Chapter 140

It was true, not a lie, that the orphanage didn’t know Yurina’s identity. At the time, Yurina was hiding the fact that she was a person of the Carthia family in order to move quietly in search of Raynard.

“I was worried that you might be suffering in a noble’s house, but seeing you grown so well, I’m finally relieved.”

Tears continuously fell from Aunt Marie’s eyes.

Even though she couldn’t take him directly into her house due to the situation at the time, guilt for not raising young Tom, and guilt for losing him. She must have been living with such complex emotions for the past 10 years.

Of course, she wouldn’t always have been tormented by guilt. Her life was too harsh, and she wouldn’t have had the chance to think about Tom, worrying about how to get by each day.

But occasionally, when the summer rainy season when Tom’s parents died comes, when the autumn when she sent Tom to the orphanage comes, she would think of him and feel heavy-hearted.

Raynard, as if he had returned to the little boy of eleven years old when he parted with Aunt Marie, bowed his head and stuffed the mashed potatoes into his mouth.

Yurina, who was about to reach out and hold his hand under the table without looking at his face because she could envision what kind of expression he would be making, suddenly snapped back to reality at the sound that came.

“I suddenly prepared dinner, it’s humble but please eat a lot.”

When she looked up, Aunt Marie kindly piled not only mashed potatoes on the plate, but also boiled peas, roasted corn, and even two well-cooked sausages.

“Ah, thank you. I’ll eat well. It looks delicious.”

Yurina sincerely smiled and picked up the fork. The sausage, focused more on preservation than taste, was very salty and dry, but considering the situation in this country village, it was a luxury food that you could only eat on special days.

Unlike the mashed potatoes of the Carthia family that had a lot of butter and filled your mouth with flavor, Aunt Marie’s had almost no butter and tasted only of potatoes. But maybe because the potatoes themselves were delicious, the taste was quite good.

While continuing her meal, Yurina raised her head again at the intense gaze she felt from across the table. Aunt Marie was looking at her as if she was observing her, not eating at all.

Was it because she was interested in the woman that the robust young man she’d cared for as a child had brought with him?

She seemed to have many questions. She looked like she wanted to ask them but refrained, not wanting to interrupt the meal.

Yurina wanted to finish eating and start a conversation with her, but she didn’t think it was polite to leave food, so she silently finished what was on her plate. Seeing her finish, Aunt Marie tried to serve her more food, but Yurina shook her head to decline.

“I’m okay. Ah, Ray might want more…”

“Ray?”

“Ah, I mean Tom… His name has changed. His full name is Reynard.”

Yurina was the one who named him directly. It wasn’t a bad thing, and Reynard also liked his new name, but she was worried if Aunt Marie might feel averse to this unfamiliar name.

Although she found her concerns amusing, Aunt Marie felt like a mother-in-law. Perhaps because she was the one who looked after Reynard like her own son.

Fortunately, Aunt Marie, who had repeated the name ‘Ray’ a few times in her mouth, wiped the corner of her eyes with her sleeve and laughed.

“Ray, it suits him well. To be honest, Tom didn’t quite fit your face.”

“Isn’t that right?”

An awkward meal continued even after. It was only when the meal was almost over that Reynard seemed to calm down, sharing various stories with Aunt Marie. They mainly talked about what happened over the past seven years.

Reynard was doing most of the talking, and Aunt Marie quietly listened to his story, occasionally joining in.

Yurina realized anew that Reynard could talk like a child to someone other than herself. Seeing Reynard, who met someone like a family member he had missed for so long, looking innocent as a child, made her feel good.

She was pleased to see his naive side after a long time.

Stories of receiving patronage from a noble family, being recognized for his magical talent and studying at the Crohn Royal Academy, and his red eyes not being a curse but in fact a blessing from the goddess were all discussed.

At the part about the goddess’s blessing, Aunt Marie couldn’t hold back her tears any longer and burst out crying.

“I knew it. Lily was so kind and affectionate, there’s no way you could have been cursed.”

Lily was Reynard’s biological mother. Aunt Marie was a close friend of Lily since their childhood, and she had looked after Reynard like her own son after Lily’s death.

“But who is the lady next to you?”

After venting some of her emotions, Aunt Marie’s interest turned to Yurina. Before Yurina could answer, Reynard hugged her shoulder.

“Her name is Yurina.”

He then looked into Yurina’s eyes and smiled happily.

“She’s the one I love.”

His tone was as natural as if stating the fact that the sun rises from the east and sets in the west.

