveless, emotionless marriage.

But among them…

There was one future where Ehit was genuinely happy.

A future that could only come to pass if the Duke herself stepped back from his life.

There was only one exception.

His future spouse.

Belina’s paranoia continued to worsen, and the Duke knew she would eventually run away with young Ehit.

She also knew that once Ehit was taken away by his mother, he would no longer enjoy the privileged life he had now.

Even so…

She didn’t stop it.

Cruel as it might seem in the present, it was ultimately the path that would lead to Ehit’s happiness.

It wasn’t her place to interfere.

All she had to do was let events unfold as they were meant to.

“Whether it’s the best future or the worst one, every moment is still my own choice. It’s not just part of reaching some predetermined future.”

Choice…

“I’ll simply give everything I have in every single moment and trust the future those choices create. Besides… who says there’s even such a thing as the best possible future?”

Remembering Daphlen’s confident words, the Duke smiled.

She had almost been convinced.

For a moment, she’d even wondered whether Daphlen might be right.

But…

“Because of that path, you found him in the end, Daphlen.”

You—the one who never lets even something like this pass without standing firmly by your beliefs.

You—the person who will become Ehit’s greatest source of strength.

The Duke turned her gaze toward the window.

It was a peaceful afternoon beneath a clear blue sky.

 

 

****

 

 

 

“What did you talk about with my grandmother?”

“Nothing much. Just… catching up, I guess?”

Smiling, I held my hand out to Ehit.

“And I made a little resolution—to hold your hand whenever I feel like it.”

“What kind of resolution is that?”

Even as he said that, Ehit obediently placed his hand in mine.

And then…

He didn’t let go for a very long time.

Hand in hand, we wandered wherever our feet carried us.

Through the hallways.

Along the colonnades.

Into the garden.

“I heard there’s going to be a lunar eclipse tonight, Ehit.”

“A lunar eclipse?”

“Yes. They say it’s the first one in over ten years. We have to watch the moon tonight.”

We chatted as we strolled across the grass before eventually returning to the library.

Even though we now knew neither of us was dying anytime soon, time still felt too precious to waste.

Whenever I was with him, it always seemed to pass several times faster than normal.

We decided to sit side by side and read.

What should I read…?

I folded my arms and looked around the enormous library before making my decision.

“I want to read the book you used to read. What was it called…? Ter… Terius?”

“You mean Therman?”

“Yes! That one!”

“Then I’ll read the one you used to read.”

“My book?”

The one I’d picked back then had been something like One Hundred Years of Imperial History—the sort of book that took serious determination just to get through.

It hardly seemed fair.

If anything, Ehit was getting the worse deal.

Besides, I’d only ever taken that book off the shelf.

I’d never actually read it.

Still…

If he wanted to, I wasn’t about to stop him.

We sat together in the seats Ehit always used.

Bathed in the sunlight filtering through the windows, we opened our books.

The sunshine was wonderfully warm.

“…”

The book I’d chosen really was interesting.

It honestly was!

But once again…

The sunlight was just too warm.

And right then, sleeping sounded much more enjoyable.

When I finally woke up after dozing for who knew how long, Ehit was already more than halfway through his book.

When he noticed me staring at him suspiciously, he gently patted my head.

“You just flipped through random pages… didn’t you?”

“I read it.”

“My goodness. That couldn’t have been easy.”

Still half-asleep, I could only mumble my admiration before drifting off again.

The next time I woke up, Ehit had finished the entire book.

He himself had fallen asleep as well, leaning against the bookshelf.

So he did get sleepy after all.

Well… after reading that, anyone would.

Feeling oddly reassured by this surprisingly human side of him, I gently guided his head onto my shoulder.

He nestled closer against me and mumbled something.

What did he say?

Unable to make it out, I leaned in.

He murmured a name once more.

“…Lenia.”

Lenia.

That had been my original name.

Come to think of it, Ehit had murmured that same name in his sleep once before.

What kind of dream is he having?

Who is the “Lenia” he meets in those dreams?

I remembered how he’d once briefly told me about the day a friend of his had died.

Could that friend’s name have been Lenia too?

Someone precious to him…

Someone who happened to share my original name.

I quietly stroked his cheek.

Resting my hand on his arm, I gently patted him.

His breathing gradually grew calmer against my shoulder.

Please let it be a happy dream.

Please don’t let it be a sad one.

Please don’t let someone so precious to me wander through painful memories.

Just then, Ehit’s eyelids fluttered.

He seemed to be waking up.

“Awake?”

Opening his eyes, he slowly lifted his head.

The first thing his gaze landed on was Therman, resting on my lap.

The book was still open near the beginning.

Suddenly embarrassed, I hurriedly flipped to the last page and showed it to him.

“I finished it too.”

“…Liar.”

Even half-asleep, this man never let something like that slide.

“Yeah, you’re right. I guess I can’t lie in front of you.”

I expected him to tease me.

Instead, he simply stared at me.

“Ehit?”

He continued looking at me in silence.

What kind of dream did he have?

The emotions in his eyes weren’t calm.

“Daphlen.”

His gaze held so many emotions.

Joy.

Excitement.

Sadness.

Longing.

“Is something wrong, Ehit? Did you have a bad dream?”

“How could I?”

Shaking his head, Ehit gently enclosed both my hands in his.

His fingertips were cool, but where our hands touched was warm.

“I’ve finally found you.”

Slowly, he pulled me into an embrace.

His hair brushed against my ear as he let out a long breath.

There was unmistakable relief in it.

I didn’t know why he was acting like this.

Still, I gently rubbed his back.

For some reason, even without knowing why, I felt as though I could understand what he was feeling.

Ehit held me even tighter.

Though it was his arms wrapped around me, somehow it felt as though he was the one leaning on me.

“Let me stay like this for a little while.”

“You can stay like this forever if you want.”

“And what makes you think I’ll let you go?”

“You’ll probably let go when you get hungry.”

Still slowly stroking my hair, Ehit held me for a long while before finally loosening his embrace.

His eyes traveled over mine…

My nose…

My lips.

I quietly waited for him to speak.

“Daphlen. Do you still have that pendant?”

“The pendant?”

“The one you showed me before.”

I reached into my clothes and took out the green pendant.

The green gemstone was cracked all over, but I still carried it with me.

To me, it was something like a good-luck charm.

“I told you before—I think my family gave it to me.”

I went back through the fragments of memory that had resurfaced not long ago.

It would’ve been nice if all my memories had come rushing back at once, like in a novel.

But they hadn’t.

All I had were scattered fragments, like beads that hadn’t yet been strung together.

“I don’t mean to brag, but… I think I was born with unusually strong holy power. This pendant suppresses it, but every now and then some of it leaks out.”

“Every now and then?”

“Yes. Like when I almost died in that supply wagon recently.”

“And if I remember correctly… I think I fell into the Thornfields of Epeon when I was little. I probably survived because of my holy power.”

“The Thornfields of Epeon…?”

“Yes. That terrifying place where everyone says no one survives if they fall in.”

“You survived a place like that?”

“I told you. I think I was born with unusually strong holy power.”

I grinned and shrugged.

At first, I hadn’t been completely sure.

But after piecing together my memories, I was convinced.

The place in my memories really had been the Thornfields of Epeon.

Considering I’d survived somewhere like that…

Even I had to admit I had incredible luck.

“Have you remembered anything else?”

“From your childhood, I mean.”

“Hmm.”

I searched through the next fragments of my memories.