There was no sign of excitement or boasting, but his monotone voice somehow made Yurina’s cheeks feel hot.

Seeing the sweet young couple, Aunt Marie shed more tears, saying they were a good match.

* * *

“I may not come often, but I’ll visit occasionally.”

“You’re welcome to come, but don’t feel obligated.”

“This is where my home is. Thank you for taking care of it all this time.”

Tom’s house where no one lives. Aunt Marie had maintained the house in the hope that Tom might return someday. That’s why the house seemed well-maintained even though no one lived there.

“I’ll be back in a few days. I have something to do. Ah, about the father’s grave…”

Raynard was unable to string his words together, biting his lips tightly. Aunt Marie approached him closely, firmly gripping his big hand with both of hers, and gently patting the back of his hand.

“It stays there.”

“Yes.”

Raynard smiled as if about to cry.

“I should go now.”

He held Yurina’s hand. While Yurina was exchanging greetings with Aunt Marie, he silently observed, then slowly started walking back the way he had come, towards the bustling streets.

Aunt Marie didn’t go into the house, but instead stood at that spot for a while, continuously waving her hand.

Around the time when she was out of sight, Raynard muttered to himself, self-mockingly.

“I didn’t know.”

“…”

“I knew Aunt Marie cared for me, but I could never have imagined she would come looking for me later. When I was at the orphanage, I thought I would never be able to return home.”

“Thankfully, you know now. Right?”

“Yes.”

Raynard, nodding lightly, recited a teleportation spell. Because he already knew the coordinates of the villa where the Marchioness Carthia was staying, he was able to teleport to her room in an instant.

There was no one in the room’s adjoining sitting area. Since there was no chance that Marchioness Carthia would be in her room, Raynard lightly kissed Yurina and returned to his own accommodation.

Since only Yurina and Marchioness Carthia officially came to visit the villa, he had no choice but to secure separate accommodation at a high-end inn nearby.

Yurina knocked on the door of Marchioness Carthia’s bedroom and entered.

Marchioness Carthia was sitting in bed reading a book.

She looked at Yurina entering the room with a worried face that they failed  again today, but when she saw Yurina’s face was brighter than she expected, she sighed a small sigh of relief.

“You found it.”

“Yes. We found Ray’s hometown and met the person who had taken care of Ray since he was a child.”

Yurina lifted the quilt and sat next to her. Marchioness Carthia put down the book she had been reading on the side table and covered Yurina’s shoulders with the quilt.

“That’s fortunate. How is Raynard?”

“It seemed that he was very happy to meet the person he wanted to see. Aunt Marie, who took care of Ray, was a long-time friend of Ray’s mother.”

“Then she might have thought of Raynard as her own son.”

“Yes, after seeing her today, it seems likely. Since Aunt Marie only has a daughter, she may have treated him more like a son.”

“Maybe she tried to connect her daughter and Raynard. Don’t you think?”

Marchioness Carthia asked as if teasing Yurina.

In small villages, people often marry within the village, so maybe that was the case.

Imagining a situation that hadn’t happened for a moment, Yurina felt a bit upset and pulled the quilt up to her chin. She was dumbfounded at herself for being upset about something that didn’t happen, but her heart didn’t feel any lighter.

So, a grumpy sound burst out.

“Maybe.”

“Oh dear, are you upset?”

“No, why would I be? Anyway, it seems Aunt Marie was deeply shocked when she returned to the orphanage to find Raynard and he was gone. Still, she had hoped that one day Ray would return, and she had been taking care of his old empty house where no one lived. So that Raynard, if he came back as an adult, wouldn’t feel desolate looking at an empty plot with nothing left.”

“My goodness, it wouldn’t have been easy. She’s an amazing woman.”

“That’s what I’m saying. Thanks to her, it’s fortunate that Ray found his hometown.”

For the past few days, she had been tense and wandering around. Now that the tension had dissipated, sleep seemed to come in droves.

As she yawned, Yurina leaned her head against Marchioness Carthia’s shoulder and closed her eyes. She wanted to bathe in warm water and change her clothes, but she didn’t want to move a finger now.

Marchioness Carthia carelessly stroked Yurina’s hair that might have been covered in dust.

“Then I guess I should give my thanks.”

Yurina, hearing the Marchioness’ murmur, closed her eyes. She hadn’t been able to sleep properly since the execution of Marquis De Flon, as she was worried about Reynard, but she slept a sweet sleep for the first time in a while.